The culture was familiar with instant spectacle and bizarre news. But this was different to an accident caught on a mobile phone or a mutant baby born in a remote village. This was something public, permanent and apparent. Stand-ups tried to tell jokes about it, mainly revolving around the idea of the English and their bad teeth.

‘Meaningless Number’ is available in print in Litro Magazine #123 and also online.

The issue theme is ‘mystery’, which I interpreted in the OT spirit.