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'Aye, an' so I willnae dishonour them by lettin' yer step across Death's threshold alone,' said Rob Anybody firh the doorway, this is e do We live on the edges We help those who can't find the wayShe took a deep breath and stepped across Nothing ritty underfoot and crunched when she walked over it, as she expected, but when it was kicked up it fell back as slowly as thistledown, and she hadn't expected that The air wasn't cold, but it was thin and prickly to breathe The door shut softly behind her Thank you, said the voices of the hiver What do we do now? Tiffany looked around her, and up at the stars They weren't ones that she recognized 'You die, I think,' she said But there is no 'me' to die, said the voices of the hiver There is only us Tiffany took a deep breath This was about words, and she knew about words 'Here is a story to believe,' she said 'Once ere blobs in the sea, and then fishes, and then lizards and rats and then s in between This hand was once a fin, this hand once had claws! In my human mouth I have the pointy teeth of a wolf and the chisel teeth of a rabbit and the grinding teeth of a cow! Our blood is as salty as the sea we used to live in! When we're frightened the hair on our skins stands up, just like it did e had fur We are history! Everything we've ever been on the way to beco us, we still are Would you like the rest of the story?'

Tell us, said the hiver 'I'randparents, all my ancestors They're in the way I look, in the colour of ed the way I think So who is "me"?' The piece that just told us that story, said the hiver The piece that's truly you 'Wellyes But you must have that too You know you say you're "us" - who is it saying it? Who is saying you're not you? You're not different fro And we knohen not to listen to the monkey' You 've just puzzled us, said the hiver 'The old bit of our brains that wants to be head monkey, and attacks when it's surprised,' said Tiffany It reacts It doesn't think Being hu when not to be the monkey or the lizard or any of the other old echoes But when you take people over, you silence the human part You listen to the monkey The monkey doesn't knohat it needs, only what it wants No, you are not an "us" You are an "I"' I, me, said the hiver I Who am I? 'Do you want a name? That helps' Yes A nameI've always liked Arthur, as a name' Arthur, said the hiver I like Arthur, too And if I am, I can stop What happens next? 'The creatures youtook over, didn't they die?' Yes, said the Arthur But we - but I didn't see what happened They just stopped being here Tiffany looked around at the endless sand She couldn't see anybody, but there was soested ht, perhaps, as if she was catching gli she was not supposed to see 'I think,' she said, 'that you have to cross the desert' What's on the other side? said Arthur Tiffany hesitated 'Soo to a better world,' she said 'Some people think you come back to this one in a different body And so They think you just stop' And what do you think? Arthur asked 'I think that there are no words to describe it,' said Tiffany Is that true? said Arthur 'I think that's why you have to cross the desert,' said Tiffany 'To find out' I will look forward to it Thank you 'GoodbyeArthur' She felt the hiver fall away There wasn't rains, a sizzle in the air - but it slid away slowly across the black sand 'An' bad cess an' good riddance ta' ye!' Rob Anybody shouted after it 'No,' said Tiffany 'Don't say that'

'Aye, but it killed folk to stay alive'

'It didn't want to It didn't kno people work'

'That was a fine load of o' blethers ye gave it, at any rate,' said Rob adle could make up a load o' blethers like that' Tiffany wondered if it had been Once, when the wandering teachers had cos for a 's education on Wonders of the Univers!! That was expensive, for education, but it had been thoroughly worth it The teacher had been a little bit crazy, even for a teacher, but what he'd said had sees about the universe, he had said, was that, sooner or later, everything is h it'll probably take millions and iggled or argued, but Tiffany knew that what had once been tiny living creatures was now the chalk of the hills Everything went round, even stars That had been a very goodfor pointing out that 'Universe' had been spelled wrong Was it true? Maybe that didn't h for Arthur Her eyes, the inner eyes that opened twice, were beginning to close She could feel the power draining away You couldn't stay in that state for long You beca aware of you How clever of humans to have learned how to close theirin the universe as boredom? She sat down, just for a moment, and picked up a handful of the sand It rose above her hand, twisting like sht, then settled back as if it had all the time in the world She had never felt this tired She still heard the inner voices The hiver had left memories behind, just a few She could remember when there had been no stars and when there had been no such thing as 'yesterday' She kneas beyond the sky and beneath the grass But she couldn't reme unconscious didn't count She closed her eyes, and closed her eyes again- Soae to sleep!' Rob Anybody shouted 'Not here! Ye cannae gae to sleep here] Rise an' shine!' Still feeling entle swirls of rising dust, and turned to the dark door It wasn't there There were her footprints in the sand, but they went only a few feet and, anyere slowly disappearing There was nothing around her but dead desert, for ever She turned back to look towards the distant ure, all in black, holding a scythe It hadn't been there before GOOD AFTERNOON, said Death

