‘That’s a funny name.’
‘So is Jazir. There’s a free curry in it for you.’
The beggar seemed more than pleased with this deal. She directed them to the town hall, where the official hole register was kept.
‘Let’s chance it,’ said Jazir. ‘Anything’s better than visiting Gorton.’
The town hall doors were guarded by an oversized security blurbfly. He took ten minutes to let them through, and then only at Jazir’s persuasion.
‘You’ve got a way with blurbs,’ said Daisy, her words echoing around the Gothic chambers.
‘Get bitten by one. I thoroughly recommend it.’
‘I still say you should see a doctor.’
‘I’ve never felt better, Daze. Even you fancy me these days. Hey, maybe I’ll grow wings and get to fly one day.’ He set off down the nearest corridor, arms outstretched and flapping madly, singing, ‘Play to win! Play to win! Out of my way, sucker! I’m Jazir Malik, the human blurbfly! Ooops!’
‘Do you mind, young man.’
He’d bumped into a fat suit-and-tie, barely passing as human.
‘Sorry. I was looking for the Room of Holes, that’s all.’
‘Why?’
‘I want to register.’
‘You don’t look like a vagabond.’
Daisy had caught up by now. ‘We don’t mean any harm.’
‘That’s the last thing we want to do,’ agreed Jazir. ‘I’ve run away from home, you see. My father doesn’t understand me.’
‘I’m not surprised. It’s upstairs, turn left, second right, left again, left, right, third door on the right. Do you follow me?’
‘Sure thing.’
‘Except it’s closed on Saturdays. Come back Monday.’ The suit laughed himself into the gents’ lavatory.
‘That’s that then,’ said Daisy.
‘Follow me.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Come on.’
Up the stairs they went, turning left, the second right, left again and so on. Occasionally they would meet a lonely blurb patrolling the corridor. Jazir sent them fluttering away with ease. Eventually they came to the door marked ‘Room of Holes’. Some of the rules were pasted on the door:
PLAY THE RULES
8e. None but the Company shall know the insides of a blurb.
8f. None but the Company shall capture a blurb.
8g. If captured, a blurb may take the necessary steps to escape.
‘You know it’s locked,’ said Daisy.
‘Ah ha!’ Jazir brought a small tube out of his pocket. It was coloured white, with red lettering: VAZ. ‘You’ve packaged it?’
‘Nah. It’s just a toothpaste tube. Did the lettering myself. You like?’
‘This isn’t wise.’
‘No, but it’s fun.’ He squeezed a small glob of Vaz into the keyhole and turned the handle. The door swung open. ‘Bloody hell!’
The room was dark. A fluttering moved through the air. Jazir made a tiny sound, and a blurbfly flew, whispering, across Daisy’s face to land on Jaz’s shoulder. Daisy could hear Jaz asking it for Hobart, Celia’s current hole address, as she fumbled for a light switch at the side of the door, found it and clicked it. Daisy gasped.
‘It’s only a map. Keep it down.’
Jazir was already hopping over the holes in the floor, guided by the blurb’s expert flight, but Daisy couldn’t move, couldn’t follow. Really, it shouldn’t have shocked her like this. Jazir was right; it was only a map. It was just that it covered all the walls and floor, and the streets and the roads were twisted like snakes of all colours. The whole of Manchester was in this room. The holes were black pits, like a rash on the city. A curious fact also: some of the holes were filled with soil, from which twisted bonsai trees sprouted.
‘Here’s the starting place,’ Jazir shouted back at her. ‘Deansgate Boulevard.’ He was taking a small object from the hole.
‘What is it?’ asked Daisy.
‘A sugar cube.’
‘A what?’
‘A sugar cube. And I bet it’s got a fractalized crystal base.’
Jazir popped the cube into the blurb’s mouth. It crunched it down quickly and then sang the following: ‘Hobart, Celia, Miss. Fifteen point two four punies all told.’
Fifteen? Daisy was wondering, how long had she lived off that? Should have given more.
‘Vacated. Current hole unknown.’ And the blurb fell to a whispering state.
Daisy started to step gingerly along the map, trying to avoid each hole in turn. It seemed as though there were more holes than map; so many homeless. Maybe the city would be one big hole one day, and we would all fall through to Beggarsville. ‘No luck,’ she said.