Does anyone else live in a city which gets inundated with tourists at this time of year? Mine always has plenty, but it seems this year the weak pound has brought them out in greater numbers than usual. On some streets you can hardly move without running into a mass of Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Australians, Germans, Italians, and every other nationality as well as the usual British visitors. Undeterred by the poor weather, they are out in force with knapsacks, cameras, guidebooks and

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I originally wrote this as a prologue to Elements of a Successful Tourist Industry, as I felt I needed to explain a bit more about the bizarre AU I had created (and make it clear the story was not just driving a tour bus through the fourth wall). I then decided it wasn't necessary and didn't fit the rest of the story. But it's okay as a stand-alone piece. Enjoy.

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