Lockdown

By Liz Kershaw

Scene One – The first team meeting by vid-con

There’s a minuet for the first few minutes. No one has the etiquette,

but people are trying

After you!

No, you go

Honestly, you were first

Then Clifford breaks in and takes the stage as if his tile is bigger than anyone else’s, and we dance the other way

Actually, I think I was speaking then

Really, if I could just say

I’m so sorry but I can’t hear if you all

But I’m interested in the lives within. Like Alice, passing through her glass

Bookcases, plants, velvet curtains, linen blinds, country kitchen, brilliant chrome, a cat

Zarina, parading her shining children

And Tim, with foil on the walls and no windows and a life-size dalek in the corner

Afterwards, on What’s App, between the chosen few

Did you see Tim? What was that all about?

God knows, so weird

Did he say anything?

Never does

Do you think he’s okay?

Expect so. He’s used to being on his own

Scene Two – The second team meeting by vid-con

Less make-up about today. It’s sunny, Clifford’s wearing a vest. Grim. Someone sneakily makes a fingers-down-the-throat gesture when Cifford’s not looking

The bloke with the velvet curtains has a fat glass topped with ice and lime

Someone else comments on it. Doesn’t go down well

Zarina’s kids are yelling in the garden

And Tim says nothing in his twilight metal cave as the dalek stands sentry behind him

What’s App kicks off with Clifford’s vest and who seemed the most pissed, and we only get to Tim just before we go

What does he do?

He works in the basement

No, I meant outside of work – what does he do?

God knows. Who cares?

Scene Three – The third team meeting by vid-con

Only half of us turn up. Zarina is monosyllabic, and we don’t like to ask where the kids are.

Clifford’s in hospital, and we’re sobered for a while

Oh God, brings it home, doesn’t it!

Poor old Clifford!

Did he have any underlying health conditions?

I expect so

I’m sure he did – did you see the size of him in that vest?

And as we didn’t like Clifford much anyway, we wish him well and carry on

And afterwards, the Whats App dissection starts again but lacklustre, out of respect for Clifford, because no one wants to be the last arsehole who took the micky

But did you see Tim?

That beard! He’s gone fully wild

It’s a shame. He’d look alright with a bit of effort

Do you think he’s okay?

A shrug emoji

We move on

Scene Four – the fourth team meeting by vid-con

Clifford’s doing okay so someone mentions the moobs under his vest, perhaps he’ll look after himself better now, save the NHS some funds. And someone else mutters about being judgemental and someone says it’s about time hard facts were faced and someone else says they’re talking like fucking Hitler and it all kicks off for a while with lines around tiles spitting on and off

Zarina is missing

Velvet curtain bloke’s hair has grown like a mushroom

Three people are in pyjamas

I can see a whisky bottle at the side of a desk, and everyone’s got a glass knocking around somewhere

I look for Tim in his tile but he’s not there. All I can see is an empty chair in a silver room. And at its side, the impersonal one-eyed face of a dalek