‘Now, at that point, a weaker man than myself might have caved and picked his nose, or an even weaker one might have blown it. But not me, oh no. No, since then, I’ve been saving it and saving it. I can’t even breathe properly any more, my nostril’s so full. What a treat this is going to be – and a monster like this shouldn’t just be blown into the sea! When I eventually pick my nose – oh the relief! Imagine the joy!’

‘Right,’ I said. ‘So are you going to pick it by yourself, or are you going to do a grand show?’

‘I’d be surprised if others didn’t want to watch, actually. I have been giving updates to a few interested people.’

‘Let me know how you get on, then,’ I said. ‘I think I might just stay and watch the boats.’

James sidled off. I think he went reluctantly, but then he’d given himself a big build-up, so he sort of had to go. Lana wrapped the plastic bags further around herself, leaving a small ventilation hole at the top, and lay down.

‘Wahey!’ Shouts began behind me, and the chant, ‘James, James, James, James!’ It takes so little to get our interest here, especially when we’re busy avoiding thinking about something important. But it was starting to become more difficult to block out thoughts of escape, and even as everybody else was cheering, I couldn’t take my eyes off the slowly moving boats.

The closest boat bobbing towards us was a small, two-berth river boat. The second was a larger, but rusting, sail-less yacht. There was a mighty dent on one side, and a crack leading up to the deck. It wasn’t definite that either of the boats would ever reach us. The Jellyfish didn’t seem to mind letting small objects past, like the plastic bottles and bags which arrived every day, but I wondered whether it would let through large ones, like boats.

‘Well, how are things over here, Martha?’ James came back up behind me. ‘You look just the same. Same life, same fashion sense, same friends. That’s so sweet, you know? But we can’t all live like that. Some of us have to try new things, gain new experiences.’

The pile of plastic bags that was Lana gave a disgusted snort.

‘Did you pick your nose, then?’ I asked, if only to make him shut up.

‘Yes, Martha. And it was every bit as magical as you’d imagine. A glorious moment in my existence.’

‘Probably was, actually.’

‘Probably.’

We looked at the boats for another couple of seconds.

‘I’m going to go insane,’ said James. ‘Absolutely insane.’