It had been two weeks since Lithuania had brought Antarctica to the meeting, and he was back in his own country. Still, everyone was pestering him for information about her. He didn't know anything about her, and he wouldn't have told anyone if he had.
It was a cold, drizzly evening, and he'd had it up to here with the endless questions about Antarctica. He pulled on his jacket and strode out into the rainy streets. He was walking down a street on the edge of town, lost in thought, when someone laid a hand on his shoulder.
He whirled around, and saw Antarctica standing there in two white braids and a light indigo shirt with a matching skirt. Somehow, she looked twice as beautiful as she had since the last time he had seen her.
"Antarctica!" he exclaimed.
She smiled. "I told you I'd find you," she murmured.
"I suppose so," he smiled. "But how?"
"You have the bead?" she asked quietly.
"Uh, yeah," he admitted. He had strung it on a string and had been wearing it around his neck ever since.
"Then that's how I found you," she said softly, still not really answering his question. She took his hand and held it up to her heart. "See," she told him, gesturing at her fingers. The smallest one had a matching bead tied to it.
He must have let his confusion show on his face, because she sighed. "The beads are enchanted," she admitted in her quietest voice, after making sure no one else was around. "That sounds crazy, I know. You don't have to believe me."
At first he was at a loss for words. "I believe you," he said at last, studying her face. He could tell that she wasn't lying.