Early the next morning, the sound of scratching woke Rose before the others. She tiptoed to the door and opened it, expecting to see Tilda. Instead, a starcrest stared up at her with bright, beady eyes. It had a letter tied to its left leg. Rose recognized the ribbon as one of her own, and knew at once who it was from. She retrieved it with trembling fingers, and as the bird returned to the dawning sky, she read the name scrawled on the letter. Banba. She looked over her shoulder to make sure her grandmother was still snoring. Then she stepped out into the sea air, crept down to the beach and
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