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Day one

In the pool, but don’t seem to

of the pool, out be able to get

which is a bit of a problem.

It’s no big thing, I’ve probably

just taken a wrong turn leaving

Steve’s parents house. Are they

so rich they have a spare pool?

Am I in the empty one? Is this a

skateboard park? Why do I feel

like I’m constantly walking into

spider webs?

Look, there’s no need to

panic. I’m sure everyone’s out

there looking for me – after all,

Nancy and I are best friends!

She probably knew something

had happened when I didn’t

show up at school; that’s so

unlike me. I wouldn’t risk my

perfect attendance record! Yes,

I’m absolutely certain she’s

worried. Nothing could distract

her from trying to find me; not

even a somewhat predictable

love triangle. She’s probably

combing the woods outside

Steve’s house right now, and

definitely not just showing him

her new bra and wondering

how his big hair remains quite

so bouncy all the time, 20 years

before volumising shampoo is

invented. She’ll be organising

a search party, she’s definitely

gone back to where we left the

car to check if it’s there, I’m

certain she will have told an

adult and not tried to cover up

the fact I’m missing.

Honestly, I’ll just sit back,

enjoy this weird empty pool and

wait to be found.

Day five

Right, yeah: bit of a weird one.

Still here! Have heard a lot of

search parties and people calling

Will Byers’s name, but not a lot of

people calling mine.

Trying to make myself at

home here in the empty pool, but

it’s not very homely. The heating

is intermittent, the food here is

terrible – just waffles, so many

waffles – and, honestly, the other

people who live here are just

rude. There’s one guy with no

eyes who just roars and squeals

all the time, and never really

shows an interest in anything I’ve

got to say, and Nancy’s brother’s

friend Will seems to be engaged

in some long game of hide and

seek. It is, quite frankly, boring

and a bit childish of him.

Definitely should have bought

a book to Steve’s party, that way

I’d have one to read here. I mean:

who goes to a teenage sex party

without a book? All they’ve got

in the bookswap here are a load

19 guide 14-20 Oct 2017

ILLUSTRATION: BILL MCCONKEY