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Authors: Stewart Foster
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be different. People change their minds as they get older.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Still want to be superhero?’
‘I am a superhero. That’s what everyone says.’
New-cameraman-David makes a circle with his index finger and thumb and the red light goes out.
‘That’s brilliant, Joe.’
‘Have we finished already?’
‘No, but you need to take a break,’ Charlotte R says as she walks over.
‘But I’m okay!’
David sets the camera up on the tripod.
‘It’s all right,’ says Graham. ‘We’ll go to lunch and leave the camera running. You know what to do. Just forget it’s there. Like it’s a fly on the
wall.’
‘There has never been a fly in here,’ I say. ‘There’s never even been an ant.’
‘Ha! It’s funny,’ he says, ‘but I hadn’t thought of that.’
‘But I saw a wasp once!’
‘Did you?’
‘Over here.’ I walk over to the window. ‘It was down there, on the other side of the window.’ I point to the corner where the frame meets the wall. ‘It flew around
all day. I couldn’t hear it but I could feel the buzz through the glass with my finger. It just kept buzzing around like it was looking for a hole. I thought it would get in. I saw it on TV:
wasps can eat their way through stone and concrete. Greg told me not to worry, but I did, I dreamt the room was full of wasps. They were buzzing all around me. They were in my hair, in my ears, up
my nose, in my mouth and they were flying into the air-con, blocking the vents, jamming the blades. They were everywhere, in the plug sockets, in the machines. I thought –’
Charlotte R puts her hand on my shoulder. ‘Hey Joe, it’s okay, they’re not here now.’
I step away from the window. My heart is thudding and my arms are sweating. It was scary when the wasp nearly came in. Charlotte guides me back to my bed. Graham stands beside me.
‘Take it easy, Joe. Just relax and we’ll be back soon.’ He walks towards the door with New-cameraman-David.
Charlotte rubs my arm. ‘You just stay still and I’ll check Dr Moore is on his way.’
I nod and they leave me alone with the fly on the wall. I’m not sure what to do. I can’t just stay still. People will want me to do something. It’ll be boring if all they see
is me lying on my bed. I look at my laptop, my TV, but that isn’t actually doing anything, it’s me just staying still, looking at screens. But what else can I do? I don’t do
anything else all day. Once, the doctors gave me an exercise bike with a DVD that I had to watch at the same time. They said it would be good for my blood supply and it would help my heart and my
lungs. I pedalled for an hour. The wheels spun around but I didn’t move an inch, and it felt like I was a hamster in a ball. I didn’t go on it again. It’s boring watching a
simulator on a DVD when everyone else gets to cycle by fields. The running machine was worse. They put electrodes on my chest and wired me to the monitors. I only ran for two minutes. My heart rate
went up to 142 and then I stopped. The doctors thought it was because I was tired but it was because I was scared to see my heart rate so high.
I look around the room. The red light is still flashing on the camera. I lie back and go to sleep. I have a dream, but I don’t remember what it is about, only that it has wasps in it.
Rain is running down the window when I wake up. Graham and New-cameraman-David are whispering in the corner. They both turn and look at me when I sit up.
‘Sorry,’ I say. ‘Don’t think I did anything interesting.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Graham says. ‘You were brilliant. How are you feeling? Charlotte told me Dr Moore came by and said you’re doing fine.’
‘I’m okay, but still tired.’
‘Dr Moore said it’s best that we shoot in half-hour slots and you rest in between.’
I nod. ‘Okay.’ New-cameraman-David stands in the middle of the room and holds up a gadget that checks the light. Then he goes back to his
‘I won’t.’
‘Still want to be superhero?’
‘I am a superhero. That’s what everyone says.’
New-cameraman-David makes a circle with his index finger and thumb and the red light goes out.
‘That’s brilliant, Joe.’
‘Have we finished already?’
‘No, but you need to take a break,’ Charlotte R says as she walks over.
‘But I’m okay!’
David sets the camera up on the tripod.
‘It’s all right,’ says Graham. ‘We’ll go to lunch and leave the camera running. You know what to do. Just forget it’s there. Like it’s a fly on the
wall.’
‘There has never been a fly in here,’ I say. ‘There’s never even been an ant.’
‘Ha! It’s funny,’ he says, ‘but I hadn’t thought of that.’
‘But I saw a wasp once!’
‘Did you?’
‘Over here.’ I walk over to the window. ‘It was down there, on the other side of the window.’ I point to the corner where the frame meets the wall. ‘It flew around
all day. I couldn’t hear it but I could feel the buzz through the glass with my finger. It just kept buzzing around like it was looking for a hole. I thought it would get in. I saw it on TV:
wasps can eat their way through stone and concrete. Greg told me not to worry, but I did, I dreamt the room was full of wasps. They were buzzing all around me. They were in my hair, in my ears, up
my nose, in my mouth and they were flying into the air-con, blocking the vents, jamming the blades. They were everywhere, in the plug sockets, in the machines. I thought –’
Charlotte R puts her hand on my shoulder. ‘Hey Joe, it’s okay, they’re not here now.’
I step away from the window. My heart is thudding and my arms are sweating. It was scary when the wasp nearly came in. Charlotte guides me back to my bed. Graham stands beside me.
‘Take it easy, Joe. Just relax and we’ll be back soon.’ He walks towards the door with New-cameraman-David.
Charlotte rubs my arm. ‘You just stay still and I’ll check Dr Moore is on his way.’
I nod and they leave me alone with the fly on the wall. I’m not sure what to do. I can’t just stay still. People will want me to do something. It’ll be boring if all they see
is me lying on my bed. I look at my laptop, my TV, but that isn’t actually doing anything, it’s me just staying still, looking at screens. But what else can I do? I don’t do
anything else all day. Once, the doctors gave me an exercise bike with a DVD that I had to watch at the same time. They said it would be good for my blood supply and it would help my heart and my
lungs. I pedalled for an hour. The wheels spun around but I didn’t move an inch, and it felt like I was a hamster in a ball. I didn’t go on it again. It’s boring watching a
simulator on a DVD when everyone else gets to cycle by fields. The running machine was worse. They put electrodes on my chest and wired me to the monitors. I only ran for two minutes. My heart rate
went up to 142 and then I stopped. The doctors thought it was because I was tired but it was because I was scared to see my heart rate so high.
I look around the room. The red light is still flashing on the camera. I lie back and go to sleep. I have a dream, but I don’t remember what it is about, only that it has wasps in it.
Rain is running down the window when I wake up. Graham and New-cameraman-David are whispering in the corner. They both turn and look at me when I sit up.
‘Sorry,’ I say. ‘Don’t think I did anything interesting.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Graham says. ‘You were brilliant. How are you feeling? Charlotte told me Dr Moore came by and said you’re doing fine.’
‘I’m okay, but still tired.’
‘Dr Moore said it’s best that we shoot in half-hour slots and you rest in between.’
I nod. ‘Okay.’ New-cameraman-David stands in the middle of the room and holds up a gadget that checks the light. Then he goes back to his
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