One of the women at the party has a tree growing out of her head. It’s quite a mature tree and Camilla wonders how it could have got there. It’s certainly older than the woman. They’re in a large bookshop where a band is about to perform, part of a promotion for their newly published ‘collective autobiography’. The organisers have just announced that the band members will perform inside a large bag made of gossamer. There are disgruntled murmurs around the room. ‘But we won’t be able to see them,’ someone shouts. Other voices join in, demanding that the band be visible. Tension builds in the room and soon a fight breaks out. Camilla can see people near the front stabbing each other with wooden swords. There’s a door to her right which she opens in search of an escape route. Behind the door is another door, with another door beyond that. She presses on through more doors until she emerges into a bare room filled with wooden desks where a group of soberly dressed children are moving about quietly. A boy takes her hand and leads her into the calm of the room, closing the door behind her.
.
Simon Collings
Picture Nick Victor