by Tanya Moir
It was relaxing watching the snow falling through the sky and Winstone thought in a little while he’d sleep and he liked the thought of sleeping up there in the open air with nothing over his head and not even feathers to weigh him down and nobody coming. He thought it would be a good sleep.
He was hollowed out and empty with cold but the cold had passed on and in its resonant place was wonder at the snow that was wiping the range and the screen of the sky and all that had moved upon it. He was glad he’d seen the American night and the big blue moon but the snow was rolling over them slow and slowly they disappeared and he was alone in the musicless live and rolling dark between the end and the place the film stopped and nobody was coming tonight. Nobody was coming.
Winstone closed his eyes or maybe he already had and he didn’t want the screen to dull and the lights to come up and the noise of the world to restart and they didn’t. Around him the wind hissed through the rocks and the snow swirled like static over the night and the black world faded to white.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thank you to Buddle Findlay and the Frank Sargeson Trust, with whose support a large part of this novel was written, and to Martin Cole for his unfailing kindness and good humour; to Harriet Allan and the team at Random House; to my editor, Anna Rogers; to Ian; and, last but not least, to all the directors, cinematographers, sound operators, editors, designers, writers and actors whose work inspired Winstone and me.
About the Author
Tanya Moir was born in Invercargill and grew up in rural Southland. She now lives on the west coast of Auckland with her husband, Ian. The Legend of Winstone Blackhat is her third novel.
ALSO BY TANYA MOIR
La Rochelle’s Road
Anticipation
Copyright
The assistance of Creative New Zealand is gratefully acknowledged by the publisher.
A VINTAGE BOOK published by Random House New Zealand, 18 Poland Road, Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand
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First published 2015
© 2015 Tanya Moir
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 978 1 77553 775 5
eISBN 978 1 77553 776 2
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Design: Megan van Staden
Cover illustration: anakondasp/iStock
Cover design: Kate Barraclough
Author photo: Fiona Tomlinson
Title page photo: Poolburn by Tanya Moir
Printed in Australia by Griffin Press an Accredited ISO AS/ NZS 14001:2004 Environmental Management System printer.