4. Magic Balls

Magic balls change colour. They progress from maroon through to blue to red to pink to yellow to green. All the colours of the rainbow. When you suck them you have to take them out of your mouth from time to time to check what colour they are. Or you must suck them with a friend so that you page 177 can open your mouth and your friend can give you progress reports.

The girls are sucking the magic balls I have given them. Their tongues change colour. Turquoise. Chartreuse. Aquamarine. Crimson. They poke their tongues out. They put their hands behind their backs and lean towards each other and touch tongues. Amber and aquamarine. Crimson. Mauve and marigold.

The fat girl with the glasses does not like the girls touching tongues. She tells the teacher.

The teacher does not like the girls touching tongues. Dirty, she shouts. Disgusting.

The girls break up and glide away to all parts of the playground. The teacher returns. The girls glide together again. Regroup. The fat girl stands uncertainly. She knows now she must suffer.

The girls in a line poke their tongues out at the teacher's back and at the uncertain fat girl. Their tongues are coloured petals. Turquoise. Mauve. Orange. Aquamarine. Coloured petals of hate. Poked.