Emily
sprinkled the chocolate shards on her breakfast cappuchino and wondered what
picture the random blotches would conjure up in her mind today. But she had no
time to waste daydreaming, so she took a quick snap of it with her mobile and
then slurped it down before hurrying off to work. Later on, she could observe
it at leisure, or even discuss it with her friends to see what they made of it.
Sometimes
it was a fish, and once it was a rodeo rider whirling a lariat, but most often
it was a dog. Emily loved dogs. Yes, this one was a dog: a short-legged,
flop-eared little mutt, standing on its hind legs and looking straight at her.
A dachshund or terrier of some kind; how cute!
Examining
the photo again before she went to bed, Emily noticed that the dog appeared to
be wearing glasses, and carried a bag or basket in its left paw. So, a cartoon
dog. Perhaps the pictures she’d seen on previous days had been cartoon
creatures too. Now that was an idea: stories about cartoon animals and people
that came to life on a cup of cappuchino! She could become a famous children’s
author! Emily was confident that she might have the ability to do this, but
doubted whether she would have the time or the energy. She enjoyed her job,
which was an important and responsible one, and well remunerated, but it was
very exhausting, and often she felt completely drained when she came home. This
was one of those evenings. As she sat slumped in her chair, she wondered what
was in the dog’s bag, and the answer came into her head, “Cocaine”. Now that
would make it something very different, she mused: a cartoon for adults, dark
and probably violent …..
In
bed, waiting to go to sleep, she wondered; Why did cocaine suddenly occur to her
then? Was it something to do with that colleague at work, a senior director, no
less, whom they suspected of being a user? And didn’t he once hint to her that
she might like to visit him and try some? But Emily didn’t want to go there,
and she had avoided the issue by pretending that she hadn’t understood the
hint.
She
was still picturing the little dog with the mysterious basket when she fell
asleep.
