Wormwood was listening to music on his headphones. It was loud enough for Samuel to be able to hear some of the words: something about how love was like a garden, or a rosebush, or a snail. Whatever it was, it sounded dreadful, but Samuel said nothing. It made Wormwood happy, which was all that mattered. As if to confirm this, Wormwood gave Samuel a smile and a big thumbs-up. Samuel waved back and climbed the ladder on the bunks so that he could speak face-to-face with Nurd.
“Is everything all right?” asked Samuel.
“Everything’s fine,” said Nurd, although his expression suggested the opposite was true.
“It’s just that you don’t seem to be yourself lately,” said Samuel. “I’m worried about you.”
Faced with Samuel’s obvious concern, Nurd put the travel supplement away.
“That’s just it,” he said. “I’m not sure what being myself means anymore. When I was in Hell, I was Nurd, the Scourge of Five Deities. I wasn’t very important. I wasn’t important at all, really, but I had a name, and I knew my place, even if it wasn’t a very nice one. But here on Earth I live under a false name, and I have to hide my face. I crash cars for a living. Don’t get me wrong, I like crashing cars, or I used to, but there’s only so many times that you can crash a car and survive a fireball before it starts to get a bit samey.” 27
“What can I do to help?” said Samuel.
“Nothing,” said Nurd. “It’s not your fault. It’s just me, that’s all. I’ll figure something out.”
Samuel wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t know how to make life better for Nurd. If he’d had money, he’d have given it to Nurd so that he could travel and see a bit more of the world, but Samuel and his mum were barely making ends meet as it was, even with the wages that Nurd and Wormwood earned from testing cars.
“Look,” said Samuel, “maybe you should come along to the opening of the toy shop after all. It’ll do you good.”
Nurd shook his head.
“No, what you said downstairs was right. We shouldn’t attract any more attention to ourselves, and we wouldn’t want to frighten anyone.”
He picked up his travel supplement again. On the cover, a young couple smiled in front of the Taj Mahal in India.
“I’m sorry,” said Samuel as he climbed down from the bunk. “I thought you’d be happy here.”
“I am happy,” said Nurd. “I just wish I was . . . happier.” 28
• • •
Maria, accompanied by Tom, came round to Samuel’s house later that evening. Samuel showed the invitation to them, and they were both impressed.
“Maybe if we keep hanging around with you, some of yourcelebrity will rub off on us and we’ll get invited to openings, too,” said Tom.
“Well, can you keep rubbing, then,” said Samuel, “because I don’t want to be a celebrity at all.”
“Still, it’s nice to be asked,” said Tom. “I mean, if the only reward for being famous was being chased by demons and dragged off to Hell every so often, then it really wouldn’t be worth being famous at all, would it? Are you going to bring someone along with you? I’d go, but my mum and dad are keeping me out of school that day so we can visit my gran in Liverpool.”
“I expect Lucy will want to go,” said Samuel.
Maria winced, but said nothing. The nature of her friendship with Samuel had changed a lot since Samuel had started seeing Lucy Highmore. Lucy didn’t like Maria, and Maria certainly didn’t like Lucy, so when Samuel was with Lucy he couldn’t be with Maria, and even when he was with Maria without Lucy, there was now a certain chill between them. Samuel wondered if it was always that way when a group of friends had to deal with the fact that one of them now had a girlfriend or boyfriend. He wished there was somebody he could ask about it, but the person he would usually have asked was Maria. There was no point in asking Tom: Tom was as close to being married to the rest of the rugby First Fifteen
“Is everything all right?” asked Samuel.
“Everything’s fine,” said Nurd, although his expression suggested the opposite was true.
“It’s just that you don’t seem to be yourself lately,” said Samuel. “I’m worried about you.”
Faced with Samuel’s obvious concern, Nurd put the travel supplement away.
“That’s just it,” he said. “I’m not sure what being myself means anymore. When I was in Hell, I was Nurd, the Scourge of Five Deities. I wasn’t very important. I wasn’t important at all, really, but I had a name, and I knew my place, even if it wasn’t a very nice one. But here on Earth I live under a false name, and I have to hide my face. I crash cars for a living. Don’t get me wrong, I like crashing cars, or I used to, but there’s only so many times that you can crash a car and survive a fireball before it starts to get a bit samey.” 27
“What can I do to help?” said Samuel.
“Nothing,” said Nurd. “It’s not your fault. It’s just me, that’s all. I’ll figure something out.”
Samuel wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t know how to make life better for Nurd. If he’d had money, he’d have given it to Nurd so that he could travel and see a bit more of the world, but Samuel and his mum were barely making ends meet as it was, even with the wages that Nurd and Wormwood earned from testing cars.
“Look,” said Samuel, “maybe you should come along to the opening of the toy shop after all. It’ll do you good.”
Nurd shook his head.
“No, what you said downstairs was right. We shouldn’t attract any more attention to ourselves, and we wouldn’t want to frighten anyone.”
He picked up his travel supplement again. On the cover, a young couple smiled in front of the Taj Mahal in India.
“I’m sorry,” said Samuel as he climbed down from the bunk. “I thought you’d be happy here.”
“I am happy,” said Nurd. “I just wish I was . . . happier.” 28
• • •
Maria, accompanied by Tom, came round to Samuel’s house later that evening. Samuel showed the invitation to them, and they were both impressed.
“Maybe if we keep hanging around with you, some of yourcelebrity will rub off on us and we’ll get invited to openings, too,” said Tom.
“Well, can you keep rubbing, then,” said Samuel, “because I don’t want to be a celebrity at all.”
“Still, it’s nice to be asked,” said Tom. “I mean, if the only reward for being famous was being chased by demons and dragged off to Hell every so often, then it really wouldn’t be worth being famous at all, would it? Are you going to bring someone along with you? I’d go, but my mum and dad are keeping me out of school that day so we can visit my gran in Liverpool.”
“I expect Lucy will want to go,” said Samuel.
Maria winced, but said nothing. The nature of her friendship with Samuel had changed a lot since Samuel had started seeing Lucy Highmore. Lucy didn’t like Maria, and Maria certainly didn’t like Lucy, so when Samuel was with Lucy he couldn’t be with Maria, and even when he was with Maria without Lucy, there was now a certain chill between them. Samuel wondered if it was always that way when a group of friends had to deal with the fact that one of them now had a girlfriend or boyfriend. He wished there was somebody he could ask about it, but the person he would usually have asked was Maria. There was no point in asking Tom: Tom was as close to being married to the rest of the rugby First Fifteen
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