Ask someone who knows ...

For some weeks now I've been trying to find the right word for the opening sentence in Hal 4. I had 'lying' in a bunk, where I wanted something more like 'slumped' or 'collapsed'. It's been nagging me, and I've had a couple of attempts at it, but tonight I decided to nail it.

So I asked my wife, and as we were testing alternatives my nine-year-old happened by. "Oh, you want 'sprawled'" she said. And kept right on going.

I now dedicate the sprawling first line of Hal 4 to my youngest daughter. Onya lass.