The Old Man and the Boy
THE CRAK OF the breaking branch was explosive in the still, dark night. This wa nmistakably the deliberate removal of a limb from a living tree, some 100m from where the old man and the y were seated at the fire. The night was suddenly still, but for the fire crackling and sighing gently to itself. It was a small fire – only what was needed for cooking and company. The old man had taught the boy well.
It was winter
