PART II

Chapter 16 Don’t Let Go

Mrs. H’s voice crackles through, worry unmistakable beneath the composure.

“Elena! Finally. We haven’t had a single word since San — you’re driving the London office mad. Is it a connection issue, or are you simply intent on giving us all ulcers?”

“Sorry, Mrs. H. A little of both. Labé swallows time and signals equally. I’ll upload everything as soon as the wifi holds.”

“Send whatever you can. And Elena — we want stories, not headlines.”

Hasna is warmer, edged with the same exasperation.

“About time. How are the babies?”

“All three of us are thriving. This place makes anthropology feel like a warm jacket — not the armor it once was.”

Then Tarmo. No greeting.

“Mikael called. Sandi didn’t check in after Kayar. No word since. Don’t run off, Elena. If you go missing again, I’ll be there in a day. Is that clear?”

My breath catches. The voices of the village, the warmth of the stories — all feel suddenly far away.

The full chapter — what Karim suggests in the blue dusk, the golden light Karim watches pulse in the darkness, and what Asdar says when he takes both her hands — is available unabridged on Ream.

© 2026 CYcrds | I.Ph. de Lange