The dual-tone rise and fall of the village sirens blanketed the night, and the hurried fall of feet rushed upstairs. Mam came into my bedroom in a whirlwind, shouting ‘Get up!’ and I scrambled from under the blanket. I shoved my feet into my slippers and Mam threw my dress...
The storm hadn’t fallen over the Deus like it had the day before. The sky darkened and thunder growled somewhere far away and unseen, but the worst of it had stayed over the forest and the savannah beyond. The light drumming on the canvas continued for half an hour or so, but the sound was gentle...
They chattered at us as we approached, then flew off across the yard.From there, I tried to retrace my way to the spot where Kriminalinspektor Wolff had bumped into me. It didn’t take us long to follow the route I’d taken, and it turned out I hadn’t even travelled very far. I recognised the stree...
Howler monkeys, watching in the dark from the treetops, tensed when the door opened. They sat forward on their branches and trained their eyes on the boy who emerged. The frogs and insects continued to croak and chirrup as if everything was normal, but nothing was normal. They struggled up the in...
I mounted, taking Aleksandra and Dariya, while Petro and Viktor took the second horse. We would be a heavy load for the animals, but the horses were strong and they would cope. When they grew tired we would walk for a while, give them a chance to rest. ‘What about us?’ Anatoly asked. The two sold...