Turning eighteen is usually a celebratory time – a time to one day look back on and sigh with pleasant nostalgia. Not so for the young spy. Her eighteenth birthday was anything but a day to look back on with a smile.

Audio version of, The Thief's Tale, written and read by Meena Mason. Copyright © Meena Mason

Excerpt:

The sun rose hot and volatile on Kessa’s eighteenth birthday. So far, the summer had been a real scorcher. The grass was brown and brittle, even the trees wilted. Rumours that crops would soon suffer irreparable damage were rampant. People performed their daily chores predawn when the temperature was tolerable. Once the sun rose, the streets and markets were drained, everyone trying to stay cool in their homes or by some form of water. The city’s fountain was swarmed with mother’s, letting their tots play in the cool water. Passersby watched the children playing and didn’t hesitate to splash some of the water on their faces or even dunk their entire heads in. Sadly, even the fountain was beginning to run low as were the city’s wells. The situation was becoming dire.