The Prayer Book

I’m English. I won a prayer book at school once upon a time.

All the prizes were laid out on a long table. My first choice was some pretty writing paper with envelopes. But the scrubbed, pale Peter Munday chose the stationery before I could. I don’t recall what he’d done to win it, nor can I imagine he ever used it. Not that it matters, but I thought fleetingly he might give it to me, as he knew I wanted it. But he kept it. That’s how I acquired the prayer book.