Summary

Chapter 30 flashes back to a heatwave in Nicosia during May, 1974. Kostas finds dozens of bats dead outside his home. He cries, even though he never cried when his older brother, Michalis, died or when little Andreas joined a nationalist organization. The fig tree describes that same afternoon in Chapter 31. After finding the bats, Kostas came to The Happy Fig. Kostas spots Yusuf and Yiorgos kissing. He walks away, reflecting how his friends are in even greater danger than Defne and him.

In Chapter 32, Ada goes to bed. She watches tributes her viral screaming video from around the world, which people post with the hashtag, “#doyouhearmenow” (158). She recalls a story Defne told her which took place during World War Two. Instead of finding poisonous gas, the soldiers of the story were mesmerized by the butterflies all around him.

Kostas enters Ada’s room...