Mesto na samom okraji

Najprv prichádza vietor. Polly letí na juh pozdĺž pobrežia Korziky, až kým sa ostrov neskončí. Pred ňou je otvorené more a ďaleko ďalší ostrov, nízky a modrý. To je Sardínia. Voda medzi nimi sa volá Bonifácky prieliv a vietor ním silno fúka.

The wind comes first. Polly flies south along the coast of Corsica until the island ends. In front of her there is open water, and far away another island, low and blue. That is Sardinia. The water between them is called the Strait of Bonifacio, and the wind blows hard through it.

Obráti sa a uvidí mesto. Stojí na bielom útese, priamo na okraji. Domy sú vysoké a úzke a majú zatvorené okenice. Potom si Polly všimne niečo zvláštne. Pod múrmi nie je nijaké voľné miesto. Kameň domov prechádza rovno do kameňa útesu. A útes padá asi sedemdesiat metrov dolu k moru.

She turns back and sees the town. It stands on a white cliff, right at the edge. The houses are tall and narrow, with closed shutters. Then Polly notices something strange. There is no space at the bottom of the walls. The stone of the houses goes straight into the stone of the cliff. And the cliff falls about seventy meters down to the sea.

Polly pristane na starej mestskej hradbe a pozrie sa dolu. Skala je bledá a suchá. Hlboko pod ňou krúžia čajky. Potom uvidí niečo čudné. Niekto vysekal do útesu úzku ryhu a v nej sú schody.

Polly lands on the old town wall and looks down. The rock is pale and dry. Gulls fly in circles far below her. Then she sees something strange. Someone has cut a narrow line into the cliff, and inside it there are steps.

Skúša ich spočítať, ale svetlo už slabne. Schody vedú dolu a dolu do tieňa. Dole more naráža na skalu. Polly si pomyslí: Pôjdem tam dolu.

She tries to count them, but the light is going. The steps go down and down into shadow. The sea moves against the rock below. Polly thinks: I am going down there.