It was now about three a.m., and the eastern sky began to get light with the coming of morning. Gradually, the day came. By its light, I looked at the gardens carefully for a long time, but nowhere could I see any signs of the animals. I leaned over the edge and looked down to the bottom of the wall. I wanted to see if the body of the animal I had shot the night before was still there. It was gone. I thought that others of the animals had moved it during the dark hours while I was watching.

 

Then, I went down onto the roof and crossed over to the space where the large stone had fallen. I reached the edge and looked over. Yes, there was the stone, just as I had seen it last, but there was nothing to be seen under it. I could not see the animals I had killed after the stone fell. Clearly, they also had been taken away by their own kind.

 

I turned and went down to the room where I work. There, I sat down in my chair. I felt very tired. It was quite light now, though the sun was not yet hot on my face. A clock made a sound to show it was four o’clock. My eyes closed, and I fell into a deep sleep.

 

I woke up with a start and looked around the room quickly. The clock in the corner showed that it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. I must have slept for nearly eleven hours without moving. With a quick movement, I sat forward in the chair and listened. The house was perfectly silent. Slowly, I stood up and felt the air of the room. I felt very tired still, and I sat down again; I wondered what it was that had woken me from my sleep. It must have been the sound of the clock, I thought.