—Not everyone was killed. A child survived the attack. They’re calling it a miracle.

The captain didn’t seem surprised. Leo asked:

—You knew about this child?

The captain didn’t deny it:

—We heard talk. First came the stories of the massacre, then stories of a boy. They believe the boy is proof that Communism will be defeated. Our sources in Kabul say that in just a few days the idea of a miracle child has become valuable propaganda for the insurrection. Poems are being sung about the boy being protected by the hand of God. It is ridiculous. But defections from the Afghan army jumped three hundred per cent yesterday alone. We have also lost five police officers: one turned his weapon on his comrades. It would seem that the miracle is more important than the massacre.

Leo began to understand the captain’s interest – a bombed village was hardly worth his attention, a miracle was. Nara joined them. Unaware of the developments, she said:

—We should leave. There are too many people. We cannot negotiate.

The crowd had not settled down. The captain shook his head.

—Tell them I want to see the child.

Leo was baffled.

—They’re going to refuse. It would be offensive to them. Nara is correct. We need to leave now. We can return when the mood is less volatile.

As though Leo had not spoken, the captain repeated:

—Tell them I want to see the child. Translate.

Leo stood his ground.

—We can come back when there are fewer people.

The captain turned to Nara.

—I want to see the child.

Under orders, Nara addressed the crowd, raising her voice:

—With your permission we wish to see this miracle boy for ourselves.

The request caused fury. Some men raised their arms while others called out, a hundred refusals at the same time. A rock was thrown, hitting Nara on the side of the face. She dropped down, clutching her cheek. Before Leo could reach her there was machine-gun fire. The captain’s gun was pointing at the sky. The soldiers were targeting theirs on the crowd. Leo edged to the captain’s side.

—If we walk away, no one dies. If we stay, the situation will become violent.

The captain was calm, ignoring Leo, helping Nara to her feet.

—Are you OK?

She nodded.

—Tell them once more to show me the boy.

Nara repeated the command in Dari. As soon as she finished speaking, the captain fired another burst from his gun into the sky. He lowered the gun, aiming it directly at the crowd. One of the soldiers took out a grenade, pulling out the pin and dropping it on the ground. Despite the threats, no man in the crowd made any movement or gave any indication of where the boy might be. Leo said:

—They’re not going to show you!