Your friend has died, he said, after scanning the death notices in the local paper. I was sorry for it, but I also felt relief for her. It had been peaceful, the notice had read. She had been ill for so long, though always bearing it was such forbearance. Her work is done. She can rest now, in peace.
I’d noticed it on the pavement as I walked in the early hours. It was some kind of stuffed toy, a small leopard perhaps. And, making a mental note of where I’d seen it, I’d intended to pick it up on my way home so that I could draw it. But when I returned it was gone.
