Maro’s family didn’t normally get much in the way of visitors, so today was a special day, one of the kits having caught sight of the long, low canoe approaching the island.

Sometimes, they said, there would be many who arrived, to offer their trade and services, but today it was only a rather short alligator.

Though he wore a sort of beige robe that went down to his knees, he didn’t seem to be perturbed by my hosts’ nakedness as we greeted him on the shore.

“This is our man of justice,” Maro said.  The alligator raised a hand in greeting.  “And this is K’haiso, a traveler who has come to us.”

The alligator lowered his hand.  “A traveler from far off, it seems.  You are not of any of the people of our islands.  How did you come to Narya unregistered?”

That I was an alien on this world, I had guessed; that I might be an illegal one, I had not considered.  And of course the ‘man of justice’ would be concerned with this.  “I didn’t—I came here unknowing, and I didn’t see how I came.  Is it wrong for me to be here?”

The gator registered surprise as I started speaking.  He grabbed my arm even before I’d done speaking and pulled me away from the others, waving Maro back.