it was still Gloria’s room So maybe her Uncle Ben really was only staying for a while but the while was a bit longer than they’d expected Maybe Rayzer He still wouldn’t answer She didn’t like her bed It wasn’t a real bed It was just a mattress on the floor She’d liked it at first It had been fun nearly like camping But not now Her face was sometimes right against the wall low down at the baseboard nearly where it joined the floor It was cold there Always even when the rest of the room was warm And she could hear things sometimes she thought she could Behind the baseboard Gloria wished she had her own bed That was all she missed really She had her duvet and her pink cover But it wasn’t the same Rayzer She said it a bit louder Nearly her regular talking voice Maybe he was asleep She kind of liked that the fact that her big brother had fallen asleep before her She tried again Rayzer What Are you not asleep That’s a stupid question I bet you were asleep said Gloria And I woke you I wasn’t said Raymond Bet you were said Gloria Prove it 7
Easy said Raymond You said Rayzer four times She heard him moving turning in his bed Didn’t you Yeah she said I think Why didn’t you answer Didn’t want to I knew that said Gloria I knew you were awake What d’you want Can you hear them said Gloria Yeah Gloria was talking about the grown-ups downstairs Her mam her dad her granny and Uncle Ben They were downstairs in the kitchen Raymond’s bedroom was right on top of them They’re mumbling again Gloria whispered Yeah said Raymond The house was full of mumbles these days Mumbles that often stopped whenever Raymond or Gloria walked into the room Mumbling was what grown-ups did when they thought they were whispering Whispers only stayed in the air for a little while but mumbles rolled around for ages in the high corners along the window frames all around the house The mumbles had almost become creatures Gloria imagined she could see them They were made of dust and hair pushed into a ball with skinny legs that barely touched the walls and ceilings as they slid along the paint and glass and wood The mumbling had started when their Uncle Ben had come to live with them Or just before he came Gloria didn’t like the mumbles They worried her But she didn’t blame her Uncle Ben for them 8
Neither did Raymond He didn’t like having to share his bedroom with Gloria but he didn’t blame his Uncle Ben for that either Gloria was a pain in the neck and in other places too But Raymond knew all little sisters were like that It was one of the rules of life And sometimes sharing the bedroom wasn’t too bad Like now Raymond had always been a bit afraid of the dark Just a small bit He was nearly two years older than Gloria so he went to bed half an hour after her It was a quarter of an hour for each year That was the rule his dad had told him Who made the rule Raymond had asked his dad The government his dad had answered His dad thought he was funny Anyway when Raymond had gone up to bed he’d always left his bedroom door open a bit so that light from the kitchen downstairs could get in and push away some of the darkness He’d always hated it when he saw Gloria’s door closed with her stupid sign Keep Out This Means U Because Gloria wasn’t scared of the dark And that had made Raymond feel terrible and ashamed But now with Gloria sharing the bedroom Raymond wasn’t really scared of the dark anymore And he didn’t have to say anything about it or be grateful or anything It was just a fact Mumble mumble mumble said Gloria now Raymond did a deep man mumble Mummm-bull 9
Gloria did a lady one Mimm-bill mimm-bill Know what we should do Rayzer What Sneak down under the table Cool It was the night before Saint Patrick’s Day There was no school the next day and they’d already been allowed to stay up later than usual Gloria heard Raymond getting out of his bed She stood up on her mattress Gloria and Raymond had this secret thing a game They’d sneak back downstairs only on the weekends after they’d been sent to bed and only when the grown-ups were in the kitchen It didn’t really work in the other rooms They’d sneak down the stairs and along the hall They’d creep into the kitchen on their hands and knees or sliding along on their bellies They’d crawl in under the table and they’d stay there For as long as they could They couldn’t touch the adult feet or they’d be caught and the game would end and they’d be sent back up to bed The first time they did it they’d only lasted two minutes and fourteen seconds because their dad moved his foot and felt something
