The settingsstarted to be more recognizable, as I realized I must be in a hospitalbed. I heard a faint beeping and whooshing from what appeared to be ...respirator behind me. I got the sense that I had been here a while. Ilooked at Mom and Dad, an unfamiliar hose tugging at my mouth Bruisescovered their faces, and it looked like my mom had a broken arm at theleast.I tried to speak. Mom stopped me. "Honey, don't try to talk yet. Youcan't with the hose in your throat. The doctor will be by to. Naan vedum endre thinamum avaruku call seithu doubts ketpen.Teacher athai soli kodupaal, aanal enaku munbe atharkana answer theriyum. Teacher idam pesa vendum enbatharkaagave thinamum call seithu doubts ketpen pinbu veetil ellam eppadi irukiraargal endru ketpen.Avarum nala irukiraargal ungal veetil anaivarum nalama endru ketpar. Ippadiye sendru kondu irunthathu poga poga nangal kathalargal pola padipai thavira veru ethaiyo pesi kondu irunthom.Sir naan ungal veetirku varatuma endru keten?. “D’you know where I might find her?” I ask, trying not to sound too disappointed or look suspicious.“There was a sign in Wilko’s window the other day," the girl says. ”Might have gone for that.”Two minutes later I’m in Wilko’s and sure enough, in the back right-hand corner, a small female figure is squatting, rearranging something on the bottom shelf, her own bottom beautifully outlined by the tight fabric of her trousers. As conversation starters go, this is perfect.“Hi.”She looks up."Hi," she. “Yeah. And there’s plenty of that for sure. My scanner is practically lit up with little red blips, not to mention how many larger blips that are showing.”“We’re bound to meet some of those spider things,” Ann worried. “All our sensors show are their relative sizes, so I can’t really tell which animal is which, but I don’t have any problem guessing. Knowing our luck, the biggest blips are the spiders, right?”Arlene had to fight her own chill bumps. “Yeah, and we can’t use our weapons’ full.