84

It was not possible to persuade Kim and his sisters to stay in the village, and even Lewis got involved. They decided not to bypass the hill, but to climb to its top. The slope turned out to be quite suitable for this - not very steep, in places overgrown with shrubs, which made it possible to grab onto its branches.

The children were quickly out of breath, Lewis held on to their backs, helped the girls up. Vic moved cautiously ahead, often stopping and waiting for satellites, somehow he wanted them to be close, and not stretched along the slope. All four climbed in silence, even Kim was very focused and almost catching up with Vic.

The top turned out to be sloping, only a few steps long, and then the descent began. The Vistolet clung to the ground, crawled a little and stopped behind a thick bush. Still lying, he cautiously peered out from behind the branches and involuntarily clutched the grass with his hands, squeezed, tore out with the roots. Nothing but curses came to mind. Kim s