I went up to London last night for my “official” retirement do. Thoroughly excellent.
Had to travel home alone late. I was half-way down to the platforms when I was made nervous by someone weaving around uncertainly at the top of the second long escalator. I was sure she had been confidently striding down ahead of me on the first one – how strange! But she must be drunk, I supposed. I am very wary of drunken people and have an almost-phobia about the possibility of someone vomiting. To me this spelled a horrible situation but I had little option but to proceed – I had to get home.
I got closer – and realised the problem. A tiny black mouse was nosing around to see whether it dared take a ride down to the trains.
Had to laugh. Two women paralysed – one by the mouse, one by the apparent effect of the other’s fear. And it was such a sweet mouse! (I know they’re vermin – but still I like to see them on the underground for some reason. I used to look out for them and imagine them plotting and laughing at us, in my less tired old days)
We made it down the escalator in the end. Sadly I’d misread my train app and the train I thought I’d catch didn’t even exist. It had been a merry evening…