52 pages • 1 hour read
As Gibreel and Saladin wash up on a beach in Dover, England, they meet an elderly woman named Rosa Diamond who claims to possess "phantom-sight" (78). Having seen ghosts in the past (including William the Conqueror landing in England), she knows that the two men are not ghosts. In the snowy conditions, Gibreel is surprised that his notoriously bad breath has improved. Saladin lies "weeping" (79) on the beach. Rosa approaches the men and makes a remark about Saladin's bad breath. She invites the men into her house to escape the cold. The fall from Flight AI-420 has changed the two men: Saladin now has bad breath and a set of small horns on his head, and Gibreel now emits a soft glow from his body. In Rosa's house, Saladin tries to call his wife in London, but a familiar male voice answers the telephone. Saladin is convinced that his wife is having an affair and he becomes very angry. In a room of his own, Gibreel paces up and down to avoid falling asleep. Rosa’s neighbor suspected that the two Indian men were "illegals" (84) who were trying to gain entry to Great Britain, so he telephoned the police.
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By Salman Rushdie