Clare pretty much knew what the letter in her pigeon hole was before she opened it. Among the various gossip circulating around her hall of residence was that the health centre was "calling" people for their first smear test.

Opinion among the female population of the hall was divided in several directions.

Some of the more worldly inhabitants were announcing that they'd had one before and it was nothing.

A larger proportion were binning the letters and announcing that there was no way they were ever having that done thank you very much and why didn't they ask the blokes to go and get something stuck up their willies. This group often had horror stories acquired from friends or female relatives as to what was involved.

Probably the largest proportion were ignoring the letters and hoping they'd go away, while telling themselves they'd get around to it.

So far, Clare had ecaped unmolested but gradually, inexorably the health centre was working its way through the female first year cohort and now her turn had come.

"Dear Miss Thomas" the letter began.