Excerpt: The Cheese and the Worms

As she spoke, the strange, wild sheep were pressing around them, shouldering Umut out of the way as they reached for Kelebek's hands, which were in constant motion caressing heads, running through the long tangled coats. She was murmuring their names, so softly that he couldn't hear. Then she looked across at him, with a mischievous smile. “Of course, what's really special about them is that they are independent, and very intelligent. I think they will surprise us one day.” His nose was filled with the warm pungent smell of their coats, and one or two stepped delicately on his feet as they moved closer, but he felt oddly at home among them.