a silhouette beside the man. ‘Who is it, Dad?’
The father put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and said, ‘Go inside.’
‘But who is she?’ the boy persisted.
‘A traveller,’ the man told him. ‘Tell your mother to serve an extra meal.’ When the boy didn’t move, the man lifted his hand from the boy’s shoulder and pushed him insistently, ordering, ‘Go on.’ The boy disappeared. ‘Come on,’ the man said, gesturing. ‘We have enough to share.’
The boy, Lee, stared from under his thick brown fringe throughout the meal, glancing furtively at his father as if he was afraid of being caught doing something wrong. She estimated him to be eleven, perhaps twelve—skinny and lanky like all boys that age—and she winked at him once as she looked up from eating, but he didn’t acknowledge her friendly gesture, just kept staring. She appreciated the stew that the boy’s mother, Esta, plopped into a chipped red bowl, savouring the meaty flavour and its warmth. The father, Bill, offered wine, but Meg wanted only water which she drank eagerly to slake herthirst. The curious dogs pressed their snouts against her legs and she petted their wiry heads, remembering her companion dingo, Sunfire, and the warm relationship she had shared with him in Summerbrook. Forced to go on the run again by the war, her past in Shess no longer seemed distant, and memories flooded back, memories she’d almost forgotten in her new Andrak life with Emma. As Esta offered another scoop of the stew, she couldn’t hold back any longer and salty tears slid down her cheeks. ‘Oh you poor love,’ Esta crooned, slipping an arm over Meg’s trembling shoulders. ‘You’ve had a terrible time. Hush.’
Meg hurriedly wiped away the tears, saying, ‘I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m just very tired.’
‘Your daughter will be fine,’ Esta reassured her, and turned to her husband. ‘Won’t she, Bill?’
Bill smiled ruefully as he lowered his spoon. ‘Like I told you, the Ranu aren’t waging a war against ordinary folk like us. It’s between soldiers and those who think they want to be soldiers. If plain people mind their own business, life goes on like it has here. Your girl will be all right. You’ll see.’
‘I’m not hungry any more,’ Meg said, sniffing. ‘Thank you.’
Esta straightened and lifted the red bowl. ‘You need a good sleep. That’s what you need. You take Lee’s bed for the night. The lad won’t mind, will you, Lee?’
Meg saw Lee staring silently at her and read in his face that he wasn’t as generous with his bed as his mother wanted him to be. ‘That’s a good lad, Lee,’ Esta said as she carried the bowl to the wash bucket, but Lee’s gaze remained fixed on the intruder.
‘I don’t want to be any trouble,’ Meg said. ‘I want to keep moving. I can sleep outside anyway. I just—’
‘I won’t have a woman sleeping outside,’ Esta said, turning from the wash bucket, and for a moment Megthought Esta looked more solid and imposing than anything in the room. ‘You can’t sleep outside in the cold. Lee is happy to let you sleep in his bed and you’re our guest so I insist that you at least stay the night. You’re exhausted and you need rest. Bill can take you to the river crossing first thing in the morning.’ The matter was settled. She would stay overnight, despite her instinct urging her to keep moving. She rubbed the closest dog’s muzzle and smiled at Lee. The boy’s face remained impassive.
The morning wagon ride was a welcome change from walking cross-country and the warm sunshine made Meg relax. At Bill’s insistence, she sat beside him when they set out, with Lee and the dogs riding in the back, and Bill talked steadily about how he’d moved from Aeluntun, where he had been a grocery store owner, to the farm because he wanted to live a countryman’s life. ‘Too many factories going up in the towns and cities,’ he bemoaned. ‘They’re polluting the air and bringing
The father put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and said, ‘Go inside.’
‘But who is she?’ the boy persisted.
‘A traveller,’ the man told him. ‘Tell your mother to serve an extra meal.’ When the boy didn’t move, the man lifted his hand from the boy’s shoulder and pushed him insistently, ordering, ‘Go on.’ The boy disappeared. ‘Come on,’ the man said, gesturing. ‘We have enough to share.’
The boy, Lee, stared from under his thick brown fringe throughout the meal, glancing furtively at his father as if he was afraid of being caught doing something wrong. She estimated him to be eleven, perhaps twelve—skinny and lanky like all boys that age—and she winked at him once as she looked up from eating, but he didn’t acknowledge her friendly gesture, just kept staring. She appreciated the stew that the boy’s mother, Esta, plopped into a chipped red bowl, savouring the meaty flavour and its warmth. The father, Bill, offered wine, but Meg wanted only water which she drank eagerly to slake herthirst. The curious dogs pressed their snouts against her legs and she petted their wiry heads, remembering her companion dingo, Sunfire, and the warm relationship she had shared with him in Summerbrook. Forced to go on the run again by the war, her past in Shess no longer seemed distant, and memories flooded back, memories she’d almost forgotten in her new Andrak life with Emma. As Esta offered another scoop of the stew, she couldn’t hold back any longer and salty tears slid down her cheeks. ‘Oh you poor love,’ Esta crooned, slipping an arm over Meg’s trembling shoulders. ‘You’ve had a terrible time. Hush.’
Meg hurriedly wiped away the tears, saying, ‘I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m just very tired.’
‘Your daughter will be fine,’ Esta reassured her, and turned to her husband. ‘Won’t she, Bill?’
Bill smiled ruefully as he lowered his spoon. ‘Like I told you, the Ranu aren’t waging a war against ordinary folk like us. It’s between soldiers and those who think they want to be soldiers. If plain people mind their own business, life goes on like it has here. Your girl will be all right. You’ll see.’
‘I’m not hungry any more,’ Meg said, sniffing. ‘Thank you.’
Esta straightened and lifted the red bowl. ‘You need a good sleep. That’s what you need. You take Lee’s bed for the night. The lad won’t mind, will you, Lee?’
Meg saw Lee staring silently at her and read in his face that he wasn’t as generous with his bed as his mother wanted him to be. ‘That’s a good lad, Lee,’ Esta said as she carried the bowl to the wash bucket, but Lee’s gaze remained fixed on the intruder.
‘I don’t want to be any trouble,’ Meg said. ‘I want to keep moving. I can sleep outside anyway. I just—’
‘I won’t have a woman sleeping outside,’ Esta said, turning from the wash bucket, and for a moment Megthought Esta looked more solid and imposing than anything in the room. ‘You can’t sleep outside in the cold. Lee is happy to let you sleep in his bed and you’re our guest so I insist that you at least stay the night. You’re exhausted and you need rest. Bill can take you to the river crossing first thing in the morning.’ The matter was settled. She would stay overnight, despite her instinct urging her to keep moving. She rubbed the closest dog’s muzzle and smiled at Lee. The boy’s face remained impassive.
The morning wagon ride was a welcome change from walking cross-country and the warm sunshine made Meg relax. At Bill’s insistence, she sat beside him when they set out, with Lee and the dogs riding in the back, and Bill talked steadily about how he’d moved from Aeluntun, where he had been a grocery store owner, to the farm because he wanted to live a countryman’s life. ‘Too many factories going up in the towns and cities,’ he bemoaned. ‘They’re polluting the air and bringing
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