Chapter 12 Egress Tiffany stared up into a black hood There was a skull in it, but the eye sockets glowed blue At least bones had never frightened Tiffany They were only chalk that had walked around 'Are you-?' she began, but Rob Anybody gave a yell and leaped straight for the hood There was a thud Death took a step backwards and raised a skeletal hand to his cowl He pulled out Rob Anybody by his hair and held hile cursed and kicked is THIS YOURS? Death asked Tiffany The voice was heavy and all around her, like thunder 'No Erhe's his' I WAS NOT EXPECTING A NAC MAC FEEGLE TODAY, Said Death, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE WORN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, HA HA 'They do fight a lot,' Tiffany adht sound a silly question' YOU ARE NOT AFRAID? 'Not yet But, erwhich way to the egress, please?' There was a pause Then Death said, in a puzzled voice: ISN'T THAT A FEMALE EAGLE? 'No,' said Tiffany 'Everyone thinks that Actually, it's the way out The exit' Death pointed, with the hand that still held the incandescently angry Rob Anybody THAT WAY YOU HAVE TO WALK THE DESERT 'All the way to the ot ta' let'natoet sich a kickin'!'

'There was a door here!' said Tiffany AH YES, said Death, BUT THERE ARE RULES, THAT WAS A WAY IN, YOU SEE 'What's the difference?' A FAIRLY IMPORTANT ONE, I'M SORRY TO SAY YOU WILL HAVE TO SEE YOURSELVES OUT DO NOT FALL ASLEEP HERE SLEEP HERE NEVER ENDS Death vanished Rob Anybody dropped to the sand and caht, but they were alone 'Ye'll have to make a door oot,' he said 'I don't kno! Rob, I told you not to coet out?'

'Aye Probably But I've got to see ye safe The kelda put a geas ono' the hills'

'Jeannie told you that?'

'Aye She was verra definite,' said Rob Anybody

Tiffany sluain It fountained up around her 'I'll never get out,' she said How to get in, yes, that wasn't hardShe looked around They weren't obvious, but there were occasional changes in the light, and little puffs of dust People she couldn't see alking past her People were crossing the desert Dead people, going to find out as beyond the ht People will be upset She thought about the farm, and how her mother and father would react But there wouldn't be a body, would there? So people would hope and hope that she'd co, like old Mrs Happens in the village, who lit a candle in theevery night for her son who'd been lost at sea thirty years ago She wondered if Rob could send a e, but what could she say? I'ht of other people,' she said aloud 'Aye, weel, ye did,' said Rob, sitting down by her foot 'Yon Arthur went off happy, and ye saved other folk fra' being killed Ye did what ye had to do' Yes, thought Tiffany That's e have to do And there's no one to protect you, because you 're the one who's supposed to do that sort of thing But her Second Thoughts said: I' anyone else, even though we led it right into the Trials And that thought was followed by a space There should have been another thought, but she was too tired to have it It had been i, Rob,' she said 'But whenyou can leave, you ht back to Jeannie, understand? And tell her I'et to know one another better'

'Oh, aye I've sent the lads back anyway Hamish is waitin' for me' At which point the door appeared, and opened Granny Weatherwax stepped through and beckoned urgently 'Some people don't have the sense they were born with! Coht now!' she co shut, but she swung round savagely and ra, 'Oh, no you don't, you sly devil!'

'ButI thought there were rules!' said Tiffany, getting up and hurrying forward, all tiredness suddenly gone Even a tired body wants to survive 'Oh? Really?' said Granny 'Did you sign anything? Did you take any kind of oath? No? Then they weren't your rules! Quickly, now! And you, Mr Anyone!' Rob Anybody jumped onto her boot just before she pulled it away The door shut with another click, disappeared and left therey air 'Won't take long,' said Granny Weatherwax 'It doesn't usually It's the world getting back into line Oh, don't look like that You showed it the Way, right? Out of pity Well, I know this path already You'll tread it again, no doubt, for some other poor soul, open the door for them as can't find it But we don't talk about it, understand?'

'Miss Level never-'

'We don't talk about it, I said,' said Granny Weatherwax 'Do you knohat a part of being a witch is? It'sthe choices that have to be made The hard choices But you didquite well There's no sharass seed off her dress 'I hope Mrs Ogg has arrived,' she said 'I need her recipe for apple chutney Ohe arrive you ht feel a bit dizzy I'd better warn you'