A big catch!

Angel

Sample Passage

She looked around the tube carriage. The main travellers at this hour were women with their shopping bags. It was one of those rainy, dull days and the musty, damp smell of wet clothes and sweat wafted through the train. It was interesting to notice how many people read on the tube. They did this to avoid having to look at each other, naturally. A true Londoner avoided any contact with fellow passengers. Most certainly you didn’t talk to strangers. There was a distinct shortage of men; they travelled mainly at the rush hour.
      The few tourists stood out because they kept their eyes fixed on the tube map above the windows. She did the same thing, of course, but made sure that this wasn’t obvious. Three more stations to go and she kept a close eye on any new passengers that joined at each station. Londoners wouldn’t do this, as it was bound to attract unwelcome attention.   
      Today of all days, she had finally found the notice in the telephone box. At the post office the man behind the counter had looked at her as if he had expected her. She found Tijmen’s poem and a note: the plan was to meet in front of ‘the coelacanth’ at the Natural History Museum. She started; the next stop was South Kensington.
      When she got off the train, she checked if she was being followed. She no longer noticed that this had become a habit. The signs at the station clearly showed her how to get to the museum. She checked her watch; she had only five minutes left.
      Voices resounded against the tiled walls of the underground passage that led to the museum. She was surrounded by families with lots of children and she was annoyed at their leisurely pace.
      When she finally walked up the stairs she had her first glimpse of the museum. The drizzle hadn’t stopped and she found herself at the end of a long queue of people winding its way up the stairs. By now she was extremely nervous and anxious. Calm down, Angel, she told herself, you’re nearly there. The English joined the queue and waited patiently in spite of the rain, taking for granted the slow crawl towards the entrance.

 

ISBN: 978-1-907320-07-1
Number of pages: 215
Price: £12.99
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