I turned so quickly that my shoulder struck the fence.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6T4QeFZRql
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cHhBPWEk2
There was nobody beside me.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTBVAvYKni
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWwL14tIHZ
Beyond the fallen panel, on the opposite side of the road, stood another streetlamp.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81sqAjSNMa
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM4lFKutza
The gentleman was beneath it.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHMkgEsNig
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsAYo4gMNz
His head was upright again.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoylzJZW15J
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqWx1ZuPid
He held his right hand in front of him. Several thin strings passed between his long, gloved fingers.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OQorMmTNQ
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKNRSJdYG0
Balloons floated above his shoulder.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFUfqb12wX
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVD1oicmxj
That was what I thought at first.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65xgb0JwB1
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J4O7Jm1sO
Pale, round shapes, rising and falling gently in the yellow light.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2kfWMOvU2
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8QaflNiWF
Then one turned.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WdziZZgGP
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nZfVsxA8d
It was smiling.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyFNSq47dV
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVb3OBb6yV
Not the way a person smiles. Wider.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvX8ArrtoI
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlnJ5UINmn
The corners pulled back towards where the ears had been, the skin of the cheeks stretched so thin and tight that the lamplight shone through it, the way light shines through a balloon.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvbn3dgdLo
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAUecSmryj
Inside the smile were teeth. Small. Even. Very white. Far too many of them.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4uc4dZ6Zt
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBYrbiG2ju
A woman, long hair hanging wet from her scalp.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMzxpJRDqp
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUL2Z54yIhd
Beside her, an older man.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LOI1FJy3W
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0JZv3ADkC
Higher up, a boy who couldn’t have been more than fifteen.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTRJCsZFg5
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTNqoGmvEP
They were all smiling.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhyKRHXjVT
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxCmLrsBUi
The same smile.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgc9N84QqHS
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEeQVCGR0y
I had seen it once already that night, under the brim of a tall silk hat.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuGJsOU6JV
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTNEwXKUIn
It was his.
─────────────── ☾ ✧ ───────────────76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS8p6m7qNw
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZhWiBixGe
Some of their eyes had rolled back until only the whites showed.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxld08VTQH
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUweH1xjeu
Others weren’t eyes any more at all — just loops, scribbled round and round, hollow in the middle.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiUP8pR9fr
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXrDaaXjUN
Thin dark lines ran down from every one of them, as if someone had drawn tears with a red pen and pressed too hard.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3mklWn6wu
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfn8crmlLZo
They were packed so tightly that they pressed into each other, cheek against cheek, jaw against temple, the stretched skin squeaking softly where it rubbed.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctScDB6P7C
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Dpi3TyMl5
Each string was tied beneath a neck in a neat little bow.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5CWdbXnfF
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUz2TVpZm6
The wind was driving the rain sideways across the road.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneCtaCNT50
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEamWr6KI7
The heads barely swayed.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXx6ZzvcWi
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SWUfHabhc
But every face, even the ones at the very back, had turned to look at me.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbruPwNmNQ
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiP8w99LzD
At the edge of the bunch, one string hung lower than the rest. Something limp and pale dangled from it, like a balloon nobody had blown up yet.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVXjkUdL0N
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eOyYWDDTL
It didn’t have a face.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqsNPdETGl
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNybHac2xAB
Not yet.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWdU5H5owt
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJe1XkvBIem
In his left hand, he held one more string. A fresh one.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqv48ccHND
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecxt4JV53b
I recognized the hood, still caught around the back of the skull. I had watched that hood pass me seconds earlier.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnebBx5MnF
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxYLV2kvgz
The gentleman examined it, turning his wrist so that the face rotated slowly beneath the lamp.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNZEwkBEWB
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr19U0Gs6KK
“Quite serviceable,” he murmured.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB5alzwlq3
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRpd3fOEwG
Then the dark under his hat turned towards me.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WkqBEAB1g
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqEgJEHNVe
“But I had rather set my heart on yours.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvrAcbfHow
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bzA3hV12r
His shoulders lifted in a small, apologetic shrug.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBDwJnniZZ
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡla3kIPWkY0
He brought both hands together and began sorting the strings.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs3wn3tdgE
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPAV5uZur5
He worked quickly, lifting one over another, easing the new head between two older ones.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3MAVTn0Tu
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0DR9yrz0K
When a strand of the woman's hair caught around a string, he carefully freed it.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfPpVshihr
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5P8hwvYO5
The gesture was delicate. Practised.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3vOEMOFwj
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAbutbT2jt
The gesture of someone who did this every night, and took pride in it.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4wZbCovpN
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu7Pa77Vl0
As the cyclist’s head slid into place among the others, its slack mouth twitched.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcmbCs84xK
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3RVZErV0L
Then, slowly, the corners began to pull back.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRYffKwU5p
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CoRgwoiKX
Around him, people were gathering beside the fallen cyclist.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38eAdkkdfO
A woman hurried past the lamp with a first-aid box.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWl5kXOdR5u
She walked straight under his hat.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA7XaApzDt
She didn’t look up.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFt654xuc9
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f6XHTPpXF
─────────────── ☾ ✧ ───────────────
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4n3fvDoChr
“Still,” the gentleman said brightly, “one mustn't waste an evening.”
