can relax, can’t you?’
They sat in awkward silence for a long moment, listening to sporadic bursts of distant trucks as they rumbled over the new bridge, back and forth to the mainland.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘In opposite directions.’
‘On the same bus? That will be a good trick.’
‘You have no intention of letting me go.’ She sniffed at the breeze, but couldn’t detect any others coming yet. ‘You’re just stalling. Be honest and admit it.’
‘Maybe you’ll believe me after I pay for your bus ticket?’
‘Tram ticket.’
‘Bus ticket,’ he corrected gently.
‘Tram ticket!’
‘Bus ticket, Mira. Trams and cane trains haven’t run to this island for nearly a century.’
‘Stop treating me like I’m stupid! Trams have steel wheels and buses run on rubber. I can hear the difference, you know. And I’ve seen them.’
‘Seen trams — where? Not here, surely, unless you mean in your hallucinations?’
‘They’re not hallucinations! I saw...’
No such thing as ghost people. I can’t walk on air.
The mantra shot into her head and the unexpectedness of it caused her to bite her tongue.
‘Nothing,’ she said, turning away.
‘Mira... think logically. You’re blind, even before that butcher did that to you, so what could you possibly see — or imagine that you saw — that would make you disbelieve the evidence from your own ears and other senses?’
‘I’m not allowed to talk about that, so don’t blame Fredarick. I begged him to do this to me.’
‘You’ve stunned me,’ he said. ‘Why would you want your eyes stitched shut?’
‘You can’t trick me. I’m not allowed to talk about the ghost people.’
‘A lesson learned from your correctional sessions with Neville and Steff?’
Mira turned her nose further away.
‘Okay, so don’t answer me. Listen for yourself. Trams run on rails, so they’d make a squealing steel-against-steel noise, wouldn’t they? Can you hear that?’
‘Of course not. That’s why we’re waiting.’
‘In the distance then. Any coming?’
Mira turned her nose to the teasing breeze again. ‘Yes, actually. There is!’ She pointed in the direction of the bridge. ‘I told you.’
‘That’s roadworks. They’re building a steel column for the new bridge. And you still haven’t answered me. What — or how did you see anything that made you think there were trams here?’
‘I’m not answering that. You’re still trying to trick me.’
‘Hardly. I’m trying to figure out why you’d want to run away from the only people who can help you.’
‘Help me? Ha! I looked after myself for over a year at home after my father died!’
‘Oh, I get it. You’re trying to go home.’
Mira yelped and punched the bench seat with her fist. ‘See? I knew you were trying to trick me!’
‘Trick, schmick. It’s no concern of mine anymore. I’m leaving too, remember?’
‘Liar.’
‘Makes no difference if you believe me or not. Here’s the facts. I can’t go back up there alone without losing my job. And there’s no way I can convince you to come back willingly. So I might as well leave now while it’s still my choice.’
‘At least you have a choice.’
‘Says you.’
He left her in silence for a long moment until she grew nervous, wringing her hands in her lap.
‘Maybe you can help me understand something?’ he asked. ‘It’s something I’ve wondered a lot in the last six years.’ He waited until she turned her head a little more in his direction. ‘Do you think freedom is out there?’
‘Well, it sure isn’t here.’
How stupid can he be?
‘But if freedom is out there, how did you get here?’
‘I wasn’t ready when they came for me! But I will be next time.’
‘Sure, that works for me. Planning ahead is good. It can work. But you agree there’ll be a next time. And in any case, how do you explain the vast majority of clients who are happy here, and wouldn’t live out there if you paid
They sat in awkward silence for a long moment, listening to sporadic bursts of distant trucks as they rumbled over the new bridge, back and forth to the mainland.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘In opposite directions.’
‘On the same bus? That will be a good trick.’
‘You have no intention of letting me go.’ She sniffed at the breeze, but couldn’t detect any others coming yet. ‘You’re just stalling. Be honest and admit it.’
‘Maybe you’ll believe me after I pay for your bus ticket?’
‘Tram ticket.’
‘Bus ticket,’ he corrected gently.
‘Tram ticket!’
‘Bus ticket, Mira. Trams and cane trains haven’t run to this island for nearly a century.’
‘Stop treating me like I’m stupid! Trams have steel wheels and buses run on rubber. I can hear the difference, you know. And I’ve seen them.’
‘Seen trams — where? Not here, surely, unless you mean in your hallucinations?’
‘They’re not hallucinations! I saw...’
No such thing as ghost people. I can’t walk on air.
The mantra shot into her head and the unexpectedness of it caused her to bite her tongue.
‘Nothing,’ she said, turning away.
‘Mira... think logically. You’re blind, even before that butcher did that to you, so what could you possibly see — or imagine that you saw — that would make you disbelieve the evidence from your own ears and other senses?’
‘I’m not allowed to talk about that, so don’t blame Fredarick. I begged him to do this to me.’
‘You’ve stunned me,’ he said. ‘Why would you want your eyes stitched shut?’
‘You can’t trick me. I’m not allowed to talk about the ghost people.’
‘A lesson learned from your correctional sessions with Neville and Steff?’
Mira turned her nose further away.
‘Okay, so don’t answer me. Listen for yourself. Trams run on rails, so they’d make a squealing steel-against-steel noise, wouldn’t they? Can you hear that?’
‘Of course not. That’s why we’re waiting.’
‘In the distance then. Any coming?’
Mira turned her nose to the teasing breeze again. ‘Yes, actually. There is!’ She pointed in the direction of the bridge. ‘I told you.’
‘That’s roadworks. They’re building a steel column for the new bridge. And you still haven’t answered me. What — or how did you see anything that made you think there were trams here?’
‘I’m not answering that. You’re still trying to trick me.’
‘Hardly. I’m trying to figure out why you’d want to run away from the only people who can help you.’
‘Help me? Ha! I looked after myself for over a year at home after my father died!’
‘Oh, I get it. You’re trying to go home.’
Mira yelped and punched the bench seat with her fist. ‘See? I knew you were trying to trick me!’
‘Trick, schmick. It’s no concern of mine anymore. I’m leaving too, remember?’
‘Liar.’
‘Makes no difference if you believe me or not. Here’s the facts. I can’t go back up there alone without losing my job. And there’s no way I can convince you to come back willingly. So I might as well leave now while it’s still my choice.’
‘At least you have a choice.’
‘Says you.’
He left her in silence for a long moment until she grew nervous, wringing her hands in her lap.
‘Maybe you can help me understand something?’ he asked. ‘It’s something I’ve wondered a lot in the last six years.’ He waited until she turned her head a little more in his direction. ‘Do you think freedom is out there?’
‘Well, it sure isn’t here.’
How stupid can he be?
‘But if freedom is out there, how did you get here?’
‘I wasn’t ready when they came for me! But I will be next time.’
‘Sure, that works for me. Planning ahead is good. It can work. But you agree there’ll be a next time. And in any case, how do you explain the vast majority of clients who are happy here, and wouldn’t live out there if you paid
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