My head, heavy with thoughts, drooped dangerously towards the floor. I noticed a small flame had taken in the triangle of coarse hairs; it was dancing its everlasting hip-thrusting dance, celebrating its power to transform flesh to meat, life to food, pain to senselessness. The kitchen began to turn faster and faster. My head fell forwards, bringing the rest of my body down with it, down onto a pile of dirty dishes which broke, their fragments sticking into the last of me.

COPYRIGHT

To François Ivernel

Published in the UK by Dedalus Limited,

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ISBN printed book 978 1 873982 19 4

ISBN e-book 978 1 909232 85 3

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Publishing History

First published by Dedalus in 1999

First ebook edition in 2013

Primordial Soup copyright © Christine Leunens 1999

The right of Christine Leunens to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

Printed in Finland by W. S. Bookwell

Typeset by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay, Suffolk

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A C.I.P. Listing for this book is available on request.