to go,' she said. 'I've got to go now.' She did a worried little dance. 'I don't want to, I just have to.'
'Toilet's over there,' said Rolfa and pointed.
'No, no you don't understand. I'll be back. Lunchtime. On the steps. Don't forget?'
Rolfa gave her head a shake, meaning no, she wouldn't forget and a kind of wondering, pale smile was coaxed out of her.
And Milena ran. She had about ten minutes. She ran all the way back to the Shell, up the flights of stairs. She heard a door opening on the landing below her, and spun around, and stumbled back down the steps, legs akimbo. And there he was.
'Jacob!' she gasped.
'Good morning, Milena. And how are you today?'
'Fine! Fine. I'm great! Jacob! Can you remember music?'
'Do you mean written music, Milena? Or do you mean the actual sound?'
'Both. Both.'
'Yes, if it is part of a message. Yes. I can remember.' He nodded and smiled with beautiful ivory-coloured teeth.
Milena was still panting, a queasy trail of sweat on her forehead. 'Fine. Great. Can you come somewhere with me at six this evening?'
Jacob's face clouded over. 'Oh. I'm sorry, Milena. I don't think I can do that. I must run my other messages then. I must go to everyone in the building, and then deliver messages for them. I'm very sorry, Milena.'
'What if I helped?'
Jacob looked blank.
'What if you took one half of the floors and I took the other? You're supposed to come about five, right? So we'll both start about four thirty, run back and forth until six and men go on. Agreed? Agreed? It's very important, Jacob.'
He beamed. 'All right, Milena. I will help you. That will be very good.'
Milena gave a little snarl of delight, and kissed him on his cheek. 'That's great.' And suddenly she was weary.
'Do you have any messages for me, Milena?'
'Yes. One for Ms Patel. Tell her I'm too tired. I just won't be there for lunch.'
Tell her I love her?
'Tell her I'm not as immune as she thinks.'
And Jacob, for some reason, winked.
That afternoon, Milena ran from room to room on seven floors of the Shell. She had never known mere were so many people living there. Faces she had only glimpsed suddenly became alive for her. She knew what the insides of their rooms looked like, she knew whether or not they made their beds, she could smell what they were cooking. They did not want to give her messages.
'Um. I'll wait for Jacob in the morning,' many of them said.
'I'm an actress. I've got good memory viruses too.'
They might give their heads the slightest of angry shakes. They were angry with Jacob for deserting them, leaving them to this stranger. Milena was embarrassed. She was embarrassed by all this weight of life that was going on without her. The rooms were often full of people lounging together on beds, drinking, talking, playing chess on little resin boards.
Milena went to Cilia's room and it was full of the Vampires, twenty of them, thirty of them, packed in, talking, agreeing, disagreeing, laughing.
'What are you doing?' Cilia asked, rising to her feet.
'I'm helping Jacob out.'
And Milena explained, breathless. Milena the Postperson, someone called her, smiling. How does he know my name? Milena thought. I don't know his.
'Anybody got any messages?' she asked. 'I'll take them.' She knew then why Jacob always asked. It was nice to be needed.
In the evening she and Jacob hid behind the costumes as Rolfa sang.
'Can you remember? Can you remember it?' she asked him, whispering, desperate.
Jacob smiled and nodded, and put a finger to his lips.
It became routine, for a time.
Milena and Rolfa would have lunch together every day. Sometimes they ate in the Zoo cafe. Rolfa would always cringe just before going in. She had to duck to get through the doors, but it was more than that. She did not belong. She looked huge on the narrow benches, ridiculous bunched up under the tiny tables, her knees pressing up under them, dragging them with her when she stood up. Her fur hung into the soup, the cups were
'Toilet's over there,' said Rolfa and pointed.
'No, no you don't understand. I'll be back. Lunchtime. On the steps. Don't forget?'
Rolfa gave her head a shake, meaning no, she wouldn't forget and a kind of wondering, pale smile was coaxed out of her.
And Milena ran. She had about ten minutes. She ran all the way back to the Shell, up the flights of stairs. She heard a door opening on the landing below her, and spun around, and stumbled back down the steps, legs akimbo. And there he was.
'Jacob!' she gasped.
'Good morning, Milena. And how are you today?'
'Fine! Fine. I'm great! Jacob! Can you remember music?'
'Do you mean written music, Milena? Or do you mean the actual sound?'
'Both. Both.'
'Yes, if it is part of a message. Yes. I can remember.' He nodded and smiled with beautiful ivory-coloured teeth.
Milena was still panting, a queasy trail of sweat on her forehead. 'Fine. Great. Can you come somewhere with me at six this evening?'
Jacob's face clouded over. 'Oh. I'm sorry, Milena. I don't think I can do that. I must run my other messages then. I must go to everyone in the building, and then deliver messages for them. I'm very sorry, Milena.'
'What if I helped?'
Jacob looked blank.
'What if you took one half of the floors and I took the other? You're supposed to come about five, right? So we'll both start about four thirty, run back and forth until six and men go on. Agreed? Agreed? It's very important, Jacob.'
He beamed. 'All right, Milena. I will help you. That will be very good.'
Milena gave a little snarl of delight, and kissed him on his cheek. 'That's great.' And suddenly she was weary.
'Do you have any messages for me, Milena?'
'Yes. One for Ms Patel. Tell her I'm too tired. I just won't be there for lunch.'
Tell her I love her?
'Tell her I'm not as immune as she thinks.'
And Jacob, for some reason, winked.
That afternoon, Milena ran from room to room on seven floors of the Shell. She had never known mere were so many people living there. Faces she had only glimpsed suddenly became alive for her. She knew what the insides of their rooms looked like, she knew whether or not they made their beds, she could smell what they were cooking. They did not want to give her messages.
'Um. I'll wait for Jacob in the morning,' many of them said.
'I'm an actress. I've got good memory viruses too.'
They might give their heads the slightest of angry shakes. They were angry with Jacob for deserting them, leaving them to this stranger. Milena was embarrassed. She was embarrassed by all this weight of life that was going on without her. The rooms were often full of people lounging together on beds, drinking, talking, playing chess on little resin boards.
Milena went to Cilia's room and it was full of the Vampires, twenty of them, thirty of them, packed in, talking, agreeing, disagreeing, laughing.
'What are you doing?' Cilia asked, rising to her feet.
'I'm helping Jacob out.'
And Milena explained, breathless. Milena the Postperson, someone called her, smiling. How does he know my name? Milena thought. I don't know his.
'Anybody got any messages?' she asked. 'I'll take them.' She knew then why Jacob always asked. It was nice to be needed.
In the evening she and Jacob hid behind the costumes as Rolfa sang.
'Can you remember? Can you remember it?' she asked him, whispering, desperate.
Jacob smiled and nodded, and put a finger to his lips.
It became routine, for a time.
Milena and Rolfa would have lunch together every day. Sometimes they ate in the Zoo cafe. Rolfa would always cringe just before going in. She had to duck to get through the doors, but it was more than that. She did not belong. She looked huge on the narrow benches, ridiculous bunched up under the tiny tables, her knees pressing up under them, dragging them with her when she stood up. Her fur hung into the soup, the cups were