The Tricky Kid
Ben Thompson, 'Ways of Hearing' (Gollancz), 1998
HOTEL ROOMS ARE notoriously impervious to the characters of the people who stay in them: close proximity to a wicker basketful of complimentary toiletries has cut down to size the aura of many a supposedly charismatic individual. It takes only a few seconds after gaining admittance to his quarters to realise that Tricky is not one of these people.
Total word count of piece: 1694