The morning sun had not yet touched the valley floor. Early, early morning, much too early for some, Tim and Fred were in the back, cleaned, disinfected and horizontal. The bug stripes across Tim’s narrow pale face had almost completely faded. Yusuf and Harun Ali sat in the middle of the vehicle, heads together in quiet conference.
The air was crisp before the sun rose, even during the summer. Dan pulled the window shut, despite the whiff of chemical hygiene hovering around his friends.
The main road through Madyan was deserted. Shops and stalls were shuttered, the faithful returned home from their morning prayer to their first pot of sweet green tea. A small pack of dogs, shivering in the cold, ran half-heartedly after the bus, yapping dejectedly.
The girls and Thierry sat quietly behi
