It was a long walk to the other side of the monastery. Surely the boy didn’t live that far, otherwise Moni wouldn’t have found him playing near their cottage. It didn’t make sense. But Iman did not abort her mission. She would look for the boy and his family today, as best as she could. She heard scratching and panting behind her, but before she could turn to look, a force pushed her to the ground. She started to yell and kicked at the large dog. This made it more aggressive and she gasped as the gravel cut into her palms, the weight of the dog crushing her chest and thighs. The grass rose up to claim her and, for the smallest increment in time, it felt as if she was being sucked into a warm smoky place. The ground, hard as ever but still capable of becoming concave, hollowed, as if it were a belly sucked in. She started to hyperventilate and, lifting her head, saw a bright red spot of blood on her palm. Even here. Even here, there could be fighters, snipers, violence. They surrounded her now, slipping the leash over the dog’s head and pulling it back. The concerned owners talking and talking, to the barking, leaping dog and to her all at once. They apologised, was she seriously hurt? Their dog was new and friendly, his energy still unbalanced, and she was small. ‘You shouldn’t have fought him off,’ the woman chided. ‘You made him more excited.’

Iman pushed herself up and dusted her clothes. The Alsatian frisked around her. The sounds it made, its saliva, fur and smell – all were incomprehensible. Iman wanted to get away from these people who were too watchful, too talkative, too close. Her tongue betrayed her. She answered them in a language they didn’t understand. She couldn’t help it. The English words were out of reach, she knew them but could not retrieve them. They had slipped away, unreliable.

Her heart beat, ya Allah, ya Allah – forming proper words, while her tongue could only mumble.

‘Let me see your hands,’ the man said. Iman hid her hands behind her back. She did not want them to nurse her, to flutter over her.

‘Go away, leave me alone,’ she said, and it was a good thing that she could not be rude in English.