Dec 10, 2015

Extract from Chapter 40 of mystery-comedy novel, 'The Investigations of the Para-Usual':

On set, O’Singh stood alone like a Queen bee at the epicentre of the activity, mesmerised by this machine acting on his ideas and projecting them to the masses. This was powerful stuff. O’Singh dared to dream what might be revealed. Perhaps what eluded the legendary Einstein – a grand unifying physical theory that held for both large and sub-atomic particles; or the definitive word on how long after midnight we can talk about ‘yesterday’.

O’Singh leapt out of his reverie like he’d received an electric shock. He delved inside his jacket pocket, snapped out his mobile phone, jabbed at the keypad and clamped it to an ear.

‘Hello. Dr Pratt? Fluff?’ enquired O’Singh, pacing to the back of the cave.

Over at Stalingrad House, Fluff took the call on vibrate and slipped into Higgins’ office. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself as a dog might answering a mobile phone.

‘Yes?’ answered Fluff, coldly.

‘What breed of dog are you?’ asked O’Singh, easing himself onto a rock.

‘You know very well. You chose the skin,’ Dr Pratt said.

‘A Labrador, yes. Fantastic,’ said O’Singh.

‘It feels terrific,’ said Fluff, sarcastically.

‘I have faith that the choice will prove useful,’ said O’Singh. ‘The Labrador is an intelligent breed.’

‘Yes, of course it will. The Labrador is extremely clever at retrieving dead things.’

‘Yes?’

‘The very thing I need to do with my career,’ replied Fluff, acerbically.