15:22
The mouth mumbles and Maddie leans closer.
Hands spasm on the white sheet.
‘Mmmmuh. Mmmmuh tuhhh.’ Her head turns and looks at the bedside table.
‘Tuhhh.’
A hand waves at the glass.
‘Her teeth,’ Juliet whispers. ‘She wants her teeth.’
Careful now. All the better to eat you with.
Maddie picks up the glass, takes it to the sink in the corner of the room and pours out the water.
As she does this, a pair of green eyes fix themselves on Noah. He tries to look away, but a hand reaches out and plucks at his arm.
‘Gahh,’ the mouth says. ‘Gahhh bahhh.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Maddie’s voice croons, ‘don’t worry. We’ll have you sorted out in no time.’ She comes back to the bed and holds out the lower plate. The mouth opens and gulps it in. Then Maddie does the same with the upper plate and it’s sucked in too. The teeth close with a click and a soft voice wavers into the room.
‘Gabriel?’ She’s staring at Noah. ‘Gabriel, Sunday? Sunday afternoon?’
Noah doesn’t know what to do. He nods and she smiles. ‘Gabriel.’ The plucking stops and her hand lies quiet.