Chapter Thirty-Three
It was almost time. From the sanctuary of her upstairs bedroom, Beth watched the sun sink in a blood-red sky behind the distant mountain. It lingered interminably, shooting rays of crimson far into the twilight as if struggling to remain aloft. Finally, abandoning the fight, it vanished, plunging all into darkness. In a few hours the full moon would rise to light the night. But until then, only the brilliance of the stars pierced the blackness.
Sunset provided scant relief from the sultry heat of the day. Beth stood at her open window, acutely aware of an absence. The familiar night chorus was gone. Something had silenced the noisy nocturnal throng of cicada and frog calls. No crickets chirped in the garden. Even the resident mopoke owl had fled. Except for the hum o
