Without breathing a word, our two elderly gentlemen watch the group of young people as they sleep. After a while the sound of the violin fades away.

“Have you managed to piss today?” Fred asks.

“Twice. Four drops. And you?”

“The same. More or less.”

“Which? More or less?”

“Alright, less.”

“Good-looking, aren’t they?” Mick says, pointing at the youngsters.

“Yes, very good-looking.”

“You should see how excited they get when they’re writing a scene. So full of passion.”

“You’ve infected them.”

“Aren’t you inspired anymore?”

Fred shrugs.

With his usual gesture, Mick brushes the hair on his forehead with the palm of his hand and then changes the subject. “You see those two?” He points to the girl and one of the boys. The two are sleeping on opposite sides of the room.

“Of course I can see them.”

“They’re about to fall in love, but they don’t know it yet.”

No-one notices, but without opening her eyes the girl gives a smile. She is not sleeping.

“And how do you know?”

Mick Boyle thinks for a moment. “I know because I know everything about love.”

“Then you’ll have to give me a lesson, sooner or later.”

“It’s a bit late now. Have you heard the latest? Joyce Owens, just crowned Miss Universe, is coming to stay here. As part of the prize she gets a week in this hotel. Gratis.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. Seems more of a punishment than a prize to me.”

“And that’s exactly how it should be. Some forms of beauty have to be punished so as to make life more bearable for the rest of us.”

“How’s the script coming along?”

“It’ll be my masterpiece. A lasting testimony. And Brenda’ll be unforgettable in the leading role. We came up with a title today: ‘Last Day in a Life’. What do you think?”

Fred thinks a moment, then says: “It’s very good. Right, I’m off to bed.”

He leaves the room while Mick goes and shakes one of the young men sleeping at the back of the room.

“O.K., guys, wake up. Time to get back to your own hotel.”

6

A beautiful woman of forty is innocently asleep in Fred’s bed.

Her name is Lena.

On the bedside table is a framed photograph taken ten years beforehand. It shows Fred with his arms round a woman his own age. They are smiling happily. We can assume she is his wife.

Fred is sitting in an armchair. His eyes are bright with tears as he looks across at the sleeping woman.

Lena wakes. She sees him and looks surprised.

“Aren’t you going to sleep, Pa?”

Trying to hide his tears, Fred gives her a sad smile.

“No, I was looking at you.”

Lena notices her father’s tears.

“But Pa, you’re . . .”

He knows what she is going to say. “Don’t worry. Old men are always crying for no reason at all.”

*

An early morning frost. The hotel’s extensive gardens are lined with beautiful age-old trees. It is dawn.