Anthea Bell

Climbing the front of the school building · Some sixth-formers practise for dancing class · A form captain who can lose his temper to good effect · A big white false beard · The story of the adventures of The Flying Classroom · A rehearsal of Johnny’s play in rhyme · And an unexpected interruption

ebastian stood on tiptoe, looked through the window and shook his head. ‘Those demigods are dancing the tango again.’

I breathed freely, purely, and full of sudden delight I felt the air on my lips like a clear drink. It was soft, effervescent air carrying on it the aroma of fruits, the scent of distant islands, and making me feel slightly drunk. Now, for the first time since I had set foot on the ship’s planks, I knew the blessed joy of reverie, and the other more sensual pleasure of abandoning my body, woman-like, to the softness surrounding me.