Continued

She was old and did not carry the shine of strong genes. Her father was almost definitely dead. Chest problems - and I would have dropped my hands to the abdomen for an even greater spread - covers heart disease, pneumonia, diabetes, most forms of cancer, and on and on.

'What's his name?'

'Its Alan. Was Alan', she stuttered.

'Is Alan', I corrected with a deftness designed to be noticed. 'Alan, Alan', I repeated softly before a fleeting chuckle. 'Ah yes, we'll be hearing from Alan later I think'.

She clutched her hands and the audience handed up a jumble of laughs and mediocre clapping that I stopped with a palm.

'Today is the fourth of June', I announced, walking and watching once more. 'It's a special day'. I wore a smile with little enthusiasm to unsettle them. Give them a little dip of worry before the first blast. More walking, more watching then I stopped.

'It really is a special day'. I eased myself into a hawkish concentration. They knew something was coming and all over the theatre they tightened in their seats.

...continue

© Neil Forsyth and Serpent's Tail/Profile Books. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.