Joni’s story

Hello, my name is Milo Juan, the story of my adventures.

On November 11th 1948, I turned ten years old, I remember that day so clearly, I remember opening my eyes on that bright morning, smelling the petrichor and the damp mist covering the frozen grass like a carpet of white fluff. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the ceiling one last time, counting my breaths. One, two three, one two three, one two three. Albert, my oldest brother who had died several years earlier had taught me to listen to my breaths and sometimes in one or two you could hear the whispers of your dreams.

My mother, had walked me to school that day, along with my five other brothers. We had a big family, twelve children, I was seventh oldest. My mother was a slip of a girl and hardly had any weight on her skinny bones, my father however was a big chunky lion of a man, and a temper like one too. I remember one evening I returned from lessons and had forgotten my book bag at school and my father stormed out of his workshop and sat me across his knees and made sure I couldn’t sit down for a week.

It was only when I turned eight that I discovered what my father had in his workshop, every morning at eight he would go out to the wooden shed at the bottom of our cramped garden he called the workshop and returned well after my bed time, one late night he came in, his voice slurred and his steps staggering as he climbed the flagstones as if he was mountaineering. His hair messy and I remember thinking he really was a lion. My mother always waited up for my father and this night I could hear my father shouting his slurred words that I shouldn’t write here. My mother never shouted back, she irritated my father by crying, that just made him crosser and when he got cross he was dangerous, my mother would run up the stairs red hand marks on her cheek, sometimes bleeding. My father really was a lion, and my mother was just a scared doe.

There were many days like this in our household, my brothers and I got used to it but my sisters and younger brothers were scared and coward away from my father as much as possible.

So there I was on my tenth birthday, walking to school and splashing in puddles, but all the time I was laughing and splashing I was thinking, tonight is the night I go. I had made plans to run away and tonight was the night I was going.

I had it all planned out, at 12:00 I would make a run for the woods and spend the night walking far away, I had everything packed, at dinner since it was my birthday I was aloud seconds of the tough horse meat and cow tongue as a special birthday treat. But instead of eating my seconds I slipped it into my lunch bag. Soon we were all clearing our plates of the meats and my mother and Sibby my oldest sister was washing up as my third oldest sister Maive was drying the dishes. I slipped up the stairs un noticed to the 12 pairs of eyes.

As I climbed the worn carpet on the stairs I saw my father by the porch, he had his pipe in one hand and papers in the other. He glanced over his stocky shoulder and saw my grubby face, his furry unleashed. I remember his exact words, he told me to stop being a brat and eavesdropping and to go and clean my face before he came up and scrubbed my facial expressions off. I did what is was told of course and ran upstairs before he could tell me off anymore, those were the last words my father ever spoke to me. Those final words confirmed my ambitions, tonight is the night I thought, tonight, is the night.

 

I woke up at four minutes to twelve and as quietly as I could got out of bed and put on my old work boots, gathered my bag and jumper and creaked down the stairs. I shared a room with seven of my other siblings and I tried not to stir their sleep. However as I was opening the front door, I fumbled with the locks, there was a big long one at the top, and a small chain at the bottom and another one in the middle. I slid the first one and then the middle one, only one more to go, almost free. But the last one was tough and as I tried so hard it wouldn’t budge. Was my journey going to end at the door? Was all this planning for nothing?

Just then I remembered the back kitchen window was always left a little ajar on warm nights to let the cool air in. I rushed into the kitchen almost knocking several pans but just managing to catch them in time, I reached the window and sure enough it was open. I opened it as wide as it would reach and started to climb through. Finally I reached solid ground and I took one last look at the tiled floor and the peach walls and the range and the dresser, it was all so silent and peaceful at night. But then I remembered it must be half midnight by now and shut the window and turned around, this was it, now or never.

As I ran up the old dirt track the reality sunk in, I, Milo Juan was running away from home, for real. I had only gone a few miles when I started to tire, it was late and dark and even though it was warm my arms ached and my head pounded, my ankles were stiff and my whole body ached with pain but my soul was free and my dreams ran wild. Even though my legs were tired I kept going in case i was being looked for, but soon I had a stitch and was forced to stop. I had stopped just outside an old ruin of a house, it had a high roof and big rotting wooden doors, I crept in a hole where a window was meant to be and soon found a warm sheltered mound of hay and used my bag as a pillow and soon my thoughts became dreams and soon I was drifting to my dreamland and somewhere far away.

