32 Red Gifts
I scurry through the city, a fugitive, a dirty rat trying not to get stamped on, and finally settle underneath a tree in a small green. I spend twenty minutes scanning the surrounding area for spies. I even focus on several nearby bushes and monitor them for irregular movement and stare up into the branches above, watching the sway until I feel I can trust it.
I’m so glad I have you with me. I can’t face this alone, Mum.
Unzipping my bag, my chest grows increasingly hollow the wider the mouth opens. I wonder what will happen when I reach inside, whether I will fall in and keep sinking. Trembling, I close my eyes and plunge my hand within. I let my fingers drift around the items, trying to feel Daniel’s presence pulsating from them. Yet there is nothing and I fear I have lo
