She took a moment to read its contents then started to say things like how this was only the beginning and that things would take time to sort out and for him not to worry. And the old man wiped his eyes on the back of his hand and Terri continued to stroke him and offer her reassurances that the government were all set up to help anyone in financial difficulty upon their return. She continued in this way, trying her very best to put the poor man’s mind at ease until quite suddenly, and without any warning, he looked up. That life, he told her, his eyes at once harsh and appalled. That fucking life.

Peter looked away, ashamed to have been eavesdropping. He made his way towards Teddy. The group hadn’t even noticed the outburst. They were too busy ripping the boxes open like it was Christmas morning, which only increased the chatter further. But the old man had Terri by the wrists. His eyes raved, madness and misery changing places inside him like neither one of them was stronger than the other. And he shook her. And he shook. And the sheriff dashed back through the crowd ready to yank him off her when a chair scraped violently across the floor. It screamed, running across the shiny surface like a fork down a plate, and everyone stopped. And Cooper looked so calm standing there in the middle of the circle with his dark eyes burning behind his hair, that when he finally spoke, his ability to silence the room and hold it silent was all the more alarming.

“Reckon we won’t be able to say the same as the leaves,” he said. “Not when the time comes. I mean, what colour do you seriously think you’ll be when you all die down here? Cos it sure as hell won’t be gold.”

The snow at the window seemed to hurry across the glass at a bullying pace, but inside the hall was so still. The old man’s hands fell away from Terri’s wrists. The group set their boxes down across the floor and stood silenced. But nothing was stiller than Cooper. He spoke of everyone’s death, yet not a single part of him was troubled by his own words.

“Son,” said the sheriff quietly. “What did you mean by that?”

“You heard me,” said Cooper.

The sheriff stopped at the perimeter of the circle looking in at Cooper like a rancher might at a bronco that hadn’t been broken in yet. And the rancher always knew better than to enter the ring.

“Mr Donaghue, I’m beggin’ you. I’m beggin’ you real hard right now to just think. What, exactly, did you mean when you said that everyone would die?”

“But everyone will die. Eventually.”

“Sure. But that’s not what you were implyin’.”

Cooper chewed down on his jaw and said nothing.