Thief of Time - Remanifests

Lu-Tze was in his Garden of Five Surprises when the air sparkled and fragmented and swirled into a
shape in front of him. He looked up from his ministrations to the yodelling stick insect, who'd been off its food.

Lobsang stood on the path. The boy was wearing a black robe dotted with stars, which blew and rattled its rags around him on this windless morning as if he was standing in the centre of a gale. Which, Lu-Tze supposed, he more or less was.

'Back again, wonder boy?' said the sweeper.

'In a way, I never leave,' said Lobsang. 'Things have gone well with you?'

'Don't you know?'

'I could. But part of me has to do this the traditional way.'

'Well, the abbot is mighty suspicious and there's some amazing rumours flying around the place. I didn't say much. What do I know about anything? I'm just a sweeper.'

With that, Lu-Tze turned his attention to the sick insect. He'd counted to four under his breath before

Lobsang said: 'Please? I have to know. I believe that the fifth surprise is you. Am I right?'

Lu-Tze cocked his head. A low noise, which he'd heard for so long he no longer consciously heard it,
had changed its tone.

'The spinners are all winding out,' he said. 'They know you're here, lad.'

'I shall not be here long, Sweeper. Please?'

'You just want to know my little surprise?'

'Yes. I know nearly everything else,' said Lobsang.

'But you are Time. What I tell you in the future you'll know now, right?'

'But I'm partly human. I want to stay partly human. That means doings things the right way round. Please?'

Lu-Tze sighed and looked for a while down the avenue of cherry blossom.

***

The Thief of Time - p344-345