Hamza searched her face. He thought about what he had seen. What she had told him. Found himself nodding. Nefyn walked to the door. Looked back at him once more before opening it. Hamza watched as she let Efa in. There was a moment’s hesitation before Efa came into view. She looked at Nefyn and then at him, her face suddenly ashen.

‘I knew you had someone here,’ she said.

‘Efa, I’ve never asked anything of you, but I need your help now. I’m asking for it.’

Efa looked at them both.

‘He’s a friend and I need to look after him.’

Efa’s hands were knotted together, her shoulders tense. She sensed something different about Nefyn. It was as if she had somehow grown.

‘Of course,’ she nodded and looked at Hamza, ‘of course.’

Nefyn had been quiet since Efa left. Had refused to look at him. Hamza had cooked some rice, tried to keep his hands, his mind occupied, had brought it to her by the fire, but she had left it untouched, got up, and walked barefoot outside.

The sight of the guard walking into the water played over and over in Hamza’s mind. His fixed stare, the way his shoulders had dropped. Then, as the darkness spilled into the cottage, he followed her outside, found her sitting on the cliff-top amongst the silver grasses, her legs over the edge. He watched her for a moment before moving to sit beside her, his heels dislodging pebbles from the crumbling cliff face under his feet. They both listened as the stones fell away into the darkness below.

Hamza sat looking out at the rippling water, willing the words to come to him. The night was calm, the stars heavy, low in the sky and glistening. Hamza took in their stillness. Their literal truth.

‘The first maps were maps of stars,’ he said quietly, the breeze catching his hair, his shirt. Nefyn did not stir.

‘When they were bombing my city, they would bomb any light. Bomb any lamp, any flame, any sign of life. They plunged the city into darkness. But then came the stars.’ Hamza looked across at her. ‘They had always been there. Hidden. And when the darkness came to the city, it was like the stars were mocking the bombers … letting them know how small they were. It became easier to sleep then; I wasn’t so afraid of closing my eyes when the stars were like that. It was as if they were reminding us that there is something more to this world beyond what we understand.’

Nefyn listened.

‘He would have killed you, you know that,’ she murmured, her face unmoving.

‘I know,’ he answered eventually.

‘It wasn’t a choice you or I made.’

The tide was thinning, receding, unveiling the gaping dark seabed below. Hamza stared at the thin line of water.