... else and the warmth from the kettle was rather comforting.Ahead of them stood the tall block of houseswith their black balconies, their pointedroofs, and the stone beasts that framed the long ... wereusually at each other's throats, but the firebrought them together, just for a day, and their combined efforts were enough to wardoff the flames. They've all gone now, of course."236308/506adventurous ... walls, trash cans, bags of garbage, and untidy patches of weeds. As the girlsscanned the dismal scene for anything of in-terest, one of the yards caught their atten-tion. The small cobblestoned...