sunshine punctuated by short, heavy rain-showers had brought the whole countryside to life again. Her garden stirred with fresh green shoots and the first exploring insects. Its fruit treeswere like brides in their veils of blossom.
She let the magazine slip from her fingers and turned on to her back, luxuriating in a sensation of well-being as the sun’s warm rays soaked into her. Her television proposal was ready and she had made an appointment to take it in person to a highly recommended London literary agent she’d met while still working on that tedious tea-time soap opera. On the whole she was satisfied with the way it had turned out. The character sketches were lively, she felt. The plot peaked in the right places. And the whole thing was
visual
, that was the main point.
Mm, it was so lovely lying in the sun after that damp, miserable winter. No wonder Bernie had said rheumatism was the commonest complaint among his patients.
She felt an odd, prickly movement on her tummy but took no notice of it at first. It persisted, as though someone were tickling her with a blade of grass. She opened her eyes, imagining for a second that someone must have crept up on her for a joke, though there had been no sound of a car. No one there. Raising herself on one elbow, she glanced down to see what it was.
‘Urgh!’
A shudder went through her, bringing gooseflesh. ‘
Oh hell
–!’
A hideous green caterpillar was shuffling slowly across her abdomen just above the line of her bikini briefs. Oh God, she’d always hated caterpillars. Once when they were children Lesley had put a couple in her bed as a joke. Ginny had actually been in bed and had already said goodnight when she discovered them. The shock had been so great, she’d screamed hysterically, locking herself in the bathroom where she’d stayed until the family doctor was called. The sight of that hairy caterpillar on her skin brought it all back.
Now, Ginny Andrewes, be sensible! she told herselffirmly. It can’t harm you.
She tried forcing herself to think about it calmly. Phobias took people in different ways. Some couldn’t stand spiders but she didn’t mind them. It was these long, hairy things she hated, like amputated fingers, but alive, undulating in every joint, able to squirm into any crevice in her body. Such as her navel.
Oh, not her navel,
please
!
The front end of the caterpillar moved around inquisitively while the rear remained stationary. Then it began to crawl forward, its little legs working rapidly as it circled around her navel, heading towards her ribs.
‘Oh, go away,’ she prayed. ‘Please go away.’
Almost as if in response, it turned and went back to its first position on the rounded swell of her abdomen. She should get rid of it, she knew. It needed only a little mental effort to overcome her scruples sufficiently to pick it up and fling it towards the bushes.
But what if it curled around her finger? What if it clung to her?
Rationally, Ginny was disgusted with herself for being such a coward, yet whatever decision she took, she still couldn’t bring herself to touch that caterpillar. Her hand… her arm… they just refused to obey.
Suddenly the caterpillar reared up and looked at her, sphinx-like, with dark eyes which betrayed nothing. It was six inches long at least and had a bright yellow stripe down its underside. On its tail was a little rounded horn which made it seem even more disgusting. It swayed to and fro as she watched it, as though trying to hypnotise her.
No way could she touch it now, yet she had to steel herself to deal with it somehow. Gingerly she began to shift her weight on to her other elbow in order to reach for the magazine she’d been reading, at the same time not daring to take her eyes off the caterpillar. Its body seemedto ripple as it sat there, but that was its only movement.
Oh, she was being such a fool, she despised herself for her own inadequacy. God, if they could only see her now in
She let the magazine slip from her fingers and turned on to her back, luxuriating in a sensation of well-being as the sun’s warm rays soaked into her. Her television proposal was ready and she had made an appointment to take it in person to a highly recommended London literary agent she’d met while still working on that tedious tea-time soap opera. On the whole she was satisfied with the way it had turned out. The character sketches were lively, she felt. The plot peaked in the right places. And the whole thing was
visual
, that was the main point.
Mm, it was so lovely lying in the sun after that damp, miserable winter. No wonder Bernie had said rheumatism was the commonest complaint among his patients.
She felt an odd, prickly movement on her tummy but took no notice of it at first. It persisted, as though someone were tickling her with a blade of grass. She opened her eyes, imagining for a second that someone must have crept up on her for a joke, though there had been no sound of a car. No one there. Raising herself on one elbow, she glanced down to see what it was.
‘Urgh!’
A shudder went through her, bringing gooseflesh. ‘
Oh hell
–!’
A hideous green caterpillar was shuffling slowly across her abdomen just above the line of her bikini briefs. Oh God, she’d always hated caterpillars. Once when they were children Lesley had put a couple in her bed as a joke. Ginny had actually been in bed and had already said goodnight when she discovered them. The shock had been so great, she’d screamed hysterically, locking herself in the bathroom where she’d stayed until the family doctor was called. The sight of that hairy caterpillar on her skin brought it all back.
Now, Ginny Andrewes, be sensible! she told herselffirmly. It can’t harm you.
She tried forcing herself to think about it calmly. Phobias took people in different ways. Some couldn’t stand spiders but she didn’t mind them. It was these long, hairy things she hated, like amputated fingers, but alive, undulating in every joint, able to squirm into any crevice in her body. Such as her navel.
Oh, not her navel,
please
!
The front end of the caterpillar moved around inquisitively while the rear remained stationary. Then it began to crawl forward, its little legs working rapidly as it circled around her navel, heading towards her ribs.
‘Oh, go away,’ she prayed. ‘Please go away.’
Almost as if in response, it turned and went back to its first position on the rounded swell of her abdomen. She should get rid of it, she knew. It needed only a little mental effort to overcome her scruples sufficiently to pick it up and fling it towards the bushes.
But what if it curled around her finger? What if it clung to her?
Rationally, Ginny was disgusted with herself for being such a coward, yet whatever decision she took, she still couldn’t bring herself to touch that caterpillar. Her hand… her arm… they just refused to obey.
Suddenly the caterpillar reared up and looked at her, sphinx-like, with dark eyes which betrayed nothing. It was six inches long at least and had a bright yellow stripe down its underside. On its tail was a little rounded horn which made it seem even more disgusting. It swayed to and fro as she watched it, as though trying to hypnotise her.
No way could she touch it now, yet she had to steel herself to deal with it somehow. Gingerly she began to shift her weight on to her other elbow in order to reach for the magazine she’d been reading, at the same time not daring to take her eyes off the caterpillar. Its body seemedto ripple as it sat there, but that was its only movement.
Oh, she was being such a fool, she despised herself for her own inadequacy. God, if they could only see her now in
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