The trees threw deep shadows over the slab of rock and he had no fear of being seen by anyone down in the town. Slipping another pill into his mouth, he swallowed it and then waited for it to numb the pain as he sat very still and watched the people of Morgan’s Reach gather at the churchyard.

It looked as if the whole town had turned out, and knowing how close these tightly knit communities were, he could almost be certain that every homesteader and station owner within several hundred miles would be down there after such a battle against their common enemy. Old enmities would have been set aside and new friendships forged – and in the ashes of the fire new shoots would grow to continue the rhythm of life’s circle.

The funeral cortege was now moving slowly down the street, and he guessed it must be for the men who’d lost their lives in the fire. He pulled the binoculars from his greatcoat pocket and scanned the street. It was a bit out of focus through the cracked lens, but he persevered, yearning to find those much-loved faces among the crowd.

But there were too many people, too many faces he couldn’t see because they were turned away from him. He hissed in frustration and tried to adjust his view as the service came to an end and the gathering began to disperse. This was his one chance – and it seemed he would miss it.

And then he saw her, and his heart missed a beat. She was standing arm in arm with another young woman and they were talking and smiling at one another. He would have recognised her anywhere – and even from this distance he could see that she was as beautiful as he’d remembered. His heart thudded painfully as he watched her laugh, and his longing to cry out to her had to be swiftly stifled.

The keening was deep in his throat as the two boys ran up to them. This was what he’d longed for; this was all that he’d hoped to achieve. He drank in the sight of them together – beautiful mother and precious son – his wistful gaze following their every movement as they began to walk away from the churchyard.

He silently willed them to stop again so he could prolong this treasured moment. But they kept on walking and were all too soon out of sight. He closed his eyes, etching the scene into his heart as he wept silent tears for what might have been.

Sometime later he tucked the boys’ note into the binocular case and left it perched on the rock where it could easily be found. Then he hitched the kitbag over his shoulder and walked away from Morgan’s Reach, the warmth of his loved ones’ smiles chasing away the chill of the night.