Otherwise, the lifecycle of Montgomery ‘Monty’ Stewart was uneventful, as it had been for two years since he’d arrived. He kept the world at arms’ length, except for deliveries and one visitor, who came perhaps once a month and stayed for an hour. She brought him news from beyond the gate and made him laugh with her stories of village life.

That was, until one morning in early autumn, when he woke up to a completely different day.