Cheese

Why does cheese taste the way it does? And what relation does the taste of cheddar have to Cheese, a combination of heroin and over-the-counter cold medications, the lethal teenage kick which emerged in Texas in 2005?

Dr Stilton pulled up a wooden chair and beckoned the surly, pale-faced boy to sit down. He did so, slumping as far down as he could without dropping onto the floor. His mother's eyebrows, long since removed and inscribed with a brittle pencil-line, vanished in permanent surprise into her hairline, giving her an expression of concern which bore no relation to the dead space of her frequently brutalised emotions.

"Open your mind," said the doctor in a professional monotone.

"We don't get it," said the mother, shaking her head.

"You will," said the doctor, reaching for the crackers.