Read Online Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters - Free Book Online Page A

into each other or even starting to scatter, but as soon as I started walking they rejoined the procession. It made me realize that having a white guy here, particularly at night, was a big source of amusement and entertainment. Hopefully I wasn’t going to be part of anything more exciting, although I was becoming increasingly more anxious.
    Occasionally the way would open up onto clearings filled with pecking chickens and lots of children. Some of the kids were sitting on the ground, and some were kicking around a ball that was nothing more than tightly wrapped pieces of plastic held together with rope or string. We passed by a number of identical-looking dogs, so similar in appearance that I thought at first it was the same dog—skinny and brown and cowering—acting as if it expected me to kick it.
    Then Sarah would lead me into another passageway. Did she really know where we were going? At least if we did get lost, there were lots of people to ask for directions. Aside from our little entourage, there was a constant stream of people walking along in both directions and even more peering out from darkened doorways and windows as we passed. It seemed like every eye was on us—on me . I was glad that the rest of my valuables were all locked up, although it would have been nice to have the cane to use as a weapon if I needed it.
    I was feeling increasingly claustrophobic. It was a combination of the darkness, the smoke and the scale of everything. Relatively speaking I was gigantic . And strangely, it felt as if I was actually getting bigger as we walked, like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput. Being bigger should have been better, but it just made me feel more visible. Besides, I remembered what those Lilliputians did to Gulliver when they tied him down to the ground.
    I kept one eye on Sarah while my head swiveled back and forth trying to watch all around me as they all seemed to watch me. She stopped and I practically bumped into her, and a couple of members of my entourage bumped into me. I looked down, and their eyes widened in shock as they scampered away, knocking down a few others, who in turn started to run as well, causing a little ripple of running kids. In spite of everything—or maybe because of it—I burst out laughing and my voice filled the air.
    â€œIn here,” Sarah said, pointing to a small hut.
    She pushed open the door and disappeared inside. I hesitated for a few seconds before I ducked down and stepped into the darkness. I looked around, letting my eyes adjust.
    â€œOver here,” Sarah called out.
    I saw her shadowy outline and followed. We went through the back of the hut and entered a dimly lit courtyard. Sarah shook hands with a boy who looked about my age but smaller. They exchanged a rapid burst of conversation, and I was pretty sure that I was the subject of that discussion. The boy looked nervous, his eyes shifting anxiously, and I was afraid he was about to bolt.
    Finally the voices became quieter and calmer, and he came over with Sarah. I looked into his eyes and he looked away, but in that brief connection I just knew he wasn’t somebody who could be trusted.
    He turned and Sarah followed. I settled in behind. We left the courtyard through an opening in the fence, went down yet another little passageway, and then I skidded to a stop. We were standing in a little market square, much more brightly lit, and in front of me was a stall, its shelves filled with merchandise. Two more people, about the same age as our guide, were standing in front of the stall.
    I scanned the length of the stall. There were T-shirts, skirts, toys, shoes, hammers and screwdrivers, suitcases and some backpacks—including mine. I had to fight the urge to yell something out or rush over to reclaim it. A little farther along was my other bag, and there were my hiking boots! My stuff was here. Were these the kids who had ripped me off? I looked closely at their faces as they talked,