Nobody crossed the palace wall, or whatever was left of it, especially once the winter fog rolled in. But Mr. Malik had no way of knowing that. Neither did Mrs. Malik. It was their first trip to the mountains, their final move in fact. Mr. Malik had landed a job as the hostel warden at the Tenth Hill Residential School for boys and he intended to retire there itself. He had relied on Mrs. Malik’s instincts while making up his mind. She had a way of sensing things, he believed.

 This story was written as part of A Winter in Storyland contest on Tell-A-Tale – Bringing stories back into lives. It was eventually published in an anthology available at: The Missing Step