and then everything began to go even faster still

we hit horse latitudes running

kathy and dad and me

kathy said

look its just whats left after the fire

she pointed at the dull red flames that licked her sacred heart of forest

no i said

this is all going wrong

but dad said

be quiet both of you and help me with the distance

dad said

son you are riding your nightmare again

through the pages of peoples mind

dad said

kathy give him a little hand

she secretly smiled in her rudest way

but dad said

kathy thats a very nasty little smile

as we blew through cinders and the tier drops away

as we negotiated every hazard known to mens sons

dad look out i say so slowly

we swerve away motionlessly

as we start to dive without falling

things move through us as if we are dream

dad only smiles as turns on his controls

something invisible is steering us he said

he said

children hold on now

as we accelerated to a halt

as we fathomed the shallowest film of water

kathy said oh dad you are such a good driver

kathy said when we grow up then we fly

oh dad i want to bathe in mooned pools

and drift nile-like as queen so utterly enamoured

i dont even know what that means i said

i said

dad this is that new song i told you about playing now

and he turned it up loud and it moved about our speeding room

but he frowned at the wild bits and he yawned at the sad bits

kathy said

i feel like we are already there

and yes we were rushing towards zero a long division loomed

but i felt safe with dad there

and sometimes there were others who sort of seemed to be there

and the space shrank or grew at this sickened rate

and i sort of had a dream that someone was waiting for me to sleep

and someone came through and took something out of my back

it hurt but the hurt was a long way away

dad said

it makes people sad to hear all that stuff steven

why cant you talk about some funny show youve seen?

kathy said

i like that show about the mannequins who came alive

and the girl who turned into a turtle because she was such a slowcoach

and the book with that marvellous little man

who rode bullfrogs and toads in the roads that criss cross beneath our vision

she smiled as she remembered where we were

hurtling silently through the wild black yonder

the stars seemed to smile and whisper at us

dad said

steven it sounds like we are cosmonauts

kathy said

its just a game isnt it dad?

its frightening to think its all real isnt it

and dad said

why dont you two have a little sleep

when you wake up we will be there

but kathy said

well thats strange because i am already asleep

and i said

but i was awake all through the whole thing

dad was concentrating now though on his guidance apparatii

there were comet and whirlwind and soft summer evening all at once

i could neither sleep or wake up

steven why is your light still on

called dad through the door

but by then

i was so far away