point. He watched a fireball spin slowly through the air before exploding, spilling an angry tear down the white wall. Another Molotov cocktail followed the first. There was a tinkling of glass and flame erupted inside. The leaping shadows playing in the high windows in the church’s side.
Ahead of him Rocky was getting away, running across the precarious roofing that spanned the buildings further down. The street narrowed there. He was trying to get across. He was trying to get to the church. What for?
On the other side, Antun appeared in one of the windows of the church tower. He climbed out and ran with sure-footed recklessness along the parapet until he stood directly over the mob gathered in front of the church doors. There he stood and raised his hands above his head. Makana stopped running, spellbound by what he was seeing. Antun seemed to really believe he was some kind of supernatural creature. An angel even. Then Makana saw the shadow rise up at the rear end of the church and begin edging carefully along the narrow parapet. Rocky was heading for the front of the church. If he knocked Antun down no one would accuse him of murder and the crowd would have their killer.
Below, a second group had gathered in front of the church, apparently in an attempt to repel the attack. Ishaq’s angry gang. Makana could make him out on the frontline, ahead of his men who carried sticks and bicycle chains. A car exploded into flames as the two groups advanced towards one another. Makana could make out Father Macarius fighting to get between them. A crowd was forming as people gathered to see what was happening. Some shouted excitedly:
‘There he is!’
‘Al-malaika!’ someone cried. ‘It’s the angel.’
‘Killer!’
The thin figure standing at the apex of the church tower stood out in stark contrast to the white walls. A silence fell over the crowd below as they caught sight of him again. People were looking up and pointing. If Antun was the devil who was preying on young boys he was also the miracle. The Angel of Imbaba. Indeed, some had fallen to their knees and were crossing themselves, raising their hands in prayer. The boy seemed not to notice any of this. He was balanced right on the very tip where there couldn’t have been more than a few centimetres to stand on. Yet he appeared perfectly stable, as if he had stood on that exact spot many times before.
‘Antun!’ Makana shouted, waved his arms in warning, but to no avail. Rocky was drawing closer. The slight boy would be no match for him. Antun seemed oblivious. Another car exploded into flames as the sirens drew closer. Rocky disappeared from sight and then reappeared, just on the other side of the church tower. Antun saw him now. He lowered his arms, almost in a gesture of resignation. Makana could see the smile of satisfaction curl across Rocky’s upper lip as he closed in. The look on his face changed to one of puzzlement as Antun turned towards him and threw himself into his arms. The expression turned to one of panic as Rocky realised that Antun was not trying to fight him off, but was instead clinging on, his arms wrapped tightly around Rocky’s neck. The two figures toppled slowly from the roof. Antun’s little cape gave a brief flutter before they hit the ground with a sickening crunch.
Silence fell over the crowd. They drew back from the two bodies which lay there still entwined. In death, Antun’s face appeared to be smiling in an odd fashion, as if he had finally found peace. The rest of his body was crushed and broken by the fall. His legs were twisted away to either side at unnatural angles and his chest had collapsed, but his face had somehow managed to remain untouched. All the animosity had gone out of the crowd. As they stood puzzling over the body and why he had jumped, a flare of light rose with a clap into the night sky and everyone turned to look up at the church.
‘We can’t let it burn!’
‘Call the fire brigade.’
‘You could die of old age waiting for them to turn up.’
‘We have to do it ourselves.’
‘Come along, yallah, everyone! Maybe we can put it out.’
It was an extraordinary sight. What a moment earlier had been a mob out for blood was now transformed into a united group determined to put out the fire. In a