‘I heard that Feri wants to sleep with you,’ Nóra said. ‘He says he fucked someone on May Day, but I don’t believe him. If that was true, he wouldn’t care about fucking you.’

Emese took another drag to hide her embarrassment. Nóra went on.

‘I think you should sleep with him. You won’t regret it.’

Emese raised an eyebrow. Sex was something obscure, an elusive, wild thing somewhere further on in her life that would surely occur one day, but not this summer. Maybe during another summer like this, when the millionth cigarette she smoked had turned to ash, when all this had become someone else’s life, the foundation for another, more experienced Emese who could choose wisely whom to give her virginity to. Let’s say two or three years from now. But definitely not now. She still saw herself as somewhat of a child, although she longed to be an adult without quite grasping what that actually meant.

Emese shook her head firmly.

‘No,’ she said finally.

Nóra shrugged her shoulders.

‘Okay. It’s your call,’ she said, picking up the backpack lying by her feet. She took out a jar filled with some yellowish-­brown liquid. There was a spider resting at the bottom of it, its long legs curled around its body in the final posture of death.

‘No need to be afraid of it,’ Nóra said, tapping the glass to prove that the animal was dead. ‘These spiders eat snails, so if you see one, squash it right away. But you can also put them in alcohol if they’ve already eaten a snail. The booze soaks the snail oil out, and it becomes a potent drink.’

She lifted the jar so the sun shone through the clear liquid. Nóra stubbed her cigarette butt out on the ground, then opened the jar. A metallic smell hit Emese’s nose. Nóra placed the mouth of the jar to her lips and took a sip, then tossed the jar into Emese’s hands.

‘Quick, so we get the rush at the same time,’ Nóra said, and Emese knew she had to act now because she would just hesitate and freeze a second later. She took a sip and swallowed without thinking. Warmth spread in her throat and stomach, her mouth felt bitter. Nóra took the jar, carefully closed it again and put it in her backpack.