Mapping The Territory (5)

MAPPING THE TERRITORY (5)

We kept on the go, and I held my head low but the Priestess remained irrepressible; her presence depressingly miserable.

'Well, my child, what a lark! I've been quite in the dark when it comes to the pleasures of hiking. I must say that I find it quite striking; my aches are all gone, mind and body are one. This exercise thing's to my liking.'

I said nothing.

'Come, come, don't be surly, it's really quite early. The day's pleasures still lie ahead. So what if I hogged the bed? A lady like me is quite fragile, you see. Sleep badly; I suddenly see red.'

She glanced at me sideways.

'Ooh, yes.

'I sleep light as a feather; regardless of weather I wake in a terrible sweat. My scalp is all itchy, my breast-plate is damp. The nape of my neck is soaked wet.

'Of course, you'll be wondering the cause. Let me whisper, dear child: menopause.'

I replied:

'Fine: so we're dealing with your needs, are we, not mine?'