Derek couldn't wait to get home. Today would be his 17th Renewal day. Ever since his father had died 12 Rens ago, his mother had refused to answer any questions about what had happened.

All she would say was, "Wait until you are older."

But last month he could stand it no longer. In response to her usual reply to his questions he had screamed in frustration, "But I'm older NOW!"

He was surprised when, instead of becoming angry and punishing him as he had expected, she became very silent and remained lost in thought for several minutes. Then she told him he was right. She just didn't want to accept it. She needed time to prepare, but she would tell him everything she knew on the next Renewal day.

As he ran through the market toward the road that led home, he was aware of signs of the Renewal beginning already. The sun was just beginning to pass through the highest point in the sky. As it did so, he could see the telltale fuzziness around the clouds that he'd come to realize was the first sign of Renewal. Next, he noticed that the bluish glow around the sun was beginning to fade to a more comfortable amber.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually he reached the city gate. As usual, he ran through quickly, hoping to avoid attracting the attention of the guards stationed there. This time he was lucky. There was a particularly noisy dispute between the guards and a wealthy merchant concerning how much tax the merchant owed.

Derek slipped easily through the gate without attracting any attention, and continued to run along the single road leading south from the city. As he ran, he tried to come up with an explanation for the guard's strange behavior the day before. The guard had clearly told him that his father had disappeared. Yet his mother always claimed that his father was dead. His youthful imagination conjured up several scenarios that might explain the discrepancy, each more outrageous than the last. None of the theories he came up with seemed very likely from what little he knew of the world. And he knew even less about his father.

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Derek was distracted from these reflections by the sudden appearance of a Newmer on the road in front of him. Oddly, this Newmer was an adult, unlike the few Newmers Derek had come across in his life. He wasn't actually sure this strange person was a Newmer, but it was the only possible explanation for the Newmer's odd clothing. The Newmer was wearing a strange shimmering material that seemed to consist of one piece that covered him from shoulder to toe. It was of a color that Derek had never seen before, and when the sunlight caught it a certain way, it reflected the light so that it hurt Derek's eyes. One familiar thing Derek could see was a belt made of a similar material, but in a different color. Attached to the belt was a strangely shaped pouch. It didn't seem like it would be very useful to Derek. Closer inspection revealed that the Newmer was also holding an object that was shaped like the pouch. Perhaps the pouch was intended to be used to carry the object.

As he approached the Newmer more closely, it occurred to Derek that he could use a new pair of shoes, so he removed his shoes and silently placed them on the ground in front of the Newmer, and facing toward the town center, according to tradition. He paused briefly, wondering why this Newmer had appeared fully grown and dressed in such a strange costume, then he continued toward the little hut down the road where he lived with his mother. The Newmer, as expected, had remained motionless and silent.

When Derek finally arrived at his home and walked through the front door, he found his mother waiting for him. Derek had often wished he could find a better place for his mother to live, but after his father's disappearance Derek and his mother had been forced to move outside the city. They were only permitted to live in the little hut because it was considered too poor and dingy for anyone else. His mother was sitting at their one small table, staring at a small box that he'd never seen before. It was almost thick enough to hold a loaf of bread, and slightly longer. His mother motioned for him to take a seat. When he'd seated himself in the other chair, she began the explanation she'd promised.