Children of no Man's Land by G.B. Stern

I

Deb, before Richard came to her, was afflicted with the hump. A sort of diffused hump. The hump of all the world. The hump that says: "What's the good? " and "It isn't fair! " and "I wish -- " and "Everything's so hateful! " It arose from a blurred medley of causes: the dry heat which seemed to spring from the pavements and sap all vitality. Then Con's death; Con had been her first love, and his death stabbed her with a quick and poignant memory of eight years ago when they had nuzzled each other like two affectionate and sportive young foals-"_dear_ little Deb. " "Con-I _do_ love you, Con! " "For always, Deb? " "Yes, for-I say, look how the conkers are bumping down in this wind. let's collect them and have a battle, shall we? " "Rather! " and the headlong scamper of boy and girl up the hill towards the group of tattered, wind-buffeted chestnuts. Such glorious fun, collecting into your own separate pile the vivid russet pebbles that every fresh gust thudded and bounced on to the grass; or even, while you knelt and scrambled, on to the flat of your back. Such fun, sweeping aside the drifts of mottled yellow leaves to discover where they hid. Such fun, to shout aloud to Con a find of the embedded conker, red and plump and shining in its dull white pillow and prickly burr. Such fun, the after battle, swooping to gather fresh handfuls from your accumulated store of ammunition. She could be quite sure, always, that Con would never direct his bullets to hit her anywhere except in places that didn't hurt. Con was a dear. and never such a dear as on that wind-rushed, sun-flashing afternoon in October, when the Battle of the Conkers having been decided in her favour, they flung themselves down on the dry protesting rustle of the dead-leaf carpet, flushed and tingling and ever so pleased with themselves; the clouds swirling apart over their heads to show such vivid rollicking patches of blue. "Deb, _darling_-will-will you let me kiss you just once? " "No, Con-please-I don't think you ought."