“You had passed out.”
“Yes. From an attack.”
“You were sitting alone. You must have fainted and hit your face on the ground. Your left ear was bleeding.”
“I was attacked. Did you not see a brute around?”
“You were alone.” She seemed to be pleading. “All alone. I didn’t see any cannibals.”
“Did you say cannibals? He may have left, then. In any event, I would like to thank you for helping me.”
“I used to be a wet nurse. I tried to help as best as I could.” She said this in such a dispirited manner that I felt she had been cut adrift from her family at an early age and that she had never filled this void with stable friendships.
“Do you work in the Compound, then? In a dispensary?”
“I tried to help everyone in need. It was difficult. I couldn’t manage. So many died.”
“The mothers or
