‘What’s the point in waiting?’

‘The rain might slacken off.’

‘A man with a big umbrella might appear.’

‘The world might come to an end.’

‘We’ll freeze if we stay here much longer.’

‘OK. So. We’ll run.’

She set off down the track, stones skittering out from under her feet as she ran, her bag thumping against her back. Her hands clutched her coat together at the throat. Joe followed. Black water streamed everywhere, raced around their feet, filled his school shoes. Nothing in the world was dry and calm.

Once they were on the road there was some shelter from the gusts of wind, but none from the rain. They ran for nearly a mile and then their running became slower and slower, turning finally into an ungainly shuffle, hardly quicker than walking and far more painful.

‘Ooh hoo. Oooh hoo,’ panted Kathleen.

‘I’m warm anyway,’ said Joe. He felt as if steam should be rising in clouds from his body. ‘Will we have long to wait for a bus?’

‘Don’t let’s even discuss it. A quick prayer is our only hope.’

They were lucky. As they reached the main road they saw a bus bumping towards them past the level crossing gates.

‘Oh stop, please stop.’

They ran. Kathleen waved her arms in despair. Joe waved his arms and put on a pathetic face. The bus obligingly slowed down and then stopped in a great wash of muddy water. They ran across the road and climbed on.

‘Have youse been swumming?’

The driver took the money from Kathleen’s dripping hand.

‘Quack, quack.’

‘Quock.’ He handed her the change.

They didn’t bother going upstairs, but sat in drowned silence staring out of the window at the rain and feeling the wetness creeping through them to their bones.

‘I get stitches,’ said Joe after a while.

‘They pass,’ said Kathleen, pulling at the ends of her hair with her fingers. ‘Was that a disaster?’ She asked eventually.

‘Oh no. It was great. A great place. I’d love to go back.’ He laughed. ‘Not now. It was … well … I felt like God up there.’

‘Mmmm.’

‘It’d be great to be God living up there. Sort of organising things. Rain here, a bit more wind blowing there. A storm, a raging storm. Thunder and lightning. Wham.’

‘What about some sun, God?’

‘Only for the goodies.’

‘I’m glad you’re not God. Tell you what, we’ll go back to my room when we get off the bus and hang all our clothes around the fire and have something hot. Hot. I’m sure your mother’ll have a fit if you go home like that.’

‘That’d be great.’

‘Sure?’

He nodded.

They jolted past the garages and small factories built along the side of the road. The few shops had their lights on. There were practically no people in the streets. An army truck passed them. The soldiers in the back, balancing their rifles on their knees, wore capes that were shining with wetness.