Page 33 - Otherland

you throw her like th— OH.”
In that moment, Shilpa fell sideways and melted into
the carpet.
All that was left were her pyjamas, few wisps of pink
mist and a scattering of sparkling dust motes.
“NO!” yelled one of them, or possibly both of them.
Time seemed to slow.
They knelt in total silence for a moment. Myra felt
as though she was a million miles away from her body, staring down at herself, looking small and bright on the carpet next to the spot where Shilpa had been just a moment before.
Now there was nothing there except Shilpa’s empty Spider-Man pyjamas, looking like discarded laundry. She turned to look at Rohan. He was shaking, hand over his mouth. The utter despair on his face made her want to get up and run and run and never look back. I threw her and then she melted. She shook her head. It wasn’t my fault. Throwing babies doesn’t make them melt.
Does it?
Then that smell came back. The perfumed, outside smell. Myra realised they were not alone in the room. She grabbed Rohan’s arm, almost drawing blood with her ragged nails.
“WHO IS THAT?” she squawked, pointing at a
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