Over The Top: Flat Out

I pressed all the buttons on the lift from one to thirty and waited. The lift went up one floor and stopped. The doors opened on a room fall of shelves and tables, and specimen jars with more strange insects in them, and computers, and three people in white coats. Dad wasn't one of them. The people in white coats looked at me and jumped with fright, then they started to run towards me.

The lift doors closed before they could reach me and I went up one level

Another empty room. I could hear an alarm bell ringing. I went up three more levels and waited. I didn't care if every alarm bell in the world rang. Surely Dad would be on this floor! He was.

When he saw me he jumped with fright, like the other people had, and ran to me. I fell into his arms, crying and shaking. He carried me across to a chair and sat me on his knee. This was the first time he had ever done this.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

I couldn't answer. I was too upset to answer silly questions. I hugged him round the neck with my flat, smooth arms and cried into his neck. He rubbed my back and rocked me, just like Mum used to do when I was a baby. It was the most beautiful moment of my life, to be so close to Dad again, after so many years.

After a while, the alarm stopped ringing, and a bunch of people gathered round. They were all looking at me. I leaned into Dad, like a bird crouches into its nest.

"Tell them to go away" I said.

"Please stand back a bit" said Dad, "Give the girl some room"

All the men and women in their white coats moved back.

"You've been downstairs," said Dad, "How did you get past the Security"

"I used your card"

"You'd better give it to me now." said Dad.

I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him. Then I saw my hand. I

had only three fingers on it. I held it up in fright.

"What's happening to me?"

"I don't know," said Dad, "Did you touch any of the insects?"

"Just one," I said, "It bit me"

"I see," said Dad, "Can you remember what it looked like?"