Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next 2)

'Good. Well, carry on vocalising, then.'

'Thank you, sir.'

But he didn't leave. He just stood there, watching me.

'Sir?'

'Don't mind me,' replied Hicks, 'I just want to see how this stress vocalising works. My tensionologist told me to arrange pebbles as a hobby – or count blue cars.'

So I vocalised my stress there in the corridor for five minutes while my boss watched me.

'Jolly good,' he said finally, and walked off.

After checking I was alone in the corndor. I spoke out loud:

'Snell!'

Silence.

'Mr Snell, can you hear me?'

More silence.

I sat down and put my head between my knees. I felt sick and hot, both the SpecOps resident tensionologist and the stresspert had said I might have some sort of traumatic aftershock from tackling Acheron Hades, but I hadn't expected anything as vivid as voices in my head. I waited until I felt better and then made my way, not towards Flakk and her competition winners, but towards Bowden and the LiteraTec office.8

I stopped.

'Prepared for what? I haven't done any thing!'9

'No, no!' I exclaimed. 'I really don't know what I've done. Where are you!?!10

'Wait! Shouldn't I see you before the hearing?'

There was no answer. I was about to yell again but several people came out of the elevator so I kept quiet. I waited for a moment but

Mr Snell didn't seem to have anything more to add, so I made my way into the high-ceilinged LiteraTec office, which more closely resembled a library than anything else. There weren't many books we didn't have – the result of bootleg seizures of literary works collected over the years. Bowden Cable, my partner, was already at his desk, which was as fastidiously neat as ever. His quiet and studious approach to his work contrasted strongly with my own directness. The partnership seemed to work well.

'Morning, Bowden.'

'Good morning, Thursday I saw you on the TV last night.'

'How did I look?'

'Fine. They didn't let you talk about Jane Eyre much, did they'!

I gave him a withering look and he understood.

'Never fear – some day the full story will be told. Are you okay? You look a little flushed.'

'I'm okay,' I told him, then added in a quieter voice: 'Actually I'm not. I've been hearing voices.'

'Stress, Thursday. It's not unusual. Anyone specific?'

'A lawyer named Snell. Akrid Snell. He said he was representing me.'

'On what charge?'

'He wouldn't say.'