as if expecting to see a laboratory on the horizon. “Do you think that could be it? I mean, maybe it escaped. Maybe they want it back.”
“Give me the rock,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” And for a moment he genuinely didn’t know. Then he grinned at her, talked very slowly, very patiently. “But, no. But we can’t kill it now. That would be terrible. I mean, look at it,” although he was doing nothing of the sort himself, he was beaming with a big smile now and his eyes were bright. “I mean, what if this is even
better
than an experiment from a lab? I mean, this could be a new
species
. Can you just think of that?”
“No,” she said.
“Look,” he said. “Look.” And then he was silent for a moment, as if trying to work out what she should be looking at. “Okay, look. We came out here for something magical. Didn’t we? I mean, that was the whole point. And maybe this is it. This is something magical.”
“It’s in pain,” she said.
“We’ll get it a towel,” he said. “There’s one on the back seat, I think. Yeah, we’ll make it nice and comfortable. Go on,” he said. “Go and get the towel. Go on then,” and there was just a touch of impatience in his voice now, and as she looked at him his eyes were gleaming in the rain, it was raining for real now and it made his face look shiny and alive.
And she fetched the towel, and he wrapped up the rabbit within it as gently as he could. Lovingly, she thought, almost lovingly. She tried to help, but he waved her away. He stroked the wings and he stroked the fur, and told the creature it was going to be okay. The creature looked at him a little doubtfully, but at least it didn’t make that grunt of pain again, that was something. And they carried it to the boot, they shut it in, and then they drove away.
ii
And on the way up all they’d done was talk. After a few hours, halfway up the M5, he’d admitted to her he’d been a bit nervous, what if they hadn’t found things to chat about? And she’d laughed, and said fat chance! The words had just spilled out of both of them, sometimes there were about three different conversations going on at once—she thought it was rather exhilarating and laughed every time she lost her train of thought only to find another altogether. First off, of course, they’d talked about work—he’d only been at the office for a few weeks, whereas she’d been there for
years
, she could tell him all the gossip—and he said he was relieved, that the people he thought he was beginning to like were the ones it was safe to like, and those he hadn’t taken to were precisely the ones to steer clear of. It was good to get such inside information! And they’d discussed their family, why it was he didn’t get on with his mum, why she didn’t get on with her dad. “It’s the same sort of thing,” he told her sympathetically, “but in reverse. Jesus, what’s wrong with our parents anyway?” They’d even touched on politics, and although she rather suspected the views he held were just watered down versions of her own, at least they weren’t going to argue, at least they were in the same general ballpark. He’d picked her up from the top of her road first thing that morning; as it turned out, he could have done so from the house, she’d sorted everything out, but he said it might be safer his way. “Is that all your luggage?” he’d said, and she’d smiled, and said she didn’t think she’d need much. And she’d sat in the passenger seat beside him, and there wasn’t any crap lying on the floor, and there was a smell of lemon. She thought he must have cleaned the car especially—and then thought, why not just ask him? So did. And he blushed and said he had, actually, was that really pathetic? “No, no,” she said, “it’s nice, it’s nice.” And meant it.
She navigated. He told her he didn’t have a satnav. “Well, I do,” he said, “but I don’t like it, I think the voice is
“Give me the rock,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” And for a moment he genuinely didn’t know. Then he grinned at her, talked very slowly, very patiently. “But, no. But we can’t kill it now. That would be terrible. I mean, look at it,” although he was doing nothing of the sort himself, he was beaming with a big smile now and his eyes were bright. “I mean, what if this is even
better
than an experiment from a lab? I mean, this could be a new
species
. Can you just think of that?”
“No,” she said.
“Look,” he said. “Look.” And then he was silent for a moment, as if trying to work out what she should be looking at. “Okay, look. We came out here for something magical. Didn’t we? I mean, that was the whole point. And maybe this is it. This is something magical.”
“It’s in pain,” she said.
“We’ll get it a towel,” he said. “There’s one on the back seat, I think. Yeah, we’ll make it nice and comfortable. Go on,” he said. “Go and get the towel. Go on then,” and there was just a touch of impatience in his voice now, and as she looked at him his eyes were gleaming in the rain, it was raining for real now and it made his face look shiny and alive.
And she fetched the towel, and he wrapped up the rabbit within it as gently as he could. Lovingly, she thought, almost lovingly. She tried to help, but he waved her away. He stroked the wings and he stroked the fur, and told the creature it was going to be okay. The creature looked at him a little doubtfully, but at least it didn’t make that grunt of pain again, that was something. And they carried it to the boot, they shut it in, and then they drove away.
ii
And on the way up all they’d done was talk. After a few hours, halfway up the M5, he’d admitted to her he’d been a bit nervous, what if they hadn’t found things to chat about? And she’d laughed, and said fat chance! The words had just spilled out of both of them, sometimes there were about three different conversations going on at once—she thought it was rather exhilarating and laughed every time she lost her train of thought only to find another altogether. First off, of course, they’d talked about work—he’d only been at the office for a few weeks, whereas she’d been there for
years
, she could tell him all the gossip—and he said he was relieved, that the people he thought he was beginning to like were the ones it was safe to like, and those he hadn’t taken to were precisely the ones to steer clear of. It was good to get such inside information! And they’d discussed their family, why it was he didn’t get on with his mum, why she didn’t get on with her dad. “It’s the same sort of thing,” he told her sympathetically, “but in reverse. Jesus, what’s wrong with our parents anyway?” They’d even touched on politics, and although she rather suspected the views he held were just watered down versions of her own, at least they weren’t going to argue, at least they were in the same general ballpark. He’d picked her up from the top of her road first thing that morning; as it turned out, he could have done so from the house, she’d sorted everything out, but he said it might be safer his way. “Is that all your luggage?” he’d said, and she’d smiled, and said she didn’t think she’d need much. And she’d sat in the passenger seat beside him, and there wasn’t any crap lying on the floor, and there was a smell of lemon. She thought he must have cleaned the car especially—and then thought, why not just ask him? So did. And he blushed and said he had, actually, was that really pathetic? “No, no,” she said, “it’s nice, it’s nice.” And meant it.
She navigated. He told her he didn’t have a satnav. “Well, I do,” he said, “but I don’t like it, I think the voice is
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