Thief of Time

way.
    She hadn’t seen the Death of Rats lately. It was too much to hope that he was dead. In any case, it hadn’t slowed him down so far.
    That thought made her think about the contents of her desk. Susan was very strict about eating in class and took the view that, if there were rules, then they applied to everyone, even her. Otherwise they were merely tyranny. But rules were there to make you think before you broke them.
    There was still half a box of Higgs & Meakins cheapest assortment tucked in there among the books and papers.
    Opening the lid carefully and slipping her hand in was easy, and so was the maintenance of a suitably teachery face while she did so. Questing fingers found a chocolate in the nest of empty paper cups.
    Then she briskly picked up the keys and walked to the classroom cupboard with what she hoped was the purposeful step of someone about to check on the supply of pencils. After all, you never knew, with pencils. They needed watching.
    The door clicked behind her, leaving only the dim light through the transom. She put the chocolate in her mouth, and shut her eyes.
    She was mostly human and partly immortal. It was a difficult trick. It had to do with how you reacted to the universe and how the universe reacted to you. In a way, it was all smoke and mirrors, or maybe it was really just a matter of assumption. It certainly wasn’t a matter of logic. She’d had certain powers and advantages and she would be immortal for as long as she lived.
    The chocolate outer shell dissolved and her very human senses told her that she had selected a nougat. But she was resolute. Life was tough. Sometimes you got a nougat. You just had to bite it.
    A faint, cardboardy sound made her open her eyes.
    The lids were lifting on the boxes of stars she kept for the children, and the scraps of gold and silver paper were spilling out.
    They twirled. They moved around her in wheels and spirals. They whirled up into the shadows of the cupboard and hung there, brilliant and beautiful against the darkness, a whole universe in miniature.
    Susan watched them for a while, and then said: “All right. You have my full attention, whoever you are.” At least, that was what she meant to say. The peculiar stickiness of the nougat caused it to come out as: “Allite. You ot my fo’ a’nen’on, oover ooah.” Damn!
    The stars around her head grew brighter, and the cupboard’s interior darkened into interstellar black.
    “If iss is oo, Def o’ Raffs—” she began.
    “It’s me,” said Lobsang.
    Tick
    Even with nougat, you can have a perfect moment.

About the Author
    TERRY PRATCHETT is one of the most popular living authors in the world. His first short story was published when he was thirteen, and his first full-length book when he was twenty-three. He worked as a journalist to support the writing habit, but gave up the day job when the success of his books meant that it was costing him money to go to work. Pratchett?s acclaimed novels are bestsellers in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and have sold more than twenty-three million copies worldwide. He lives in England, where he writes all the time. (It’s his hobby, as well.)
    Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Terry Pratchett is Britain’s #1 bestselling author. It was only a matter of time before he won the minds and hearts of America too…
    Praise
Raves for Thief of Time
    “Here we go again! The newest appealing installment of the Discworld series.”
    Publishers Weekly
    “Terry Pratchett is Britain’s bestselling living novelist…. What’s remarkable about him is that he is also first-rate, and in a better-ordered world he would be acclaimed as a great writer rather than a merely successful one…. Pratchett has two secret weapons up his sleeve—a terrific sense of humor, and a most appealing personality…best Pratchett I’ve read to date.”
    Sunday Telegraph (London)
    “Philosophical humor of the highest order.”
    Kirkus Reviews
    “Reads with all the polished fluency and sure-footed pacing that have become Pratchett’s hallmarks over the years…He still maintains the rush of sheer delight that makes his work so addictive and keeps his fans so loyal.”
    The Times (London)
    “One of the reasons for Pratchett’s skyrocketing popularity (he has sold more than twenty million copies of his novels worldwide) is his use of multiple layers of satire. You can never pick up all the jokes he