The Case of the Mysterious Island: Part 1

The word on the street was that an island appeared out of the ocean, between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch.

Well, actually, the literal word on the street was 'Ragheads off Leshp', which Lance-Constable Fiddyment found someone writing on the front of Alik's family's bakery. It led to his fastest ever arrest, as he shoved the artist into a wall and applied the handcuffs.

"You're nicked." he snarls. "And you're going to be cleaning that off when we're done."

The lad looks around, his face curling into a sneer.

"Hello Beanpole. Picking watchmen on who can fart the most now are they?"

"Shut it." Auxin rolls his eyes. Typical, having to arrest someone he's seen around in childhood. "You're under arrest for vandalism and attempting to breach the peace."

"Whatever." the lad shakes his head. "Rag'eads are the enemy, when the war starts, we'll have them all out."

Auxin keeps his face at a glare, but feels a jolt in his stomach at the thought of life without Alik next door. He'll have to warn him later.

He marches the racist bloke along to the watch house, having to listen to him bang on about jobs and curry and all the things he supposedly thought Ankh-Morpork's Klatchans owed him. Auxin ignores him until he gets to the watch house, then swings him round roughly.

"I said shut it. One group doesn't make the rest of the Shades any more poor. Alik and his sister were born here, you grew up with them same as me."

He spends the rest of the day listening to the street. A little later on, not quite being able to bear it, he corners Captain Carrot.

"We're not really going to war with Klatch, are we?" he asks.

"I shouldn't think so." Carrot says brightly. "Vetinari will make a financial deal with them, I expect."

This seems reasonable. By the time he gets home to warn Alik, he's feeling a little more reassured about the whole thing. Avoiding the front door (if Dad sees him, he'll have to get started on the deliveries), he climbs over the fence behind Alik's shop, carefully stepping down over the chicken coop.

"Bloody hell, Aux!" Alik's twin sister Sara is in the yard, penning out some washing. "What if the neighbours see you climbing in? They'll think we're having a thing."

Auxin goes red and mumbles an apology. It hasn't escaped his notice that Sara has... matured... over the last few years. She's sixteen, same as him and Alik (who Auxin shares a birthday with; Sara being born slightly after midnight, confusingly doesn't). He hasn't known what he was supposed to do about it. It was the typical story, to fall for the girl next door, but somehow he didn't really fancy her at all, despite knowing that she was considered beautiful and to have many of the features boys talked about in girls. Alik has been his best friend for a decade; Sara is more like a sister. An annoying sister.

And oh dear, now she's coming over, and giving him a wink.

"Maybe if they're going to gossip we should undo that uniform..."

"No, um, no, thank you." Auxin blushes more deeply. "I'm here to see Alik, is he in?"

Sara looks vaguely offended, backs off and shrugs.

"He's selling. Can't you wait until he comes round with the spare bread later?"

"It's important." Auxin says. "I need to see him."

"Why can't you tell me?" Sara asks. "He can't come out, you know what our parents are like, just like yours. They'll not like him leaving the shop."

"Fine, I'll catch him later." Auxin shakes his head and climbs back over the fence.