As I carried on gazing out at the sea, I remembered the time a few years ago when I thought Ide seen a ship, far out in the distance, moving slowly across the horizon. I didnt know what a ship was back then, but when Ide told Starry what Ide seen – describing it as a long dark thing, as big as a wailfish, but straight like a plank and with little square bits and poles sticking up – hede said it sounded like a tanking ship, and hede then explained to me what a tanking ship was and told me that I must have been dreaming or seeing things, as all the big tanking ships had disappeared a long time ago. I was sure Ide seen what Ide seen though – how could I have dreamed of something Ide never seen before and no longer existed? – but Ide kept my thoughts to myself.

There was nothing to be seen out in the ocean today. It was as still as it always is, and the dark yellow haze that hung over the surface in vast crawling clouds made it almost impossible to see anything. Even the float on Starrys long fishing line was invisible. All I could see was the silvery twinkle of sunlight on the line as it disappeared into the yellowy-brown mist.

So, young Jeet, Starry said after a while, what can I do for you?

After Ide told him what Gun Sur had asked me to do, Starry didnt say anything for a while, he just sat there peering out to sea through his permanently sun-narrowed eyes, a slight frown furrowing his brow.

Eventually, after leaning to one side and spitting a small fly from the tip of his tongue, he turned to me and said, Tell me again what Gun Sur said about the battle.

He told me that weare nearing the end now, I said, and that when the final battle is over, there will only be us or the Dau left standing. He said its the victors who write the history of war, and that will be us, so our history needs to be written.

Those were his exact words?

Yeh, and after that he went on to tell me that as well as chronicling the battle itself he wanted me to make a written account of the times and lives of our people in the days and weeks leading up to it.

Starry nodded thoughtfully.

What do you think it means? I asked him.

It means Gun Surs finally accepted the truth.

What truth?

The truth that everyones known for a long time – weare running out of water. Theres been no rain for nearly a year now and the spring is almost dry. If the weather doesnt change in the next month or so, and theres no sign that it will, we wont have anything left to drink.