Each time he tells this story, he makes it one of us, you never know which one until he comes to this part. Despite myself, a thrill runs through me to be singled out by my big brother. Sometimes days will go by when Jorzy doesn’t seem to notice me, then he’ll turn his dark gaze my way and it’s like I’m real again.

“This kid said he would go and see the mensha himself. Well, his mother cried and wailed and told him not to go, and all of the villagers thought Leho was walking into certain death. Yet young Leho had a plan.”

It’s silly, I know, but I can see myself in the story just like I really am that brave kid facing up to the mensha. The lantern light makes our faces glow, and it’s like sitting around a camp fire, maybe on the island of Karis, listening to Jorzy’s story.

“So off he went, up into the hills, to the cave where the mensha lived. And when he got there, he pulled out his wooden pipe and started playing a beautiful song, for Leho happened to be a very fine musician. It wasn’t long until the mensha came out of her cave, half-slithering, half-walking, her human head on the end of a long snake neck, her long hair flowing down her back.”

Babet starts sucking her thumb, though she’s too old to still be doing that.

“Leho nearly choked when he saw this thing, yet he kept right on playing. The mensha was swaying and dancing to the music. In fact, she couldn’t stop because Leho’s music had her hypnotised. He played all that day and all that night, until the mensha grew so tired she could hardly hold up her beautiful human head. ‘Please,’ she begged, ‘your music is beautiful, but I can’t stop dancing. You must stop playing or I will die!’

“Hearing the pleading tone of her voice, Leho stopped, and the mensha collapsed onto the ground, panting for thirst. Then Leho stood over her. ‘Take the curse off the king,’ he said, ‘or I will play until you die!’

“Tears fell out of the mensha’s eyes, onto the dusty ground. ‘No, please, don’t play any more, I will do as you ask.’ And because the word of the mensha is always true, that is what happened. She went to the palace and took the curse off the king, who stopped eating all of the time and quickly became his usual funny self again … rather like me,” Jorzy adds with a wink.

Marina gives a snort. “Hurry up and finish your story, silly, before we all fall asleep.”

“And so Leho went back to his village a hero–”

Caught up in the story, I see myself tall and strong, marching through green countryside, a sack slung over my shoulder.