She
walks down the long corridor, keeping close to the wall on the
left-hand side. The walls are a nondescript grey colour, and the
corridor itself is narrow; she thinks of intestines winding around in
a confined space; she also thinks of the Ghost Ride at the Fun Park
where, beyond the entrance, there does not seem to be any kind of
exit. Her eyes are fixed on the highly polished, dark timber
flooring, and they rarely rise above the ever-changing patterns of
shoes and trouser legs and the very occasional long skirt.
She
knows that there are many people all around her, ordinary, anonymous
people, like those she might see at the train station or in the
street, hurrying in different directions. Some of them are
well-dressed: she can tell by the shoes. When she very occasionally
lifts her eyes from the floor, she sees tailored suits and jogging
outfits side by side, young people in Gothic black with facial
piercings and hair thick with gel, and trim, well-trained people
alongside others who are quite obviously overweight. Almost everyone
looks slightly anxious; some appear dazed. No one is talking; she
knows that it is forbidden. She looks around quickly: there are no
children anywhere.
This is the beginning of Room Nineteen; if you want to read the rest of the first chapter (or Fragment), click on Room Nineteen under Pages on the right side of this blog.