 

I wake up to a dog licking my ear and barking, I open my weary eyes and remember that I have run away and I’m not at home.

“Hey little guy, who are you then? licking my face were we?” I giggle his licks tickle but his breath stinks. I slowly sit up on the hay mound and take in my surroundings. A huge tall wooden ceiling, big stone walls and open windows. This wasn’t a house, it was a church, a very, very old church. By now the dog is sniffing out my food.

” Hey, hey there guy, I need that food, I guess I can give you some.”

I open the bag and hand the dog some grey cold meat, he wolfs it down hurriedly, his ribs show and looks dangerously skinny. He looks for another piece and I end up giving him all the meat, I don’t mind really, I don’t eat a lot anyway. The dog rubs against me as if to say thanks or cheers, he seems quite young but at this rate he won’t live much longer.

I call him over and rub his head and neck.

” You can’t come with me little guy, you’ll starve, there is someone looking for you chap. I bet their worried, go home, go on, go home!” I gesture with my hand for him to shoe but he just stares at me with his brown deep eyes and whimpers.

“You are not coming with me little guy, I couldn’t look after you.” As I say this I push him off my lap and gather my things together, as the bright sunlight greets my eyes I blink back, everything looks so different in the daylight and I explore my surroundings. Surrounded by fields and a gate nearby, nothing else than the ruin and a well is to be seen. I walk over to the well with my can and fill it up, I gulp the water and take plenty for later. The dog by now is nowhere to be seen, he must have gone I thought to myself. I set of across one of the fields, heading north ward, no sooner than I take ten steps the dog comes running after me and follows me silently.

” No boy, down, home!” I say gruffly.

The dog keeps following. I shake my head and continue. The dog looks smug and jogs along with me.

” I’m not keeping you little lad.” I say but a little more friendly this time.

As I walk I find myself falling into step with the dog and soon I’m chatting away to him.

” If I were to keep you little guy, would call you…. Muffles or Chubbles.”

The dog looks confused and unimpressed. I think again.

“Garfeild?”

The dog looks equally un motivated.

” Well what am I to call you little guy?”

The dog pricks up his ears, as if he recognized the name.

“Guy?” I say with hope.

Now the dog looks a little happier.

“Kai perhaps? I’m Milo and I’m running away, I would be pleased if you would be my companion.”

Kai barks with a reply of almost yes. And that was how I met my first life long friend. I will never forget you Kai you have a special place in my heart.

 

It wasn’t until about an hour later that Kai tired. Although his ribs were showing and his fur was scarce, he was fast and could jump and run like the wind. I had never had a pet let alone a dog and was fascinated by his loyalty and his natures. Kai was very well behaved and stayed by my side even when there were sheep or cows nearby. He stood tall even though he wasn’t a big dog, I am not an expert on dogs and even now I am not sure but I think he was a collie, he was a loyal companion and never complained.

“Ayy Kai, stop sniffing that sheep -”

before i could finish Kai gave a loud bark and I turned to see a plump bot bellied farmer looking extremely angry and waving a stick at us.

“Kai, we better get going I don’t think that farmer likes us.” I hastily started striding down the field but the farmer wasn’t deterred and was now jogging angrily towards us and beating his stick. He did not look one bit happy.

“Come on boy,” I started to run and Kai followed nervously barked at the farmer which made him more angry.

“Oi you little rag bag, what are ye doing on my ear’ farm? “the  Farmer shouted at us.

“Sorry Mr. we don’t mean no harm, just want to walk through.” I say disguising my accent. Kai stands by my side head held high despite his matted fur and bones sticking out.

“Gerrof’ or I’ll call the police on you and your wee little rat bag!” The farmer brandishes his weapon one last time and then waddles off.

“Well then, he wasn’t so nice was he Kai? No we shan’t spend long here, no.”

Kai barks at the farmers turned back and then follows by my side head held high once more. As we walk on we come to a wide gushing river, I take a quick drink and put some in the can for Kai, he laps it up without breathing, I put some more out and he continues to gasp the drink. Further down the river there is a bush with some apples on, I pick as many as I can carry, and offer one to Kai although he doesn’t seem very interested. I sit down on a tree trunk and bite into one of the rosy red apples, it tastes sweet and makes me feel a little less empty. Just as I was about to take a second bite Kai sprints off barking into a bush.

