“Manfred sighed. He looked at the ceiling and declared, ‘I am behind words on the way to music beneath a wing and before trumpets, masks and brushes.’ He paused for effect and brought his gaze back to Charlie. ‘Do I make myself clear?’ In any other circumstances, Charlie would have said, ‘Clear as ditchwater,’ but as the situation was already pretty grim, he decided to say, ‘Yes, Manfred.”
