Chapter Thirty-Three
It strikes me that though
Tarquin had said that they needed help to get ready for Teague’s recital, what
with the absence of anything in the way of chairs, a stage or indeed anything
that would be useful in a recital situation, there wasn’t a lot to do.
On account of this fact, I spent
the day rooting around for information from the town’s residents. Upson was
right in the way that the elderly liked to talk. I had been given the life
stories of four different residents, quite happily sitting there and watching
the sands roll by, when I decided to find my friends again.
It could never be said that
anyone was unhappy here. The people who could remember life on earth spoke of
it fondly and with happy remembrance of their time before. A lot of them spoke
with a great fear of the spinning darkness between here, there and the places
that lay beyond. This meant that the vast majority had grown an attachment to the
town through the fear of that and nothing else.
This is by no means an evil
place. Even now I found myself dragged in by the peace. No one ever seems to
argue here, for there is nothing much to argue about. Spates are settled
quickly and are usually formed around a high school type of love related
arguments. I ran into Elle at one point who observed, quite rightly that it was
bound to happen: There’s not much else to
do here.
I walk across the square again,
seeing that the blazing sun casts long shadows towards me. I step into one and
savour the moment of cool air before the close heat traps me again. People are
already gathering themselves into rows for the singing. I realise that I haven’t
seen Teague all day long and his absence is really beginning to bother me.
I run into Yates near the front.
He stands with a group of older men. I have to remind myself of his actual age
and consider that these are people that he probably feels instantly comfortable
with. I silently hope he’s not starting to enjoy life here. There’s more for
Yates in the world than sand.
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