98

Antanasia listened to the gunfire at the camp. It was far worse than she had anticipated. She knew nothing whatsoever about firearms, but she thought she could make out the lighter pop of small arms fire, followed by the heavier, hammering sound of Abi’s AK-47.

So Abi had come up against some opposition? Compared to the snap of the pistol shots, the AK-47 sounded like something conjured up in hell. The sound a tank makes when compared to a two-horsepower Citroen. She felt desperately sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of such a barrage.

Antanasia laid her letter down beside Abi’s. It was a pointless act because she sensed that he wouldn’t be coming back. But maybe someone would read it and understand.

She stepped out of the caravan.

The evening was soft for the time of the year. But the river would be bitterly cold.

She glanced towards the camp. Gunfire flashes reflected off the low clouds like lightning.

Antanasia walked to the top of the slope leading down towards the river. She could just make out the dark of the water against the lighter smudge of the bank. The river was twenty feet across. She could tell by the suck and swell of the rip that it was deep. Still charged with melted snow from the mountains.

She lay down on the slope, her arms held across her chest. She could feel her mind emptying itself of all that had gone before. She felt an unutterable sense of peace.

She allowed herself to roll down the slope, counting on the speed she picked up to launch her far out into the main part of the stream. But at the last moment her direction skewed, and she found herself rolling to one side and up a small bank. She stood up, a half-smile on her face.

Slowly, painstakingly, she walked back up the slope. This time she lay herself down at the far edge to allow for the slant of the incline and the shape of her body.

She took a deep breath and let herself go.

She rolled down, again at an angle. But on this occasion she had judged it right. Her body struck the water at running speed and she was sucked under.

She closed her eyes and welcomed the numbness.