On one particular Thursday in late 2012 I was attending a plenary lecture with plans to stay over with friends (David Tubb and Tülin) after it was finished. I was always very fond of these lectures (which were very exciting things given by successful writers) and I was very fond of sleeping over with my friends too, so these were days that I’d always look forward to!
After the one on the day I am talking about, we were all walking out of the building.
“Hey, Adam. Do you want to walk home?” asked Tülin.
“Oh yes, what a good idea!” I replied. “I’m always keen to imcrease my daily step count.”
David, meanwhile, was getting a lift back with Naomi (who also lived in that house) and so wouldn’t be coming with us on the walk.
“I shall see you in about half an hour then!” I said and then headed off with Tülin.
“We’ll probably get back in less than half an hour,” she said. “I know a shortcut.”
It’s always nice to have a new walk, so I was excited to see where we’d be going. Plus, the normal route back from there was just along a path beside a dual carriageway, which was a little boring (in comparison to other walks) so perhaps it’d be better in that respect. Also, as Tülin put it, perhaps it would be ‘safer’ what with it not being beside a dual carriageway.
It certainly was not safer. I can’t remember why, but we ended up walking along a very small, slippery grassy verge on the edge of a busy road. We had to go very slowly because otherwise we’d be at quite a high risk of slipping onto the road. There was a hedge beside the road which was also rather large, which meant we had an awfully tiny patch of grass to walk on. You know, I might go so far as to say that it was the most dangerous walk I’ve ever gone on!
We eventually arrived at a suburban area and were quite lost. Luckily we spotted a bus that we recognised driving past and following that (and aided by Tülin’s intuition) we eventually got back. It had been almost two hours (much longer than my initial half an hour prediction) and David was actually going to bed when I got back! I thought he must be wondering what was happening to us, what with it having been so long.
So, that’s probably the longest shortcut I’ve ever taken! I’d hate for it to sound as if I were complaining too; as I look back (and indeed, even as it was happening) I appreciate the fun of it all.
After the one on the day I am talking about, we were all walking out of the building.
“Hey, Adam. Do you want to walk home?” asked Tülin.
“Oh yes, what a good idea!” I replied. “I’m always keen to imcrease my daily step count.”
David, meanwhile, was getting a lift back with Naomi (who also lived in that house) and so wouldn’t be coming with us on the walk.
“I shall see you in about half an hour then!” I said and then headed off with Tülin.
“We’ll probably get back in less than half an hour,” she said. “I know a shortcut.”
It’s always nice to have a new walk, so I was excited to see where we’d be going. Plus, the normal route back from there was just along a path beside a dual carriageway, which was a little boring (in comparison to other walks) so perhaps it’d be better in that respect. Also, as Tülin put it, perhaps it would be ‘safer’ what with it not being beside a dual carriageway.
It certainly was not safer. I can’t remember why, but we ended up walking along a very small, slippery grassy verge on the edge of a busy road. We had to go very slowly because otherwise we’d be at quite a high risk of slipping onto the road. There was a hedge beside the road which was also rather large, which meant we had an awfully tiny patch of grass to walk on. You know, I might go so far as to say that it was the most dangerous walk I’ve ever gone on!
We eventually arrived at a suburban area and were quite lost. Luckily we spotted a bus that we recognised driving past and following that (and aided by Tülin’s intuition) we eventually got back. It had been almost two hours (much longer than my initial half an hour prediction) and David was actually going to bed when I got back! I thought he must be wondering what was happening to us, what with it having been so long.
So, that’s probably the longest shortcut I’ve ever taken! I’d hate for it to sound as if I were complaining too; as I look back (and indeed, even as it was happening) I appreciate the fun of it all.
(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)
