After the Rainbow

Part 1

Terry sat on the top of the Church steps and passed the rollup to his best mate, Joe.

'What's up with you?' he asked.

'Bored.' said Joe sucking hard on the skinny tube. It was so short when Terry took it back, clamped between finger nails, that it burnt his lip as soon as he started to draw.

'Did you get any work?' asked Terry.

Joe sucked his teeth.

'Two hours cleaning or a half a day on the bins. That's it. For the week.'

Terry stayed quiet. He knew Joe hated cleaning other people's houses. The way the owners pulled gloves on before they opened the door and watched every move; as if he'd be stupid enough to steal anything when the chip in his arm band tracked every move.

'You?'

Terry was ashamed to admit it, embarrassed at his luck, wishing he could share it.

'Yeah, good. Four full days on disinfecting.'

Joe was generous though, pleased for his mate. 'At least one of us did OK.'

'How do you fancy a kick around over Dog Shit?' asked Terry, giving up on the rollup, standing and stretching his long lean body.

Ellen pulled back the net and pushed open the window as far as it would go. She shuffled forward on her knees and pressed her face to the gap sniffing the air. She giggled.

'I'm just like a Cody used to be at the car window'. She sat back on her heels and pretended to pant, arms stretched and bent like paws. Cody had been their lovely Labrador; that was when they had the house, when Dad was still alive, before the Virus. She pulled the duvet over her head and sat cross legged beneath it. She crossed the fingers on both hands.

'Oh please please please please please, let it be an out day today!'

At that point Mum came in, a cup of weak tea and a jam sandwich in her hands. She pushed the door open with her hip and kicked it closed behind her.

'Come on sleepy head, there's water in the bath. Get yourself washed and dressed. It's an out day, I've just heard. We've got from three to seven.'

Ellen counted on her fingers.

'That's four hours! Mum, we've got four hours!' She jumped off the bed and started whirling around the room. She stopped, dizzy and grabbed the dresser to steady herself.

'Can we go to the park?'

Mum smiled. "We can.'

'The big park with the lake and the ducks?'

Mum frowned. 'You know we can't do that. But we'll take a ball.'

'Only dog shit park?' Ellen folded her arms and scowled.

'Ellen!'

'Well it is dog shit park. That's what Terry calls it.'

Terry is green, immune, so he can come and go as he pleases. They don't see that much of him but he brings a bit of money home.

Ellen looked at the Disney clock on her bedside table. The Micky Mouse hands both pointed upwards. Mid day. Three hours to go. She crept out into the corridor and quietly opened her brother's bedroom door. She pulled open the middle drawer of the battered chest and pushed around the garments neatly folded by her Mum. She grabbed a bright blue t-shirt and stuffed it inside her own shirt. She looked down at the bump on her front and started to waddle.