Flux

now filled the flat, despite the open windows.
    “Sit down and get one on?” Dave passed the tin in Gary’s direction.
    After enjoying another smoke, and feeling a lot more relaxed about the whole affair they got to work. There was no need to rush and without expending too much energy, pausing frequently for lager and joints, they soon had the flat up to an acceptable level. Their mothers might not have agreed on the degree of cleanliness, but it was acceptable enough for young men who could live life to their own standards.
    “Have you got any other music?” asked Gary.
    “You know I haven’t.”
    Two months prior to his accident, Iain had the misfortune of being burgled. On the positive side, he hadn’t owned many possessions with any intrinsic value. The thieves however, did make off with his stereo and CD collection. He’d managed to pick up a cheap second hand music system but as yet hadn’t replaced his CDs, so all he was left with was the radio. The reception wasn’t brilliant; either the walls of the old house were too thick, the radio itself knackered or most likely, Iain simply hadn’t positioned the aerial properly and couldn’t be bothered to fiddle about with it.
    So, as the three friends, pleased with themselves for an afternoon's work well done, settled down to the serious business of getting very stoned, very drunk and catching up on all the latest gossip, Ben E King crackled through the speakers singing Stand by Me. After the confinement and sterility of the hospital, for Iain it was bliss and he sank back into the sofa, almost melting into the soft, fabric cushions.
    “So, how are you feeling?” Gary asked, his voice full of sincerity.
    “Not too bad, aching a bit. Much better now though,” sucking hard on his reefer before gulping down about a third of a can.
    “What did the doc say?”
    “I’ve got to visit the physio for a while and I have to go and see the doc, just so they can check me out. I’ve got to let them know straight away if I have any unusual symptoms, because of the head,” rapping his knuckles against the top of his scalp as he said it.
    “What kind of symptoms?”
    “Dunno really, anything out of the ordinary.”
    “Have you had anything?”
    “Dunno.”
    “Don’t know? So that’s a yes then?”
    “No. I’ve just had a couple of nightmares, that’s all.” Iain didn’t mention the voices, and had no intention of mentioning them either.
    “What kind of nightmares?”
    “Just…, normal ones. I don’t think dreams count as unusual symptoms.” He didn’t want to mention the vividness of his dreams, the lucidity and the feelings of utter terror they spawned within him. He didn’t want to be reminded of them either and had already spoken more than enough on such matters. Changing the subject, “I love this tune!”
    They sat in silence; each in their own haze, for the entirety of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
    “I know what you need,” Dave said after the song had finished, breaking the silence.
    “What’s that?”
    “A trip to Stow.”
    “When?” Gary and Iain chorused in unison.
    “As soon as possible. I can’t do this weekend.”
    “What about the one after?” Gary said, turning to Iain.
    “Anytime’s good for me. Got nothing planned at the mo.”
    “That’s settled then,” started Dave, “weekend after next, we go to Stow.”

    The three friends tried to get away once or twice a year, to escape the city and take a short break in the countryside. Usually they’d do pretty much what they did at home, but they’d smoke a bit more and drink a bit more and generally enjoy being outdoors with some peace and quiet. Invariably, they would end up at Stow-on-the –Wold, a charming small town in the Cotswolds. As well as being quiet and beautiful, the town also contains within it a youth hostel so they didn’t need to spend too much money and always had a warm bed for the night. They had a saying; ‘the sun always shines in Stow,’ owing to the fact that on each visit they’d had, none of them could remember the weather being anything but glorious, no matter what the month.
    With that settled and something to look forward to, Iain felt much more at ease. The three young men carried on their session for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night, laughing, joking and listening to the radio, the conversation becoming more and more random as the evening progressed until eventually Gary fell asleep in the armchair. Dave