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her teeth; she was so anxious about being infected with some weird water-borne Spanish virus.
    And although the food to her looked perfectly normal, and to her surprise wasn’t terribly Spanish at all–in fact if anything the restaurants seemed more Irish what with the steak and baked potatoes (and in one place, even Irish stew ) they offered, Kieran wouldn’t touch a bite, protesting that the steak wasn’t steak at all.
    “How many cows did you see on the way in from the airport?” he said, making a pretty good point really. “God knows what kind of stuff these foreign chancers are feeding us.”
    Abby, who actually thought the Spanish people she’d met so far were lovely and incredibly patient and accommodating (considering) didn’t think they’d dream of trying to trick people, but unfortunately she couldn’t convince her boyfriend otherwise.
    “And some of them would want to do a few night courses in English while they’re at it–your man there obviously hadn’t a clue what I was saying when I told him to leave out the ice, although maybe he was just trying to spite me.”
    No, Abby reflected, foreign climes just weren’t for her what with hot weather, dodgy flights, and according to Kieran, even dodgier food.
    “I don’t think so Erin,” she said to her friend now, the thoughts of a trip to another faraway destination way down on her list of priorities. But notwithstanding everything else, there really was no way she could take time off from work at such short notice. Halloween was only a few weeks away and worse, coincided with the income tax deadline, which meant the accountancy firm would be snowed under. When she explained this, Erin didn’t seem convinced.
    “Ah, come on Abby, you seem to have been working every hour God sent these last few months, surely you’re due some time off?”
    “I really can’t, things are just too busy.”
    “OK, well maybe we could put it off for a while then, find a time that suits everyone?”
    Abby squirmed. “Maybe,” she said non-committally.
    “Abby, are you OK? Every time I talk to you lately you seem totally preoccupied with work, and this is the third time in weeks that you’ve turned me down.” Erin sounded hurt. “Look, I’m sure you’re still finding things hard but– ”
    “Look, I’m sorry but can I give you a call back later?” Abby interjected then, completely unable to deal with this turn in conversation. “I really have to go. I’m running late as it is.”
    A brief silence. “OK.”
    “Look, you guys go ahead and book the trip and don’t mind me OK?” she went on, trying to keep her voice light and upbeat. “We’ll try and meet up soon, I promise.”
    “Fine.” Erin sounded a little put out.
    “Talk to you soon, OK?” With that, Abby hung up and gulped down the rest of her coffee before grabbing her coat and hurrying out the door of the flat. She checked her watch. Eight thirty-five. Oh no–she was definitely going to be late now!
    She hurried down the street towards town, and had to negotiate her way through a throng of people getting off at nearby a bus stop. In her haste, she almost collided with a pedestrian coming in the other direction.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said, ducking out of the woman’s way at the very last second but in doing so, her path headed straight underneath a ladder leaning against a building close by. OK, she thought, not bothering to go round it and get caught up amongst even more people; she wasn’t a superstitious person anyway so–
    This was Abby’s very last thought before there was a bright, blinding flash and suddenly, everything went dark.
     
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    When she woke up, a stranger’s face was hovering above her.
    “Hello love, how are you feeling?”
    “I’m fine–I think,” Abby managed groggily. She tried to sit up but the stranger, a middle-aged woman all dressed in white, gently resisted her attempts.
    “No, pet, lie still there for a while until the doctor