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‘The Shadow?’ Meggie’s voice was hardly er?’

‘No, no I’in talking about my characters it’s hard to stop er It was a very successful scene Dustfinger has some kind of tame marten Capricorn’sser tries to save his furry friend and dies in the atteht Poor, poor Dustfinger She couldn’t think of anything else ‘Which of Capricorn’s lio looked at her in surprise ‘Well, fancy that You know all their naet theie,’ said Mo ‘The murderer’s name isn’t even mentioned in the book A whole pack of Capricorn’sGwin, and one of them draws a knife and uses it Afor hilio looked at Mo, confused

‘That’s terrible!’ whispered Meggie ‘I’lad I didn’t read anyabout ie ‘I am’ She looked at Mo, a question in her eyes ‘And Capricorn? Who kills him?’

‘No one’

‘No one!’

Meggie stared at Fenoglio so accusingly that he rubbed his nose aardly It was an i at et aith it He’s one of my best villains How could I kill hiet off scot-free and live happily all their lives, while good people die – sometimes the very best people That’s the way of the world Why should it be different in books?’

‘What about Basta? Does he stay alive too?’ Meggie remembered what Farid had said back in the ruined hovel: ‘Why not kill the to do to us!’

‘Basta stays alive too,’ replied Fenoglio ‘I re a sequel to Inkheart, and I didn’t want to do without those two I was proud of them! And the Shadoas quite a success too, yes, he really was, but I’m always most attached to my human characters You know, if you were to ask me which of those tas prouder of, Basta or Capricorn, I couldn’t tell you! Even though some critics said they were just too nasty!’

Mo stared out of theagain Then he looked at Fenoglio ‘Would you like to lio looked at him in surprise

‘Capricorn and Basta’

‘Good God, no!’ Fenoglio laughed so loud that Paula, quite frightened, put her hand over his ie and I – and Dustfinger’

25

The Wrong Ending

Persons atte to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons atte to find ato find a plot in it will be shot

BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR

per

GG, CHIEF OF ORDNANCE

Mark Twain,

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn