Chapter 317: Mr. Evans: Who Is He [bonus]
Last year's owl had come in the morning, flying through the window without so much as a flutter of its wings, landing square on the sill and rapping twice on the glass with a claw.
The Black family owls were all like that, every one of them wearing a look that said I just happened to be passing your windowsill.
This year's hadn't come.
Maybe later? Maybe held up on the way? Maybe it had caught a field mouse and was enjoying its breakfast?
She shook her head, muttered again, and got up to help her mother clear the plates.
Two cards sat in front of Petunia, both plain paper. One from a classmate, a printed Father Christmas on the front, a line inside wishing her a happy Christmas and saying see you next term.
The other from the neighbor's girl, with a packet of Toffee tucked in.
Petunia set the two cards side by side on the table, ran a finger along their edges, then lifted her eyes toward the sitting room.
Over on Lily's blanket lay a scatter of torn wrapping, colored, silver, coarse paper, every kind of texture.