“Kai! Kai! Come back here right now, come on boy!” I whistle but no reply.

All of a sudden I hear a blood curdling yelp, but not a dog yelp… something much different.

“Kai come here NOW!” This time my voice cracks with nerves what if it’s my father or mother? I slowly walk over to where Kai leapt, the crisp leaves crackle under my feet as I approach the bush my tummy lurches at the thought of my lion of a father hiding in wait for me and pouncing on me at the right time. In my head I’m making up excuses like aliens kidnapped me or I got lost or I sleep walked. None of which my father would believe.

Finally I reach the bush and I can see a red and white tail poking out, Father doesn’t have a tail last time a checked… I pull away the leaves, and there amongst the crispy green leaves, lay a red injured fox.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3  China

 

A fox. A real fox. With fur, and a tail. I had never seen a fox before and was d by its colours and fur, it had obviously been injured, its leg was bleeding badly and appeared to have been shot. I guessed the farmer from before had injured it so cruelly.

“Hey there, you look like your hurt, I’ll see if I can help.” I say to her in a soothing voice, Kai is sitting beside her licking her back and wounds like they were lifelong friends and hadn’t just met for the first time two minutes ago in the bush. I rummage in my bag and bring out the water from the well and some of my father’s spirits. I dab her wound with the water first and then apply the solution, she winces in pain but remains still. I find a clean strip of bandage and rap her leg up. Kai still by her side and looking like if you asked him to move he’d bight you, so I set up camp there and managed to make a small shelter around the bush with an old tarp I found in the bush and some long sticks I found. As it got dark I built a fire and soon I found some flint to light the fire. The small fox was now asleep and Kai was resting his head on her sleek back, they were the perfect couple apart from the fact that one is used for hunting and killing one and the other is meant to be afraid of the other and there they were keeping each other cozy. It was getting dark fast as summer was ending now, at dusk I scouted the area for food or animals and took a photo of Kai and the fox who I called China. I found some old fencing that had been dumped and made a snare to catch a rabbit to cook, Albert, before he died had taught me how to make traps for animals so I made a little snare to start and then gathered more wood for the fire. By the time the stars were out China and Kai were awake and China’s wound was healing slowly, she managed a few steps before resting again and Kai stayed by her side the whole time. We lay by the fir, me sitting on a fallen branch and Kai and China snuggled up in the dry grass licking each other. We fall asleep to the sight of the stars and dreaming of the moon.

I awake to the sound of a yelp and spring into action it must be one of my traps.

As I cautiously near where I set the trap I see a small brown rabbit struggling trying to escape the ropes. I take one look and realize there is no way I can kill this fluffy little ball of fluff and release it from the trap, its un harmed and is in shock more than hurt, it toddles off after a moment and disappears into the bush opposite.

I return to Kai and China and see that China needs food and so does Kai. I can’t let them starve I tell myself and set out across the fields once more, back to the farmers house.

 

I walk over the long grass heading in the direction of the house I can see in the distance. As I walk I remember the looks of hunger on China’s and Kai’s faces and my own also. We need food and I’ll get some clean water if I can find any. I reach the farmers house and soon find a window that lies a little ajar and attempt to climb in the open window. As I crawl through what appears to be the kitchen I can smell fresh meats and the earthy smell of potatoes in the corner.

Things are even better than I thought and I find a block of cheese and some fresh bread in the bread bin, some meat that has been discarded and a whole plate of sandwiches which look extremely inviting. I take the meat and cheese as well as all the sandwiches and some rope I find at the door and a box of old matches on the mantel. I am pleased with my findings and proceed to climb back out the open window. Just as I am half way through the window I hear raised voices in the hallway, who could be up this late? I thought to myself.

“I will not…. No, Humphrey you…” The voices were getting closer and I started to panic. What if he found me? He’d for sure turn me in and the police would be looking for a boy of my description. I very quickly stopped thinking and just in time got out of the window and hid under the window sill, if I ran now he’d for sure see me running over the fields and he knew the grounds better than me and would catch me for sure. So I held my breath and didn’t dare open my eyes in case he was watching me. I could still hear him on the phone as now he was shouting to the person on the other end of the line.

“Humphrey I dare say, one more outburst like this and I will have the dog on you!” He shouted with anger at the poor Humphrey.

I breathed a sigh of relief, maybe he wouldn’t notice until morning. I relaxed myself ad aloud my lungs to fill with air.

