50: It's Me, Katerina

John is a mess. He is wild-eyed, and his thinning hair is plastered to his face with sweat. He reminds Katerina of a skinny Heathcliff who’s been lost on the moors for days. He is shouting ‘Katerina’ rather than ‘Cathy’ though. But he is shouting. In the library.

When it was dark, all Katerina could hear was his weird panting, coupled with the shouts, but now the lights have kicked in, she is fully aware of the spectacle of him, loping towards her, wearing her cardigan as a sort of cape. For the first time ever, Katerina is a little afraid of John. And Bob is in the basement. Mike is in The Office. She is all alone.

‘Sh,’ she tries to say, but he drowns her out with another shout. He is calling her name. ‘John, it’s me, Katerina. I’m right here.'

‘Good. Good. Okay. Are you okay? I have this...’ he holds out her cardigan. ‘Why do I have this?’

‘Er...you were in shock, John. You had one of...er, well...you had an electric shock. It was pretty bad.’

‘Right. Right. But I’m okay now? I am okay, aren’t I?’

‘Yeah, you’re fine John. You look like you could maybe do with a sit down, though. How about we get you into the back, eh?’

Katerina takes John by the arm and guides him through to the back room. She sits him in her chair.

‘Horses. 6...’

‘What John?’

‘6...’ He taps the book. ‘6?’

‘Yes, 636.1. That’s an easy one, even I know that one, and not just because I did it this morning.’

‘It’s gone.’

‘John, what are you on about? Tell you what, I’ll make you a cup of tea, lots of sugar, get you back to normal.’ Katerina slowly backs away and heads towards the kitchen.

‘It’s all gone,’ John says, laying his head on the horse book as a single tear runs down his burnt cheek.