I had a camera, but stopping would have lost too much time. Instead, we rushed through the nature reserve on our bikes, as fast as our legs would spin - breathless, hearts pumping, manic. The sun was setting. The sky was alight. Behind us, purple. Before us, red. Brilliant, vermilion red. The reeds were aglow. The trees on fire. For a minute, a barn owl floated beside us. And all the while,...