“Where’s my bread and cheese?!” He bellowed once more down the line. “I swear Humphrey I had it right- And my rope is gone!” He now sounded madder than my Father, angrier than a lion, much, much angrier.

He tottered over to the window and looked out on to the fields and trees, but of course he couldn’t see much as it was dark, but if he peered over any more he would for sure see me. I could see right up his nose already and it twitched as if he was trying to sniff me out.

“Bunker, come on we are going for a little…walk.” He yelled his words so loud his nose twitched again. A massive scary looking dog appeared at the door, baring its teeth and looking hungry.

I took no more time looking at these petrifying sights and started running, running as fast as I could, over the hills and into the forest. I could hear a gun shot behind me and this sent tears and fear to my eyes. I stumble threw the reeds and the long grass and I can hear the bark of the dog and the shout of the farmer close behind me, All the blood is running to my hands as the swing violently back and forth.

“Oi you there come here now!” The farmer has seen me and now is shouting at me, if I turn around he will recognize me and know instantly I am the one who stole his goods. So I keep running even though my sides hurt and my head is pounding, I have to keep running.

“Come here this instant boy!” Now he is extremely angry I don’t even have to see his tomato red face, I can tell by his voice he is not a happy man.

I am gaining away from him now and soon I reach the woods, he isn’t anywhere to be seen but I can hear the dog in the distance and his footsteps getting closer each second. There is a large oak tree a few paces away and beneath that there is a drainage dip. I manage to reach it without collapsing and just about make it in time before the farmers angry face appears once more along with his ugly dog. I can hear him cursing me.

“The little…What a thief he is…” He grumbled.

The dog wondered into the forest a bit but soon retreated as the farmer called for him, I was safe for now but I needed to get back to China and Kai, what if the farmer found them? They’d be shot, and that evil farmer would wear China’s fur like a trophy, and feeding Kai to his own mongrel. Even the thought of it made me shudder with disgust. I forget my fears of the farmer and pick myself up from the trench and start making my way ack to China and Kai.

 

didn’t seem scared of me at all, maybe she woke her father, maybe he is on his way right now. I panic and start running again. I reach the base quickly, Kai and China are asleep cuddled up together, I tip toe under the tarp and pull my clothes over me, I fall asleep looking at the stars and dreaming of my breakfast.

“Ahooo!” I awake to Kai howling. It’s just about light and my eyes blink with the light.

“Ayy what’s wrong Kai?” I say in a muffled half asleep voice.

He barks at me and I sit up, I see China collapsed on the ground. I rush over to her only to find the gun wound has worsened, she has blead through the bandage and Kai can’t lick the wound clean this time.

“Oh no, what has happened, it’s okay Kai just shhh.” I say shakily, I am as worried as Kai is. I remove the bandage to reveal a swollen wound, I get rid of the used bandage and wipe the cut with more spirits to clean it. She flinches at the sting but stays still. I rap her wound up again with clean bandage, Kai still looks worried and distraught but a little happier. I open my bag and bring out the meat, i feed Kai half and China the other half. They wolf it up and even China looks happy now. I bring out the bread for myself and I start to eat, I am hungrier than I think I am and soon the whole loaf has gone. I know that we must move from hear soon but we can’t move China in this state.

 

I scout the area or apples or water to wash China’s wounds, I luckily find a whole tree of apples and some clean enough water, although no bandage rap to be found. Kai follows me into the woods as a guard. We sit by the edge of the stream, just talking to Kai. He doesn’t seem as upset now, his fur has gotten more plush and his paws seem mended at least. I think of the night when I ran up to the woods and the morning Kai was there, it seemed forever ago, but only three nights ago. I wonder if my family are looking for me, if they have even noticed that I have gone.

“It’ll all be okay, but we need to move fast Kai.” I say to him sadly. “I don’t know if we can bring China with us, she might have to stay behind…” Kai look confused, also sad. I stand up hastily and start walking back to base, Kai waits as if he’s expecting something.

“Come on boy, we have to go.” I say urging him to move. He stays puts. I sigh.

