Pearl and June were good friends and spent most of their time together.#
They were both very old and they worried about their health. Most of the time
they talked about nothing else.#
They worried about their food. Was it clean? Would it give them pains in the
stomach? They worried about the weather. Was it too cold and wet? Would it
give them pains in their bones? They worried about pollution in the air. Would
it give them pains in their chests and throats? They worried about being hurt
in a car accident, killed in an airplane crash, getting sick, and so on. All
they could think about was being ill or hurt.#
One day they went on a train journey together. "We'll need some food," Pearl
said.#
"We'll buy some bananas," June said. "They are good to eat and always clean."#
And so they bought two bananas to eat on the train. It was not long before
they were hungry. Pearl took out the bananas and gave one to June. Then she
peeled the skin of her banana and took a large bite of it.#
At that moment the train went into a tunnel. Everything went black. "Don't eat
your banana," Pearl shouted at June. "Mine has made me go blind!"&