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1JLOMGQbC
He gave the strings a neat little tug.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25wL3mHmKY
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgof9lljNn
The heads rose together.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvDKAqvABR
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqioNoyE9yV
Then he bent towards me.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJ6Fau2Ufb
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KDpgPOtTQ
We were on opposite sides of the road, yet I could hear the tiny catches in his breathing.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZKMsPtYSj
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMYbXy380d
The light fell across the face beneath his hat.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSjHK7MbJ2
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aC2UOXhCC
His face was pale and narrow. There were no ears along the sides of his head.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYGmBbXSoR
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx26ZUhrixi
Where his eyes should have been were two uneven loops, like circles someone had scribbled over and over with a blunt pencil.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEZhFkhJQq
Their centres were hollow and dark.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLkPkJSCgb
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThgSAeocDa
His mouth began to open.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzk6uGXVNX
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3b7tRSM1b
The corners travelled outward.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgIY2HyWop
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdVuIXfEVY
They passed the place where a person's smile should have stopped.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSftNAOLh6
They kept going, pulling almost to the edges of his head.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhwxy2oOwx
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWmIblIANa
The skin beside his mouth gathered into tight folds.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZe3y4id2l
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH425auaRDv
Inside were teeth, too many for the space they occupied.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdVykwrFkH
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ354ZxxG3pF
He made that leaking, broken chuckle again.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CKWu3okIW
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJlBPrjZMy
The hollow loops filled with red light.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjEueddCtr
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1A1V7TeAp
He was looking at my head.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEuagOHLta
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4cJXzZmNN
I knew it as clearly as I knew where his gaze would move next.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RczeEuUFk
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4Rf6SXNAR
My chin.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx4tRXzVXx
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv67Qyc8Ex2
My throat.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVhWYUg70A
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG50qbKB9ZI
He lifted one finger and drew a slow line through the air, level with my neck.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUM6D1m46C
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrBfEbsM9R
“Such a lovely one,” he whispered. “I should have looked after it beautifully.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7W1tdQdMW
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq0Ob68Aa0
─────────────── ☾ ✧ ───────────────76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMQH0rXNWF
My hand closed over my collar.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5AwuHSf9P
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsONwbGGIL
His smile widened at the movement.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KudT8LNSR
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVQrPUBKMh
“Another evening, perhaps.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwreUcNTb3
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaVHQMDa8S
He straightened, tucked the bundle of strings into one hand, and touched the brim of his hat with the other.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uXOm8p1Wr
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oB1oy9apd
“Do get home safely, little one.”76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsa86UA8uX
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYSrziujgl
A lorry had stopped behind the accident. Its driver reversed a few feet to let an approaching ambulance through.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniYqwuSh0B
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsj8qfepsXc
For a moment, the lorry hid the streetlamp.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JB8XaeP8W
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWJLvwS8zm
When it moved, the gentleman was gone.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRFgkSbkew
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOKMCOsgUR
The space above the lamp was empty.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPpqHuLVLj
─────────────── ☾ ✧ ───────────────76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl17AqSqlL
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOln6Qi1FQ
They searched beneath the cars. They checked the drains and the pavement on both sides of the road.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Pwvsmhfwc
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Cnf9kD380
The police said the force of the impact might have thrown the cyclist's head some distance.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUz9OrLgYA
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMamIGGa4g3
They searched beyond the crossing, too.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMi1POf22k
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjkDqU4JNK
They never found it.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZkPr7KGbu
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vT2GMqIr5
I gave them the time, the direction the bicycle had come from, everything I remembered about the panel falling.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQPyyjqsLd
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MipbI3ZTV
I left out the gentleman.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HsChUnRX5
─────────────── ☾ ✧ ───────────────76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPVSXILuHe
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPoKf7oSyD
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPjh4WYBd4
and then Add to home screen.