“Not Christmas trees.”
“Unlikely.”
“Can cold weather mirages occur in the UK?”
“Yes, but rarely. Norse sagas call them hafgerdingars, which means sea hedges.”
“That’s interesting.” Corey tried to think of something else to keep Tal engaged. “Are you feeling the urge to strip?”
Tal let out a choked laugh. “Not at this point in time.”
“Hypothermia can bring on delusions and hallucinations.”
“Like a handy flock of sheep?”
“Exactly. Another worry. What do we do if there’s no one home? And no sheep?”
“We break in.”
“Or if there is someone home but they turn us away?”
Tal glanced at him. “Why would anyone do that?”
“Single woman living alone, and we arrive looking suspicious with a suitcase and a guitar. Gun in the guitar case. Suitcase to take away her body.”
Tal gave a heavy sigh.
“What if thereissomeone home but they look like they want to get us behind a shower curtain?”
The next sigh was heavier.
“Oh, I have an idea,” Corey said. “It’s nearly Christmas. We’re two strangers who are tired from travelling and looking for shelter. I could stuff my guitar up my jacket and say I’m pregnant.”
Tal laughed. “You’ve covered all possibilities. I won’t let anyone turn us away. Money should work if pleading doesn’t. Though if you hadn’t rescued my suit jacket, I wouldn’t have my wallet.”
The final slope was hard going. Corey made slow progress and Tal fell a couple of times. When he did, Corey helped him up, then urged him on.
“I want to stop walking too, but we can’t,” Corey said. “We have to keep moving. We can see the Christmas tree clearly now. There has to be a building as well.”
Tal slipped again, ended up on his back in the snow and groaned. “Keep going. I’ll catch up.”
“What? No. I’m not leaving you. Get up.” Corey pulled at his arm. “Think of your friends. Think of your family. I mean, do you have a wife? Kids? A cat? Chinchilla? Capybara? Camel? Dog? Donkey? Dik-dik? Elephant—”
“No.” Tal levered himself up. “You don’t need to go through the whole of the animal alphabet. No wife. No kids. No pets. Just friends.”
“No girlfriend?” Corey whispered.
“No.”
Corey thought about asking if Tal had a boyfriend, but he didn’t. Not very brave of him. They kept going.
“Animals beginning with N. That’s so hard,” Corey said.
“Newt, narwhal, nightingale.”
Corey huffed. “Q?”
“Quail, quokka, quoll.”
