How do you cope with anxiety?

When Jed’s mum dies, his world is turned upside down and his anxiety finds a new source of unease to feed upon. After the funeral, he leaves his job in England to start work in India. His anxiety only gets worse in his new role until he finds a new friend. A friend only he can see.

Aftab has a head shaped like an egg and small, dark eyes at the side of his face rather than the front. His nose is long and slim, beneath which is a narrow mouth, slightly wider than his nose. Perfectly bald, he has no facial hair or eyebrows either. Despite his mouth never moving, he speaks in the voice of Stephen Fry.

Jed’s new friend helps him sleep by using a vacuum cleaner to stop the anaconda sliding down Jed’s throat. And he makes him smile by playing jokes on people at work. He warns Jed, too, that something is wrong in his life. Something Jed can never make right.

Polite Note: Fellow readers, the characters in this story talk about poo. They do it because they think it is humorous. If you are sensitive about natural human bodily functions, this story probably isn’t for you.