Читать книгу Elefant - Jamie Bulloch - Страница 15

All the washing machines at Meeting Point were being used and all the showers were occupied. At most tables in the cafeteria people were waiting for seats to become free. Their clothes were damp and dirty, and their frozen bodies were longing for a hot shower. It might be hours before it was Schoch’s turn.

He knew most of the people waiting and nodded to some of them. Then he left.

The rain had eased up somewhat, but a spiteful little wind had picked up. Schoch pulled the coat around him more tightly and took longer strides.

After ten minutes he’d reached the shiny chrome WC container. It was occupied, but at least nobody was waiting outside. He put his heavy holdall down beside the door and sat on top of it.

Bolle was seeing white mice, and he was seeing pink elephants. Sumi had seen animals too: cockroaches. ‘The size of your fist!’ he’d claimed, clenching his tiny hand.

But that had been when Sumi was in withdrawal. Schoch wasn’t. And Bolle? Unlikely, judging by the state he’d been in at the Morning Sun. But he hadn’t said when he’d seen the white mice. Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe he’d tried to stay off the sauce and it had happened then. Schoch should have asked.

But was it important? If these visions only occurred when you were in withdrawal – which Schoch certainly wasn’t – didn’t that mean the little pink elephant had been no hallucination?

Pink elephants? Come off it!