It was the kind of hot endless summer day that seemed to shimmer under its own heat. Maya pushed open the window of her bedroom, hoping in vain that a breath of wind might slip inside and cool the stifling air. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, while her thick dark-brown curls clung in damp coils to her shoulders.

Outside, far beyond the trees, she could see a plume of smoke rising above the green foliage of the forest. A day earlier, a meteorite had crashed down, in the middle of the woods. It had been close enough for Maya to have noticed the impact, yet distant enough to avoid any damage to her house.