Extract: The Night Sky In My Head – Sarah Hammond

I run to the riverbank. The Backwards sky is night-dark.  The tramp is standing next to me. He’s shorter than me. And fat. His hat is wonky and he’s reaching out towards me with his old wrinkly dirty hands. His beard has drips in it. He looks sorry about something.

Well, you can just get lost! Just get lost will you?
I walk hard towards the bridge, towards the bit of the river where we found his body. He is running along beside me—all jolty and funny. 
‘Don’t follow me! Leave me alone!’ I shout at him.
The shadows are dancing like nutters in my head. My eyes ache. My scar aches. Argggggggh!! I hold my head and I howl to the skies like a wolf.
Timmer cries with me and the Backwards clouds swirl.

But the tramp keeps on going. He’s running. He’s ignoring me. He’s in the Backwards and he doesn’t even know that I’m watching him.

The scream sticks in my throat.
He’s in his Backwards.

The tramp is scared. He’s running along the riverbank. This is where he dies. This is where it happens. He’s running away from someone and that person is behind me. 

I pull my hair so hard that my eyes start to cry. The riverbank is trying to tell me its big secret. It’s so big that it’s spilling out all around for me to see.

The murderer is behind me.