“This is not good. This is not right. My feet stick out of bed all night. And when I pull them in, oh dear! My head sticks out of bed out here!”

“Even the contemplative life is only an effort, Nora my dear, to hide the body so the feet won’t stick out.”

“I get up out of bed. I pull back the old, faded curtain and openthe window. I stick my head out and look up at the sky. Sureenough, a mouldy-coloured half-moon hangs in the sky. Good.We’re both looking at the same moon, in the same world. We’reconnected to reality by the same line. All I have to do is quietlydraw it towards me.”

“It was a good hanging," said Syme reminiscently. "I think it spoils it when they tie their feet together. I like to see them kicking. And above all, at the end, the tongue sticking right out, and blue a quite bright blue. That's the detail that appeals to me.”

“At any rate, Daddy usually comes to my defence. Without him I wouldn't be able to stick out here.”

“All right, big guy, down you go."Oh,yeah. Bed. Bed was good."And look who's here. It's Nurse Vishous.”