Private Universe

Post Coital Dead Thing

Some happy time later they lay just cuddling in a mess of a bed strewn with items of hastily discarded clothing.

‘I spent, I did,’ said a blushing Gina.

‘Um hmm?’

‘Twice, that was.’

‘Umm?’

‘Pudden. Don’t get it, do you? Bin married ten year, I ‘ave.  All that time an’ the only other time I spent was the night we started our Kenneth. That was once an’ it was the only once. Didn’t know a woman could go like that.’

He looked at her, disbelieving.

‘Tellin’ you that’s the best I ever ‘ad it. Daft pudden.’ She cuddled in close. ‘I likes our Harold. ‘E’s a good bloke an’ we’re good together we are. ‘E don’t know the tricks you do, though. Not half of ‘em. Probly ‘cos ‘e’s like me an’ never bin with no one else.’ She traced a finger around Jack’s chest. ‘Dunno if ‘e ‘asn’t while ‘e’s bin away mind. They do tell some stories about all the strumpets what’s making a fortune off of the soldier lads. Ses there’s a lot o’ lads catching ‘orrible diseases from ‘em too. Things they can give to their women when they gets back to ‘em.’

She looked at him, for a moment, considering.

‘You’m a good listener, you. Seen that with you when you’m talkin’ with ‘em down the castle. ‘Er Ladyship starts tellin’ you somethin’ and you starts listenin’ all the ways down to your toenails, you does. I likes that in a bloke, knowin’ ‘ow to listen. Mind, I likes ‘em knowin’ ‘ow to talk an’ all, too. So what you got to say for yoursel’ then, mister Casanova?’

Jack shook his head.

‘I can’t believe just how lucky I am. There was me thinking you might not even like me that much. Thinking…’ He shook his head. ‘God knows what I was thinking. It wasn’t this, though. Look where I am.’ He pulled her over and on top of him. ‘I’m covered in woman. Really attractive woman. Do you know how good that feels?’ He shook his head. ‘Nah. You don’t know how comfortable you feel right there.’

‘Dunno ‘bout that. Feels like I got somethin’ stickin’ into me down there. Oh, look. I ‘as an’ all. Now what should I do with that, then?’

Later, when he thought about it, he decided she’d been really imaginative answering that question.

***

Eventually, he had to leave. Ken was coming back from school and while Jack wanted to see him again, neither he nor Gina trusted themselves to look innocent around each other just yet. He promised to come back for housework the next day and her on her next day off and set off down the hill. When he got to the stile taking him off the bridge and onto Castle lands, he could already feel the tiredness in his bones. On the other side he sat down for a moment. He closed his eyes and tried to get thought to come, but failed. You lucky, lucky bugger, said the voice in his head.  It’s not just they’ll let you into their beds and bodies. It’s that you like them. These are the connections you’ve never had before. You like them and you like here. This place, these people, they’re special for you now.

Yes, thought Jack. That’s right.

Job done, thought Turing. Now it’s time to see how ready he is.

JACK! Get up! The voice came like a spike driving straight through his head.

Jack’s eyes came open and he came off the ground into a fighting stance like an uncoiling spring. The track beside the river was narrow here, bordered on one side by the river, on the other by the trees. Along the track came a pale thing. It staggered and lurched, white, disfigured, horrifying. One hand reached out to Jack, one eye looked at him with madness glaring from it.