El canto de los grillos

I am fifteen years old and have lived my entire life in this old lighthouse. My brother and I came to live here with our grandfather when I was still a baby. It is an incredible place, perched on the edge of the cliff. I like taking shelter from the sun in the shade of the building's walls. I love the smell of the countryside at dusk. I prefer to stay away from the tunnel area; I don't want the Cricket Man to take me away to live underground. I’ve even heard him banging on the ground-level trapdoor a few times at night. My brother doesn't like it when I ask questions about our past—about who my mother and father were. As he says, not everyone has a family like other people's. Up until now, I’ve been very happy here. But the other day, a box turned up at the house. And ever since my brother saw what was inside, nothing has been the same.