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held its arms out wide to indicate, perhaps, that it had nothing to hide, and then carefully walked down the sloping hull of its ship. It stepped out onto the boat which then, in a matter of a few short seconds, disappeared away into the night.
            The light from the mothership faded into darkness.
            Once again the entire pub was silent.
            Another few seconds (which felt like minutes) passed before anyone did or said anything else. Ray Mercer rang the bell for last orders. `Right then, ladies and gents. Let’s have those glasses now please.’
            Obediently and without any complaints the pub slowly emptied. `Ready?’ I asked Siobhan. She nodded, yawned and reached out for me. `I’m tired,’ she sighed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
            It was twenty-past one. We walked back home together in silent disbelief.
           
           

6
           
            By the time I woke up next morning it was almost the next afternoon. I was more tired than I had been before I’d gone to bed. I also had a chronic (but not totally unexpected) hangover. It was almost as if the beer I’d drunk last night had been on a time delay. I’d felt fine when I’d fallen into bed in the dark but now I felt like death warmed-up. Siobhan had got up and gone to work early and I hoped that she was feeling better than I was. My head was thumping and my stomach was so sickeningly sensitive that for a few minutes the nausea was all that I could think of. It took a while before I remembered anything of what had happened yesterday.
            The heavy curtains were still closed but I could tell from the shadows and the heat in the room that it was a bright day outside.
            I glanced up at the alarm clock and saw that it was almost midday. I couldn’t remember anything much after getting home last night. I remembered getting undressed and falling into bed with Siobhan but that was about it. It had been cold last night.
            Now the temperature in the room was stifling and the bedclothes were soaked through with sweat.
            Suddenly deciding that it was time I made a move, I sat up quickly and swung my feet out over the side of the bed. A big mistake. A tidal wave of sickness washed over me and for a few seconds I thought I was going to pass out or vomit or both. Once the bile and disorientation had settled I pushed myself up off the bed and stumbled naked towards the window. I drew back the curtains and winced as the room was filled with brilliant, warm sunlight. Outside the sky was a deep, clear blue and the sun danced and played on the calm surface of the ocean beyond the land. The village itself was teeming with activity. There were more bodies outside than I’d seen all summer. There were queues of cars and queues of people everywhere. It was as if the entire population of the country was trying to cram itself into Thatcham. It was then that I remembered what had happened.
            The door creaked open behind me and I turned round to see Rob shuffling into the room. He looked as bad as I felt. He kicked his way through the piles of discarded clothes on the floor, mumbled something unintelligible, and then handed me a mug of hot black coffee. `Thanks,’ I croaked, my mouth dry. `How you feeling?’ `Fucking awful,’ he muttered before turning round and stumbling back out again. I pulled on my jeans and a T-shirt and followed him out. `Seen how busy it is out there?’ I asked, gesturing back over my shoulder. `I know,’ he replied, `it’s been like that for hours.’ `Has it? How long you been up then?’
            He managed half a smile. `I haven’t been to bed yet.’ `Twat.
            Why not?’
            Rob shrugged his shoulders, scratched his unshaven chin and ruffled his already matted hair. `I dunno. I wasn’t tired. When you two went to bed last night I sat and watched television for a bit. I must have fallen asleep for about