10
We hurried with a quicker step and soon arrived at the flat. The lights were lit and we found a cheery fire crackling in the hearth. Judith came out of the kitchen with a bowl tucked under one arm and her other hand holding a large wooden stirring spoon. She stirred the contents of the bowl, a healthy mix of vegetables and meat slathered in oils and spices.
“I hope you’ve worked up an appetite,” she teased as she nodded at the bowl. “This is an old family specialty guaranteed to fill you up.” She looked at our faces and paused in her stirring to frown. Judith stabbed her stirring spoon at the floor before the fire. “Sit down and tell me what you learned.”
We obeyed and Gina was our storyteller. By the time she finished there was a dark shadow over Judith’s brow. She turned h
