closer to the road though, so we can flag someone down if they pass.”
Daniel picked up the bag and they walked out to the main road, found a tree to shelter against, and tried to make themselves comfortable.
“Thank God we have all our warm gear on,” Daniel said.
“Small mercies,” Em replied, lost in thought. It was impossible that they should be out here in the middle of cold nowhere, their car stolen, utterly lost. The unbroken darkness added a surreal cast to events, as though it were a strange dream. Nor could she shake a vague guilty feeling.
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.
She sighed. “None of this is okay, Daniel. But I expect we’ll work it out once the sun comes up.” She patted his knee. “Try not to worry too much. All right?”
Daniel pulled Vasily’s coat tighter around himself. “All right.” He reached into his pocket and peeled open the packet of cigarettes. “Do you want one?”
She shook her head. His lighter flickered in the dark. Overhead, the clouds parted on a moonless sky, and Daniel and Em sat close together and waited for dawn.
Rosa watched as the first light struggled through the crack between the curtains. Had she slept at all? Perhaps she had dozed briefly, but her body felt tight and poised, as though she may need to make a mad dash any second.
She rose, still dressed in the previous day’s clothes, and went back to Daniel’s door. He wasn’t there.
Richard, roused by her knocking, peered out.
“Not there, eh?”
“You haven’t heard from them?”
He shook his head and yawned without covering his mouth. Rosa flinched.
“Don’t worry,” he said, covertly glancing at her crumpled clothes. “He can look after himself. And if he can’t, then Em certainly can.”
Yes, Rosa thought as she returned to her room. If the problem was a flat tyre or a wrong turn, sure they could look after themselves. But in her memory now she saw the bear’s smile as malevolent, taking pleasure in evil thoughts. She slammed the door of her room behind her and paced the floral carpet. She should never have let them take the bear.
Then she stopped. All three of them had been marked, not just Daniel and Em. Rosa still had something to do with this.
She rummaged in her bag for the silver bracelet Daniel had given her. She had intended to give it back, but now she wove it tightly around her mother’s charm bracelet, making three knots. One for her, one for Daniel, one for Em.
“Please, please,” she muttered, not really knowing what she was doing, operating on instinct. “Let this work.”
Rosa sat by the window and allowed the dawn light to fall on her. The sills were painted with white enamel, layer upon layer which flaked at the touch of her fingernail. She found the tiny mirror charm on the bracelet. It was no bigger than the upper joint of her pinky finger, but she rubbed the surface gently. “Let me see him,” she said. “Where is he?”
At first, only the reflection of her own eye looked back at her, but then there was a shift. Her second sight opened up. She saw the magic working, invisible movements, like heat waves on a dry road.
“Where is Daniel?” she said again.
The mirror shimmered, her eye disappeared, and the surface clouded with fog. She focused harder, her stomach churning with anxiety. Was this a trick of her imagination? Or was the mirror telling her that Daniel lay beyond a veil of fog? Beyond death? She began to panic.
Rosa’s head hurt so she snapped her second sight closed. The fog cleared, her eye appeared in the mirror once again. She glanced away, out the window and onto the dirty street. A battered red car tried once, twice, three times to reverse park in a tiny space against the kerb, then drove off in embarrassment, its exhaust a grey cloud in the cold air.
There had to be another way to find him.
She turned once again to the bracelet, considering the charms one by one. The swallow gleamed in the half-light. She had the answer.
Rosa
Daniel picked up the bag and they walked out to the main road, found a tree to shelter against, and tried to make themselves comfortable.
“Thank God we have all our warm gear on,” Daniel said.
“Small mercies,” Em replied, lost in thought. It was impossible that they should be out here in the middle of cold nowhere, their car stolen, utterly lost. The unbroken darkness added a surreal cast to events, as though it were a strange dream. Nor could she shake a vague guilty feeling.
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.
She sighed. “None of this is okay, Daniel. But I expect we’ll work it out once the sun comes up.” She patted his knee. “Try not to worry too much. All right?”
Daniel pulled Vasily’s coat tighter around himself. “All right.” He reached into his pocket and peeled open the packet of cigarettes. “Do you want one?”
She shook her head. His lighter flickered in the dark. Overhead, the clouds parted on a moonless sky, and Daniel and Em sat close together and waited for dawn.
Rosa watched as the first light struggled through the crack between the curtains. Had she slept at all? Perhaps she had dozed briefly, but her body felt tight and poised, as though she may need to make a mad dash any second.
She rose, still dressed in the previous day’s clothes, and went back to Daniel’s door. He wasn’t there.
Richard, roused by her knocking, peered out.
“Not there, eh?”
“You haven’t heard from them?”
He shook his head and yawned without covering his mouth. Rosa flinched.
“Don’t worry,” he said, covertly glancing at her crumpled clothes. “He can look after himself. And if he can’t, then Em certainly can.”
Yes, Rosa thought as she returned to her room. If the problem was a flat tyre or a wrong turn, sure they could look after themselves. But in her memory now she saw the bear’s smile as malevolent, taking pleasure in evil thoughts. She slammed the door of her room behind her and paced the floral carpet. She should never have let them take the bear.
Then she stopped. All three of them had been marked, not just Daniel and Em. Rosa still had something to do with this.
She rummaged in her bag for the silver bracelet Daniel had given her. She had intended to give it back, but now she wove it tightly around her mother’s charm bracelet, making three knots. One for her, one for Daniel, one for Em.
“Please, please,” she muttered, not really knowing what she was doing, operating on instinct. “Let this work.”
Rosa sat by the window and allowed the dawn light to fall on her. The sills were painted with white enamel, layer upon layer which flaked at the touch of her fingernail. She found the tiny mirror charm on the bracelet. It was no bigger than the upper joint of her pinky finger, but she rubbed the surface gently. “Let me see him,” she said. “Where is he?”
At first, only the reflection of her own eye looked back at her, but then there was a shift. Her second sight opened up. She saw the magic working, invisible movements, like heat waves on a dry road.
“Where is Daniel?” she said again.
The mirror shimmered, her eye disappeared, and the surface clouded with fog. She focused harder, her stomach churning with anxiety. Was this a trick of her imagination? Or was the mirror telling her that Daniel lay beyond a veil of fog? Beyond death? She began to panic.
Rosa’s head hurt so she snapped her second sight closed. The fog cleared, her eye appeared in the mirror once again. She glanced away, out the window and onto the dirty street. A battered red car tried once, twice, three times to reverse park in a tiny space against the kerb, then drove off in embarrassment, its exhaust a grey cloud in the cold air.
There had to be another way to find him.
She turned once again to the bracelet, considering the charms one by one. The swallow gleamed in the half-light. She had the answer.
Rosa
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