Not sure I followed entirely, but it feels very posh and PBS Masterpiece Theater-y, in a good way. Intriguing start.

Thanks, THX. PBS Masterpiece Theatre (sorry, Theater) was unknown to me, but now that I’ve looked it up, I see what you mean; it does feel a bit like an entry from an anthology series. As for the poshness – well, I am British after all.

Actually, this little thing is essentially a synopsis of a longer story that I’ve had niggling away at me for some time: a maggot, in the John Fowles sense. It proved to be remarkably resistant to compression, so I am not surprised if the result is not entirely successful.

Jon, I hope you read China Mieville. This is beautifully written. Yes, THX’s “posh” is perfect.