My friend and I were sitting on a couple of swings hanging from a tree. We looked out over a desert, hilly with scrubby bushes – her back garden. Acres of arid landscape. She was saying something about me going, not being able to see it when it’s all done. I said it was ok, and I would get to see the next one.
At the top of one of the hills was a concrete toilet block. I excused myself and wondered up the hill. As I stood at the entrance, I was able to see the ten-pin bowling alleys out back. I went to light a cig when a crowd of teenagers surged out of the ‘toilet block’, my son amongst them. I dropped the cig and it rolled under the stampeding feet. I went after it, but my son picked it up for me.
Next thing I am in my parents’ lounge and it was still decorated with huge yellow sunflowered wallpaper, busy carpet and kingfisher blue 3 piece suite, like it was when I was a kid. I had a hexagonal fish tank ready because my youngest wanted a seahorse. I got her one – yellow glittery outlined 2D on a piece of cardboard. The instructions said to drop it into water and watch what happens! So I did, and when she came home, she was delighted with ‘Sea Biscuit’. It was at that point that I realised it wasn’t real. I felt very silly so I went out right then to buy a real one.