Читать книгу The Last Family in England - Matt Haig - Страница 21

mirror-girl

I was worried about Hal, but this was not a new thing. I had been worried for quite some time.

About the way he never seemed to be himself, in front of anyone. About the way he was loud and confident within the Family, but remained petrified of the world outside. About the way he would talk to the mirror as if it was the girl of his dreams, Laura Shepherd. That evening I just lay there, on his bedroom floor, watching intently.

‘Hi, Laura,’ he said. And then he tried it in a different tone. ‘Hi, Laura.’

He asked her out on a fictional date. ‘What are you doing on Friday night?’ he said, raising an expectant eyebrow.

Of course, the mirror-girl did not reply, and he did not press her. Instead, he waited for her to turn away, or disappear entirely, so that he could squeeze his blackheads.