Скачать книгу

must have happened. This is no giant scorpion and this is not a movie. I told Henry ten times before he went to bed to ensure that he put the lid on the cricket tub properly but now…

      I thrust my fist into my mouth and bite down to stifle my scream. I want to get my feet off the floor so I take it in turns to lift one then the other. Which is your favourite foot? Which one would you keep if you had to choose? It’s like some bizarre Sophie’s choice.

       I hate bugs!

      The doorway is further away than the bed so there is only one option open to me. I hop back to the steps and climb them, then perch on the edge as I use a tissue from my pyjama pocket to clean the squashed cricket corpses from between my toes. The thought makes me heave but what can I do? I am trapped, a prisoner in my own home, surrounded by a Gryllidae enemy. I long for some antibacterial handwash but I would have to step back into the abyss to get it, so I have to make do with an already soiled tissue.

      And all this because I could not deny my son another pet. I am a stereotype of the overindulgent single mother. Will my son grow up with a sense of entitlement because I struggle to say no to him when I should stand firm? No. Henry is a good boy, not some little prince who believes everyone exists to please him. He’s kind, intelligent and sincere, even a bit too serious at times for a boy of his age. Giving him a pet all of his own is a good thing. It provides a sense of responsibility and helps him to understand how important it is to care for an animal properly. I have done the right thing; this will be good for him. Just not for me.

      As these thoughts race through my mind, I sit still for a while, gazing into the darkness. My eyes burn with tiredness but I cannot look away in case I come under attack from an advancing cricket army.

      I am staring at the floor as the grey dawn light seeps into the room and brings with it another day. I am cold and tired and my head is fuzzy. But only when I am certain that no crickets have found their way up the steps, do I finally surrender and crawl beneath the covers at the bottom of Henry’s bed and fall into a restless slumber.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4RYuRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAAEsAAAAAQAAASwAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDE2OjA0 OjExIDE1OjU5OjQ2AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAABkCgAwAEAAAAAQAACgAAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAVAAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAX/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ANXH6n08YYt9LItc1s1nHqc6ptjpfW12RZ6Vbd/+j3KAtyG1ht4ccjqFbMgV Mpe2uml4dSx2Zk1Vh7MbFr9Z78d//aiyy79Gts4OJRZTZWNtTXtdZTJZVv8AdB9JrvRb7vz9insy cex78dpsFziXAuILA7bubPv9Sr2/11W9mQ3FCPp9O/DL9L28f/N/cYeKHQHXuf8Am20aOk1Y7Lcs 5By85zQwXTtcQ36W7a4+lj7P5iln6L/S+pb71ZryLbHWNxi3HbqCImxsjazdZo6ze33/AMhCwRWb Lxj47qmseNoI2scyS3fj3Mlr6m/n0f4P8xXzUN24aEn3afS+KkxxvhIkeH9KMTI8fFKX6yGSfBwf 1/8AV/4CyRN/t/7lrspLGgFxfAAJPcj85RdVe5zhXe4CIax0lrZ/0erdm7b71b2IeTdRi0uvyH+n U0gOdBMFxDG6N/lFWDCMgIm9D+9Li19OklkQboCydKrf/BaVrsnIDmttbiY+Q/aTjBz7vSb9JlNb w6t3q2N2P9RlnpV2eoquTgMOM91GO3HLGC/KfY4l+QXWBlbcjIHq5np1trf+f/x36H6epkU2NZaW 2Gp+72u0J19uxxf7Wt9T9xRxsBuNkXZJsc82tr3F3LTWC2x/qfner/0P6ire3Iyo2bFTnfDof8fJ w8XHwQ/rsgnQ0/BrPY23K+1dIpGdcC977vRGxwcBVcBk5AZTVbY136T07PVsZ/OoPTGevY3LtqrZ 7X101trd+icH+nkW/a37bci+9tVbPUsrr/R1/wA39Pfo015VjnXXWkNt1FM7mgFo9J7N383Y2f0n +k/7bRqHZG3c+42kgMDnsa0hjT9D02+zt+6lGFzsxPqMjVQjH0yjLjj6uP8AW/pf61RkKoadP3vm /Rf/0O5fj13N9OwFzZDoHJLTuCzcLPvyB0+0ml+L1VlhbVWCHUltbryz1d7/ALQ1mx+Pf+jo9O7+ bW0G+6B9KJAHMD86PpLn7cC4Z2Z1rpWyo4xsDaXHdVlPA/ypZtPtw7HvpZjfaKP52/Gs9b9GnxES SSBZFX/0QtwwiRMS009MjtxfLEf1fXwf4jssqZWwMraGMboGjQBPtWRl9ZufbZZgW1NGH6LrMG5o 9XIZkMrvZ6T3Ob6dv6b0aqqv8N/22pMd1S19xvutqsrz6cd2NTAazHubRa6pz6gd9v6zsuzGWepV 6P6GypEQoDYeCfus95ER8D82vh/hxdUtgFx0DQS4+ACxr8q3IwL776/Sxa77WtNpLbS0ssa1tuNs

Скачать книгу