- [first lines]
- Roald Dahl: This is basically a very nasty tale. But if I've managed to learn one thing in my 35 years of story writing, it is this. Nastiness and horror must be handled with great circumspection. Because if left on their own, they will always taste bitter in the end. But if humour is added to the mixture, then the tension is relieved by laughter, and the bitterness is banished. In this story, we have an actress who knows a tremendous lot about the importance of humour. So I don't think you need worry.