In paradise

Imagine snowcapped mountains, a glittering lake.

Imagine woodlands alive with wildlife, dotted with jumbled ruins, surrounded by wildflowers.

Imagine the warm rocks at your back and the sunshine in your face.

Imagine stars visible in the night sky, an age-old moon rising over the line of the mountains.

Imagine an ancient village.

A broken-down house, an unworked tract of land, an Adam.

And Eve.

Prologue

The story I am about to tell is an everyday tale of love, life, and neighbourhood dispute.

It is a tale of uncontrolled jealousy and generalised hatred.

Of ugliness amid beauty, angry words amid tranquility, the nightmare amid the dream.

It is a tale of a paradise found and a paradise stolen.