“Within a year I would not even look at Alec. I seemed hardly to notice him when we drove past the compound in the back of the Land Rover, laughing with my brother and sister and maybe one or two of my new-found friends. Occasionally I would glance at Alec among a group of other African kids as we drove by. I rarely acknowledged his wave or his smile. All he got was the dust from the vehicle and a bitching from one of the madala women for nearly getting run over. No longer would cast-off clothes be delivered to the hut, warm from the iron and smelling of Omo washing powder. Sometimes there would be food, after all Fred was the cook boy. But a distance had developed between the two of us boys.”

Extract from ‘Mud Between Your Toes’ – included in the showcase