Another Success for Gillian Southgate

Following her success in the Oldie Literary competition, (see below), Gillian received an "Honourable Mention" in a recent Spectator competition, in which entrants were asked to provide a topical imaginary extract from a well-known book:

I turned to look at Rosie. She seemed to be purring in the gloom. ‘Come over ‘ere,’ she said, smiling enigmatically, ‘and ‘ave some cider with me.’ I was tempted, but I knew about keeping my distance in the confined space under the haycart. ‘I can’t,’ I protested, ‘we got to sit two metres apart! The vicar says so!’ Her hair was rich as a wild bees’ nest, and her eyes were full of stings. ‘Don’t be daft, Lol,’ she cajoled. ‘I ain’t bothered about that!’ But I was too scared to go closer, and I shook my head. She uncurled from the buttercups, and stood up. ‘Well, then, I’m goin’, she declared, and left me to it. So I picked up her cider flask and drank the lot. Mother gave me a baked potato when I got home, for doing the right thing.