In 'Companion Piece,' a story that flutters through time, author Ali Smith presents an enigmatic narrative centered on Sandy Gray, an artist in a fractious post-Brexit, mid-pandemic Britain. Sandy receives an unexpected and cryptic call from Martina Pelf, an old university contact, who finds herself haunted by an inexplicable question after an unsettling encounter with border control. 'Curlew or curfew? You choose.' This query becomes the thread that connects the present-day turmoil with the historical account of a young blacksmith unjustly persecuted centuries ago. Smith crafts a tale that not only intertwines different time periods and species but also explores the essence of companionship as an anchor in a disjointed world.