THE FUSE

The eagle came out of a cloudless blue sky. One moment I was a boy in the garden, a sack of mielie cobs at my feet and my face turned to the sun. The next – a piercing screech split the afternoon. Before I could react, a young African hawk-eagle was already in its dive. Wings tucked. Talons spread. It struck with terrifying precision, snatching one of my grandmother’s chicks and lifting off in the same motion. Our dog exploded into pursuit but never stood a chance. Higher and higher the eagle climbed, the chick hanging motionless in its grip, until it was no more than a speck against the sky.