“Kai, come on, what are you waiting for?” I look at him until he finally lifts and soon we are back with China. She looks healthier but still too weak to walk far, decide I will give her another day but then we must move. I start packing up our supplies so we can move before dawn. I bring out the apples and the clean water, China sips at it steadily and Kai laps it up, I feed them bits of my apple and some of the meat from last night is still edible. They look happy together, just simply eating and drinking. I can smell the damp smell of the leaves and the ground has an earthy hollow smell, the rain the night before has drenched the trees above us and the ground below us. Little droplets of rain drop form the leaves onto our heads every now and again. I think of my life at home and how my father would never teach us all about foxes or dogs, about how the only time we went for a day out was when my Grandmother died and he didn’t say anything on that day. He wasn’t a very social kind of person and kept to himself most of the time, the only people he would talk to were the boys down the pub and Mrs. Adams next door. I remember one evening he presented her with a dead mink fur to rap over her shoulders, mother was so upset but managed to contain her tears. She had always dreamed of my father bringing her home glossy gifts. My father didn’t seem to notice her much now a days, none of his family really appealed to him anymore. Then I think of Kai and China and how they are like a family, how I could never split them up, how I could never leave China and bring Kai.

China stumbles over to my feet and starts to make herself comfortable on my lap, he fur is soft and silky, like real silk. She breathes in heavily and then out again, she has fallen asleep on me, fast asleep.

Kai doesn’t seem to happy and is quiet for the rest of the evening as if he is thinking deeply about something, I make a fire and cook some of the raw meat. Both Ki and China are now awake and China’s wound has healed a little and I have hope she will be better by dawn, if not I don’t know what I will do. Kai still looks worried and doesn’t eat much. Soon it grows dark and we all pile under the old tarp for cover from the rain, the fire keeps us warm, I’m soon asleep and China and Kai drift off to sleep as well.

I before light, China and Kai are still dozing, I get up not to disturb them, my bag is packed from the night before but I gather up the tarps and rope. Soon Kai and China are awake too. I inspect her wound, it looks better although the bleeding has stopped, it still looks extremely painful. She can walk steadily and Kai looks a little happier. I roll up the tarp and the blanket from home and soon we are out of the forest and once more in the field. I look back at the arm house in the distance. Everything is silent and still, the birds have only just started to sing. Nobody will be about at this hour I think to myself.

China at first walks slowly but then picks up the pace and soon we are moving at a good steady pace. We reach a dirt track and we walk along that for three or four hours, there are houses, but all are silent, no movement. I think of all the stories the could be going on in the houses that we will never know and all the children that had a life like me. If anyone were to meet us on the road they would think I was a some kind of wild animal

We are picking up the pace now and even though China is not fully better her wound has healed a lot. Kai looked a lot happier.

We finally reached the end of the dirt track and came to a big clearing in the greenery. There before my very eyes, was the sea. It was so big and grey, it loomed angrily ahead.

“Look Kai, there’s the sea, that’s what i told you about.” Kai looks excited and so does China. I evert my gaze to below this big puddle of water, to the brown sand. I have never been to the seaside before. I slip of my boots fling them onto the sand dunes, I nudge China and Kai and start running down the grassy bank to the soft sand. The follow me as if we are in a book, which I guess now we are. Our hair flails behind us, as the wind and the sand whips our faces. For once I feel free of burden, free of my father, free of the shadow of never being good enough, free of life and yet filled with it at the same time. Kai and even China forgot her wound and we ran along the sand and splashed along the sea front. They truly looked happy, truly happy. Sitting on a rock was an elderly lady watching us with curiosity.

 

She made her way down from the rocks and walked over to us,

“You have a fine fox there’ lad, I have not seen one like it since I was a girl myself, and your dog is a fine specimen.” She tells me in a kind voice. She smelt of old books and polos, a nice smell, a smell that reminds you of rainy days when you curl up and read a good book.

“Thank you miss, her name is China, and this is Kai, he’s a stray but China and him get along like a house on fire.”

“What a lovely pair they are, and you lad, where are you coming from then, you look like a stray yourself.”

“Oh, me miss, I don’t come from anywhere, I’m a nobody, a stray if you like.” I like the old lady, she seems kind.

“When I was your age I had an otter, I rescued him from my grandfather. I called him Fioc, he was such a well natured creature. My father and mother of course hated him and I had to keep him outside of course, you remind me of myself at your age. I gather by your hair and state that you are a runaway of some sort?” She smiles.

“I…Uhm…I had to miss,” I said to her nervously.

