The Wall was put up to stop people who live on the other side setting off bombs and everyone says it has done an excellent job. Most of the people who work on the building sites in Amarias are from the other side, and if you drive to the city you see lots of people who look like they come from those towns, but other than that, even though they're living right next door, it feels like they aren't really there. Actually, that's not right. You know they're there, because The Wall and the checkpoints and the soldiers who are all over the place are a constant reminder, but it's as if they are almost invisible. I thought I'd never see into a town beyond The Wall until my military service, but now, looking down this column of musty air, I realise that within five minutes I could be poking my head up, seeing what's there.