Bokelskere.no

He woke to find himself sitting up, in the darkness. Gradually he became aware that there was an arm around his shoulder, holding him steady, as if in consolation: in this embrace there was more intimacy than he had ever known before, even with Elokeshi, and when a voice sounded in his ear, it was as if it were coming from within himself: "My name Lei Leong Fatt," it said. "People call Ah Fatt. Ah Fatt your friend." Those faltering, childlike words offered more comfort than was in all the poetry Neel had ever read, and more novelty too, because he had never before heard them said - and if he had, they would only have been wasted before, because he would not have been able to value them for their worth.