‘One of my better efforts. Glad you stayed then?’

She placed both hands on the railing, looking over his head, beyond the trees, past the point, to the line of the sea. ‘Very glad indeed.’

‘You were all for pushing off. Been a pity to miss this.’

‘Madness. That’s all it was. A little mental aberration, I get them sometimes. Not quite as dramatically, it must be said; that was the very first time …’

‘And the last?’

‘Oh yes! It gave me the most frightful shock, I shan’t try that again.’

‘Said that I was interfering. Very pissed off you were.’

‘Was I? Was I really? It was the shock, you see; do forgive me, I’m really very grateful.’

He stretched his arms out wide. ‘That’s all right then. God! Look at the sky! What colours would you say it was … all that?’

‘Pomegranate fading to turquoise, to opal blue.’

‘I see. Ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer.’

‘Well, that’s how it looks to me. You asked.’

‘I did too. It’s so still. Listen. Do you think that we are the only people alive in the world?’

‘Wouldn’t that be fun! No. Someone’s making coffee. I smelled it.’

‘That’s a good idea. I’ve been swimming.’

‘So I imagine.’

‘Best time of the day … to smell brewing coffee.’

‘She reached up and pulled down a rope of white wistaria, draped it round her shoulders and throat.’

‘… when Dawn’s Left Hand was in the Sky

I heard a Voice within the Tavern cry,

“Awake my Little ones, and fill the Cup

Before Life’s Liquor in its Cup be dry …”’

He grinned up at her. ‘What am I to make of that?’ ‘What you like. But it’s what I’m going to do from now on; I think it’s rather good. I’m going to heed the voice.’

‘You mean coffee?’

‘No. Not just coffee … but what you could do is trot along to the Tavern, or the kitchen, and tell Bruna that we’d both adore a brimming cup of her brew.’

‘And that you are awake, alive … and well?’

‘Yes. All those things. Break it to her very gently, I’m perfectly sure she has one hand on the telephone directory looking up Undertakers.’

‘I will.’

‘You may find it rather hard to believe yourself, of course.’

‘Why? I can see it all, can’t I?’

‘In a way. But I haven’t put on “my face” yet. It does make such a vast difference … takes simply hours to do but at the end of it I’ll look a little more like Snow White than the Witch, if you follow me. Did you tell me your name? I think that you did, but I’ve forgotten.’

‘A thousand years sleep is a long time.’

‘I know, what is it?’

‘Pollock.’

‘The other part.’

‘Marcus.’