The One Who Is Two (Book 1 of White Rabbit)

Chapter 9

  The cacophony of irate shouting and hissing radiator steam slid gently away as the blessed quiet of the side road enveloped him like a cool but soft blanket. The balm of his relief, however, was incomplete. The cinema, his objective, was no more than a hundred yards up from the high street, nestling incongruously beside a hair-care salon. It was a strange low building, with a squat octagonal tower in brick and red tile over the foyer. The features board proclaimed that 'Aliens 1' and 'Aliens 2' were currently showing, both rated 'XXXX'. As Loofah drew closer to the heavy glass doors of the entrance, the cool quiet became a pulsing cold silence.

  'One, please,' he said to the bored girl in the ticket kiosk.

  'What for?' she asked, staring indifferently at her nails.

  'Um. Aliens 1, please.'

  She looked up.

  'And what's wrong with Aliens 2?' she asked, with a hint of indignance.

  'Nothing, nothing at all. It's just that I haven't seen – .'

  'Aliens 2 is perfectly good, you know.'

  'I'm sure it is, but – .'

  'State of the art special effects. Award-winning cinematography.'

  'Yes, but – .'

  'Acclaimed at festivals across the globe.'

  Loofah gave in.

  'Alright then,' he said with a sigh, 'One for Aliens 2, please.'

  The ticket seller gave him a long, penetrating look.

  'You've changed your mind, then?' she asked.

  'Yes, I've changed my mind.'

  'So you don't want to see Aliens 1?'

  'No, I don't want to see Aliens 1.'

  'Sure?'

  'Positive.'

  'Then you can't go in,' she said, with smug finality.

  Loofah stared at her blankly. 'Sorry?' he said, eventually.

  'You can't go in,' she repeated.

  'Why on earth not?'

  'Because they're on together.'

  'You mean they're on after each other on the same screen? Or on different screens at the same time? Either way, I don't see that – .'

  'No, I mean they're on together,' she interrupted, 'On the same screen at the same time. In the same film, in fact.'

  'I don't think I understand.'

  'One film, two aliens. Seems simple enough to me.'

  'But I don't mind seeing two aliens – even in the same film.'

  'You just said you didn't want to see Aliens 1. You were quite definite about that.'

  'Yes, but – .'

  'And whatever happens, we don't want unhappy customers. We can't have you exposed to aliens you don't want to see, now can we?'

  Even in the thick glass of the ticket booth that separated them, Loofah could make out a faint image of the ubiquitous reproachful features that now seemed to haunt him.

  'But I have to go in.'

  'Well you can't.'

  'Please – it's very important,' he begged, gripping the worn mahogany of the counter.

  'No, definitely not.'

  He gave her a pleading look, to which she responded with tight-lipped determination and a slow shake of her head. With a sigh he gave up.

  'Unless…' she said behind him, just as he was hauling open the glass entrance door.