“Follow boy.” She turns on her heels, I consider legging it but then my legs ache and I remember China’s wound and my stomach lurches. I end up following her. Up the rocks again, they aren’t steep and we all manage. I look back at the beach and see our footprints in the sand, China’s paw prints followed by Kai’s, the sea washes over them, making them invisible to the human eye.

“Come on lad.” The old woman calls. Looking back at it now, no one would dream of following a strange old lady or anyone for that matter to her house, but then again how many ten year olds run away with a fox and a stray dog? I’m guessing not a whole huge percent of ten year old children.

We follow her into the kitchen where she beckons for me to sit down, China and Kai sit by the stove warming themselves. She puts the kettle on the range to boil and gets out some fruit cake.

“Now tell me your story,” she says cutting a slice of fruit cake for me and pouring us a cup of cocoa. I wrap my fingers around the hot cup and breath in the sweet fragrance of the cake. I look at her through my think black fringe and I start from the beginning. Of how my father has a terrible temper and how the only person who knew what I felt had died, how i never fitted in with people, and how I had stolen from the farmer. I finally finished, I had drained my cocoa and had finished my second slice of fruit cake. She looks impressed and at the same time saddened.

“I am so sorry for your loss, I’m Dorris by the way.” She pats my hand sympathetically.

“Nice to meet you Miss Dorris, I’m…..” at that moment i realized I wasn’t Milo Juan anymore, I wasn’t that ten year old boy who splashed in puddles and laughed with friends, I was the runaway, the adventurer.

“I’m Noa…Noa Kies.” I say smiling.

“Well then Noa, I have something for you and Kai and China, but you must promise to come back one day.” She gets up from the table and leads me out to the little blue shed attached to the house, she opened the little wooden door and revealed an old wooden rowing boat, along the edges otters and dolphins were painted with swirls of the sea. The paint was chipped but the wood was still in good condition.

“I want you to have this, it was mine as a girl. I grew up on the Isle of Man, you see there just over the horizon? I would row out to the mainland on good days with Fioc and explore. One day was rowing out with Fioc and a storm hit the boat, Fioc was knocked out of the boat and even though he was an amazing swimmer, he got knocked against the rocks and died of brain injuries. I never forgot him and I re pared the boat and searched the waters for him, finally I found his body and right here is where he is buried.” She pointed beside the shed to a mound and a rock at the top. I thought about Fioc and Dorris, how sometimes the things we love the most we have to let go, not forget, but let them go, let the pain go.

 

” Take the boat, I need to let go, and so do you. Come back one day, I’ll still be here. Be careful on the rocks and when you get to land find shelter and rest for the night.” Dorris smiles and looks at me as if she knows me inside out.

“I can’t thankyou enough miss Dorris, I will always remember you, and I’ll come back one day, I promise.” Even though I have only known Dorris for an hour I feel like she is my best friend and I start to feel tears in my eyes. Instead of holding them back I let them fall, each one falls down my cheek and drops to the cold floor. She pulls me into a warm hug and tells me not to cry, everything will be okay. I can still remember her to this day even though she is long dead, she lives on in my heart.

We got the boat in the water and managed to ease Kai and China into it. I lifted China in, Kai was reluctant but eventually he relented and hopped in. Him and China snuggled up together and soon seemed content. Dorris handed me a bag, she gave me strict instructions not to open it until I was on land, she handed me her address and told me to write to her whenever I could. I gave her one last hug and waved good bye. I had never rowed before but soon got the hang. Kai and China seemed happy enough and as we drifted in the direction of the Isle of Man, and Dorris’s figure got fainter and soon she was a speck on the horizon. I had done it, I wasn’t Milo Juan any longer. That little boy died when I climbed out that window, I left that life behind, my family. But were they my family? By blood perhaps, but never did I feel part of anything. With Kai and China, I was one of them, no matter what we stuck together. Maybe that’s what family is.

 

We never managed to visit Dorris. She died a week later, peacefully drifted off in her sleep. The post man found her in her armchair by the window looking out to see with her eyes closed. I didn’t make it the funeral and it was only a year later when I found her house had been knocked to the ground and someone informed me she had died, I lay flowers at Fioc’s grave and flowers by the remains of her house. China and Kai had many happy years together, sadly China died several years later and Kai never fully recovered. And me, well, i never did go back to Milo, or his family. I grew old and lived in various areas of the Isle of Man, but returned each year to Dorris’s grave. I have my photos of China and Ki and my happy memories, those nights under the stars and those days we had together, I will never forget.