Page 73 of Fe
“Are we working through a list of ways to keep the conversation flowing on a long car journey?”
“There’s a list?”
“Probably. Er… I suppose it depends on whether you mean too hot or too cold. I like sunshine and blue skies, but I also like mountains and snow.”
“Skiing?”
“Yes.”
“It looks fun.”
“It is. We could go. You don’t have to ski. There’s lots of other stuff to do. Just riding to the top of the mountain is exhilarating. The views are amazing.”
“You wrap up warm when you’re skiing, don’t you?”
“True, so I guess my answer is I’d rather be hot.”
“Me too. I feel the cold more than most. Though if I had to choose which animal to be, I’d pick a polar bear. My favourite apex predator. They can swim for days at a time and the females live without feeding for eight months while they rear their cubs. Though I wouldn’t want to kill anything so I wouldn’t last long as a polar bear and I definitely wouldn’t want to eat anything that wasn’t cooked.”
“Only humans cook their food. I think leopards leave theirs out in the sun but it’s not cooking, more like rotting.”
“If I was marooned on a desert island, I wouldn’t survive. I couldn’t kill anything and wouldn’t eat anything that looked weird. If I’d survived a crash-landing in the Andes, I wouldn’t have lasted long.”
“I think you’d be surprised by what you’d do if you were desperate.”
“Could you eat another person? A dead one. I’m not sure I needed to add the word dead.”
“Maybe, if it was a matter of survival.”
“What about fugu? Wasp crackers? Shiokara? Cherry blossom meat? Shirako?”
“Right, Japanese expert. I know fugu is puffer fish and more dangerous than cyanide. I can guess what wasp crackers are, and they sound vile, but what’s the rest?”
“Shiokara is pieces of meat taken from various sea creatures, served in a paste of their own salted and fermented viscera. Oh, and it’s served raw.” Fen pretended to gag. “Cherry blossom meat might sound delightful, but it’s raw horse.”
“Oh my God.”
“And Shirako is a cod’s sperm sac. Apparently, it’s soft and creamy and you can have it steamed or deep fried. If you wonder how I know, I’ve been looking stuff up so I’m aware of whatnotto eat. I suspect the only places I’d feel happy going to are McDonald’s and KFC. And I’m not that fond of chicken.”
Ripley smiled. Without being too chatty, Fen kept him entertained. Not only was he an expert on what not to eat, he’d also clearly been googling fossil hunting in Dorset and was so enthusiastic about what they might find, Ripley considered secretly buying a fossil and making sure Fen found it. Then he thought of how that would go down if what he’d done was discovered and he changed his mind.
Fen’s playlist was a mix, though missing the Spice Girls. Ripley had a playlist too but it was mostly for working out so there was nothing slow.
It was gone four by the time they reached Dorchester. They’d been lucky with the traffic, which had enabled him to keep his foot down. He parked in a multi-storey next to a shopping centre where there was a large supermarket. They could get everything they needed there. Ripley suspected Fen would argue about being bought not just boots, but a waterproof jacket, lined trousers, and a new hat and gloves, but it was going to happen.
When Fen went along with the purchases, Ripley was shocked. He didn’t miss the intake of breath at the till when the total amount was announced, but Fen still pulled out his wallet.Ah. That’s why he’s not made a fuss.
Ripley gently pushed Fen’s hand away. “I’m paying.” Then he quietly added. “Please let me.”
Fen looked as though he was going to object, but in the end he didn’t.
A quick trip to the supermarket and they were back on the road. Another twenty-five miles to go. Except now Fen was too quiet and Ripley wasn’t sure how to put things right. Listening to more of Fen’s playlist helped, but as the satnav announced they were arriving at their destination, Fen perked up.
“I hope this place is okay. Are you all right to drive all the way back if it’s not?”
Ripleytsked. “It’ll be fine. Airbnb hosts generally go to a lot of trouble to make sure guests have a good stay. They rely on reviews and repeat bookings.”
He pulled into the parking spot at the side of the cottage, illuminated by a light above the door, and turned off the engine. A tree in the small front garden was covered in fairy lights, each branch wrapped so it looked as if the tree was made out of lights.
