The Security of Companionship

Yehuda Leib and Bluma demonstrate that companionship gives a sense of security by providing support and satisfying an emotional need.

A boy named Yehuda Leib lives in Tupik with his mother, Shulamis. When she learns that Yehuda Leib's estranged father Avimelekh is coming in search of boys to conscript into the military, Shulamis sends Yehuda Leib away. He is quickly in the supernatural land of the Far Country inhabited by the dead and demons. Meanwhile, a girl named Bluma arrives in the Far Country by traveling through a cemetery. The first time they see each other, Yehuda Leib recognizes Bluma even though she has used a supernatural spoon to change her appearance. The fact that Yehuda Leib zeroes in on Bluma is evidence that he needs support. Bluma, as the first human he has encountered, seems the most likely person to provide that...