Parallel Journeys by Ruth Skrine.
Category: Fiction
Paperback: 251 pages
Language: English
ISBN: 190645907X

Prologue
2003

"Fran stood on a wide heath with a singed ends of Paul’s hair rough under her fingers. A smell of burning filled her nostrils. Looking down, she saw a spark in the depths of the brush. It sputtered and a twig exploded into a tongue of yellow light. The dry vegetation above it flared so quickly that she could feel the heat on her face. She turned to flee but discovered her feet wouldn’t move. In front of her another blaze erupted as if lit by the touch of a magician’s wand. She twisted her head. In every direction small fires sprang up and began to joint together until she could see no line of escape. She tried to call Paul’s name but her croak was lost in the crackle of the encircling flames.

As she kicked off the duvet she could feel her heart pounding. Turning her pillow, she laid her sweaty head on the cool underside. The fires were nothing but a nightmare; she wasn’t going to be incinerated after all. Letting out her breath she felt her muscles soften. Paul hadn’t died when they bombed the factory. His desertion was only a dream. She reached out for him but, instead of his warm flesh, her fingers came up against the piping on the narrow mattress.

Her eyes jerked open and she turned onto her back. Staring into the darkness the feeling of relief vanished, leaving her stranded, her skin clammy now, like a jellyfish abandoned by the receding tide. The fire was a vision - but his absence was real. He was dead and she was alone. "