"I am ten, and they call me Brat. "Of course that isn't my right name, nobody could be christened with a name like that. "All our lousy first names are birds' names. Don't ask me why. I imagine our mother was keen on birds and flying, though I don't know much about her. She flew off some years ago with this character called Peregrine. She lives in South Africa, on a different kind of farm, and once awhile we get a Christmas card--which...