It was summer. The living room was hot and still. Motes of dust hung in the air, making Michael think of old water moving slowly in a forgotten fish tank. The man was sitting in one of his wooden chairs, leaning forward eagerly to see Michael’s face. On the large green sofa two women were sitting – they were both older than Michael, but not as old as the man. One had chalky white skin with glossy pink lips, and her eyebrows looked as though they had been drawn on with a pen. She wore a tight blue dress with holes in the side; her pale flesh poked through like uncooked bread. The other had a lot of yellow hair that she had pinned up on top of her head and somewhat incongruously she was wearing a thick white fur coat over a short black skirt and a top with spots on it. Michael could tell from looking at it that the fur wasn’t real; it fluffed up around her as though she was sitting in the arms of a big white bear. This one smiled at Michael, revealing small neat teeth.

‘This is your boy, is it? He’s a big lad.’ The other woman laughed at this, raising her pretend eyebrows at some meaning Michael couldn’t grasp.

‘Come and say hello.’ The man waved him over. ‘These are friends of mine.’

Michael did not move. The weird floral scent was coming from these women, and in the confines of the hot living room it was overwhelming. There was too much to take in about them, and he could feel his heart starting to beat too fast: thick silver rings on bony fingers, shiny red shoes with heels like knives, the soft pouches of flesh that seemed to be seeping out from everywhere he looked. The girl with the eyebrows leaned forward, threatening to spill out of her tight top.

‘He’s not frightened, is he? Not of us.’

‘Of course not,’ said the man, and Michael caught the look he gave him; interested, close to being angry. There was a path Michael was supposed to take here – just like with the chicks – and he was close to missing it. But quite abruptly, he didn’t care. He was disgusted by these strange colourful women and their strong smells. They were disrupting his home, turning the air strange and charged. For the first time he felt a flare of anger towards the man, a sense of betrayal. This place was supposed to be safe.