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far from civilisation Gemma’s ankles were swollen from the flight. She was ratty. ‘I look like an elephant,’ she said through microscopic cheeks. We dumped our pills and powders behind a cactus. ‘Is this India?’ said Elle, knotting her necklace to her hair till her head hung. ‘Nope,’ said Jewel. She dug a tear from her duct like a splinter. ‘But enlightenment comes at the end of  dust – and there’s dust all over.’ ‘I left Anna in the airport toilets,’ Gemma said (Anna was the name of her eating disorder). Gemma wasn’t dishonest although certainly a liar. Elle fingered the secret rock she’d sewn into her sleeve: ‘Man, we’ll be clean forever when we find Buddha!’ Pixie was bipolar and off her meds – ‘Look at the sodden state of me!’ She was wearing the big bug-eyed glasses she thought made her melt. ‘My sores are seeping,’ said Gemma as mealy gunk pushed from her skin like toothpaste. Just then, she spotted 14
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a shiny building: ‘Is that the temple?’ ‘Is it Buddha’s temple?’ said Jewel. ‘Elle! We found Buddha’s temple,’ said Pixie, ‘Gem says it’s definitely his temple.’ ‘If it’s not, I’m going to kill myself,’ said Elle, half joking. Nearing the House of Calm, Jewel got twitchy: ‘Can you smoke in there? ’cause I’m gonna freak if I can’t smoke.’ Elle sucked her sleeve. ‘Now I’m just a piddle-pool of flesh!’ screamed Pixie as Gemma disappeared behind the cactus, came back immortal. ‘What can we learn from a little fat man anyway?’ I said. 15

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far from civilisation

Gemma’s ankles were swollen from the flight. She was ratty. ‘I look like an elephant,’ she said through microscopic cheeks.

We dumped our pills and powders behind a cactus. ‘Is this India?’ said Elle, knotting her necklace to her hair till her head hung.

‘Nope,’ said Jewel. She dug a tear from her duct like a splinter. ‘But enlightenment comes at the end of  dust – and there’s dust all over.’

‘I left Anna in the airport toilets,’ Gemma said (Anna was the name of her eating disorder). Gemma wasn’t dishonest although certainly a liar.

Elle fingered the secret rock she’d sewn into her sleeve: ‘Man, we’ll be clean forever when we find Buddha!’ Pixie was bipolar and off her meds –

‘Look at the sodden state of me!’ She was wearing the big bug-eyed glasses she thought made her melt. ‘My sores are seeping,’ said Gemma as mealy gunk pushed from her skin like toothpaste. Just then, she spotted

14

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