The Great Wave of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar

Author:Nadia Aguiar
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141974781
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2016-04-13T04:00:00+00:00

The children were still wandering around Jaipa when night fell. One moment it was still light; the next the final glimmer was lost on the ridges and the hills had darkened around the town. Without them realizing it, the atmosphere had been changing. Other Bloom Players had been everywhere; now suddenly there were none. The Council had retired for the night, and the streets surrounding the square had emptied out as families retreated to gatherings in private gardens or to isolated campsites outside it. The people left in the town square were mostly teenagers and older Bloom Players who had not made it to the next trial, and they were growing increasingly rowdy, a strident edge creeping into their shouts and laughter.

The children began walking out of town to find a quiet spot to strike camp, wishing they had heeded Elder’s advice and found somewhere while it was still light. Outside the centre, the town was poorly lit. They wheeled the bike and cart, trying to make the tyres roll quietly on the bumpy cobblestones. Penny had only been in Tontap for a day, but very quickly it had felt safe and familiar. In the dark, Jaipa did not. Strangers’ faces weren’t clear until they passed close by. A few times they got lost in the snarl of streets. Silhouettes of the surrounding hills loomed claustrophobically. A mangy stray dog trotted after them, then another joined it, and another, following them but keeping a careful distance. Seagrape rode on the handlebars, not making a sound.

They were on a hill on the outskirts, walking along a deserted street, the strains of music and celebration from the square growing fainter, when they heard loud voices from a street up ahead. A moment later a gang of half a dozen older boys appeared round a corner, heading in the children’s direction.

‘They’re looking at the bicycle,’ whispered Penny.

‘They’ve never seen one before,’ said Tabba, trying to sound calm. ‘Of course they’re going to look.’

‘They’re too interested,’ muttered Penny.

As the boys drew closer, Penny could see that some of the boys were very big. They were stumbling a little, their voices over-loud.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ said Jebby, under his breath.

‘Hey,’ called a large boy, who broke away from the group and came towards them.

It was all the children needed.

Penny spun the bike round, hopped on and began pedalling. Tabba and Jebby pushed the cart until it built up some speed, then they jumped in. The older boys shouting, the dogs barking and baying behind them, the children fled, bumping wildly down a dark street on to a dirt road that led outside the town. Trees enclosed the road and in stretches it was pitch black. No one else was there.

‘Stop,’ said Jebby suddenly. ‘Go back – there’s a little path off to the left. Maybe we’ll find somewhere to camp.’

Penny turned off the main road down a narrow, rutted track and they bounced along until they reached a dead end. She squeezed the brakes and they came to a stop in the little clearing.

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