Dark Night of the Soul

Chapter 24

'Slow down, Kristen. My bags are heavier than yours.'

'You are always complaining, Bob. We'd totally run out of food.Do you just want hay for your lunch? Stop moaning. Let's get back to the bunkers. My mum would say that you should be more mindful. Concentrate on the ground under your feet and the breeze on your face. Or something like that.'

'Yeah, well it's easy to concentrate when you're not carrying a big bag of fizzy drinks. Is that what you used to do every evening? Just sit in a circle being mindful?'

'Don't be daft. We weren't that weird. I would normally just curl up on my bunk with a book. There was always music playing and my mum cooked the most amazing food. I don't know why I am talking about her in the past tense. I guess it feels like forever since I last saw her.'

'I know. These last few days have felt like a year haven't they? You're going to have to go back and see her soon though aren't you? She must be worried sick? My Mum would have gone completely potty by now.'

'My mum's already potty. She will barely have noticed me not being there. Although I do miss her a bit. I can't really remember why I left. It just felt like the right thing to do.'

'Well, I'd love to come round and see your camper van once you do. Oh, you could come round to mine too. My Mum's a rubbish cook but we've always got loads of fish fingers in the freezer. Think of all the things you've never tried! They're not as good as Wagon Wheels, but pretty good.'

'Remember when we first met and you gave me a Wagon Wheel? That was surely the best day of my life so far! I would love to come to yours but your mum hates me.'

'Nah, it'll be alright. She's always like that with people she doesn't know. I've got loads of stuff recorded off the telly too. I could run through the best telly of the past 10 years since you've missed it all!'

'That would be amazing! I have always been so embarrassed by my lack of TV knowledge. My parents never understood how not having a TV made it hard for me to fit in at school. What was your favourite TV programme as a kid?'

'Hmmmm. Probs Danny and Mick. It's really stupid but it makes me laugh for some reason. My brother's still got his recordings of that Pinky Ponk programme too. He's so sad he still watches them sometimes.'

'It's so tragic what happened to your brother. We never did get to the bottom of the role that the Pinky Ponk played. He seemed hypnotised. They all did. Then they were gone. Thinking about it, we were the only kids not affected. Why is that, I wonder?'

'I dunno. Weird isn't it? I always stomp out of the room when he puts it on the telly. It's just so babyish, I can't bear it. Mum said I was always trying to act grown-up so maybe I never even watched it as a baby. You wouldn't have either, with no telly. Maybe it's that?'

'Shit, I bet you're right. It makes sense. Here, give me that bag to carry for the last, steep bit. God, Bob did you have to buy three bottles of pop?'

'Yeah, you have to taste all three kinds: lime, cherry, and dandelion and burdock. They'll blow your mind. Oof. Thanks. Look at my hands, those bags really dug into them. Look.'

'You're such a wimp. Remember that time you couldn't climb the tree and went running back to mummy?'

'Maybe. Anyway, your mindfulness stuff. Do you want to try something that my Mum taught me? Just after my Dad died I think it was.'

'Why not? I've nothing better to do, except carry these bags without complaining.'

'Yeah, very good. Well this might take your mind off them digging into your hands. So, all you do is pick a colour then look around for when you can see it. Green won't work, not here. There's too much of it. Let's give it a try. You can pick the first colour.'