‘No, stop it –’

‘How bad can it be?’

She sat on the edge of the bed. She covered her face.

‘What?’ he said. ‘What makes you so crazy?’

‘I’m not crazy.’ Her voice was muffled by her hands. ‘I’m just dreading it.’

He couldn’t see her face. He couldn’t read her.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘I just am.’

‘Because your mum’s a bitch?’

She shook her head.

‘Why?’ he asked again.

‘I don’t want you to see them,’ she said.

‘Me?’

‘I don’t want you having anything to do with them.’

‘Why not?’ he said. ‘What are you afraid of?’

She looked up. He took a step back, and crossed his arms.

‘Look, whatever it’s about,’ he said, ‘who gives a shit? Let’s just go. Before they get here. We’ve got enough to deal with. Bea, let’s go –’ He saw her eyes flicker. ‘We can pack up in ten minutes,’ he said. ‘Alex will handle it. Bea –’

He was going to say more but they heard Alex’s footsteps, in the corridor running towards them, and then the bedroom door flew open.

‘There you are!’

He was carrying a bottle of wine, a shovel, some bamboo sticks and a fire extinguisher. Three red plastic boxes were slung over his shoulder on strings. He held them up and shook them.

‘What are you doing up here? It’s time to check the snake traps!’

6

They hurried after him along the corridor.

‘There are loads of snakes,’ he said. ‘But mostly they’re just grass snakes. They’re sort of company –’

‘Company?’ said Bea.

‘They’ve got nice round eyes. It’s the vipers I don’t like. Asp vipers. Vipera aspis. They’re in the roof, and it pisses me off.’

‘I think we heard them above our bed last night,’ said Bea.

‘Little fuckers keep me up nights,’ said Alex, ‘snacking on mice. I want them out.’

‘Fuck sake,’ said Dan quietly, running out of patience.

A short ladder was nailed to the wall, by the corner from the older part of the hotel to the extension. From there on the corridor was undecorated. Bare bulbs hung from the ceiling, and through an open door they saw the leavings of a previous occupant. Beer cans. A sleeping bag.

‘Don’t look in there,’ he said, shutting it.

‘Did someone sleep there?’ asked Bea.

‘Me. When I first moved in. I need to finish those rooms, but I’m getting on with the main hotel first. Up we go. Come on, Dan, you know you want to smash snakes’ heads in. Give in to the urge.’

‘You do know snakes are protected?’ said Bea. ‘Nobody’s smashing anything.’

‘Yes, I know that, Bea. Chill.’

He started up the ladder. Encumbered by the boxes and sticks, his hand swiped at the trapdoor to the ceiling and his body swung wide, like he was on a rope ladder.

‘Why don’t we do this tomorrow?’ said Bea.

Righting himself, he ignored her. ‘OK, it’s not nice up there. Hold your nose.’