Silence

Omar turned the knob once, twice, ten times. Nothing came out of the radio except a crackle: shhhhhh... The blue needle flickered weakly, then went dark.

He pressed the red button. "Salma? Salma, can you hear me? It's Omar!"

Nothing.

Outside, a summer storm was lashing the round window with rain: tap tap tap. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Omar sat on the wooden floor and hugged his knees. Frightening thoughts filled his head. Has something happened to her? Has the palm tree died? Was I too late? Or was the whole thing just a silly dream?

Then he heard the stairs creak. The door opened, and there stood his grandfather, holding a small lantern and wearing the woolly cardigan he never took off, even in summer.

"I heard something above my head," said Grandpa calmly, "and I thought: either that's a very large mouse, or it's my grandson."