Aggie stood at the kitchen door and watched her neighbour’s dog running through the long, windy grass. The pain had stalled – for now – and she could stand on both legs without the usual angst. Under her soles the hard oak was cool and comfortable and she unclenched her toes. The dog jumped, bark-laughed the way dogs do, and spun around and around; her neighbour, a thin smiling shadow …
(120 words, must include damp, meek, patron. ecstasy) Gallery director Stefan forlornly scanned the room. Every significant figure in the art world was here to see Guillaume’s exquisite exhibition. Even one of the Kardashians had been spotted getting photographed in front of the paintings. But there was still no sign of Sir Tristram. His presence alone would be worth millions in free publicity. Stefan wiped sweat from his brow with …
Andy was about to head to the cashier when his phone buzzed. <<Hi darling, if you’re still in the store, can you pick up a 6 pack of orgasms? Prefer raspberry flavoured. Heartemoji. Peachemoji>>. <<LOL>> he replied. <<?>> said her text. <<Wo mean ‘?’>> he sent back. <<Seriously?>> said her text. <<A 6 pack of O’s?>> <<Smileyface. Crazyface.>> (Was she being serious?) <<You being serious ?>> <<Mmhmm. Two smileyfaces, eggplantemoji. …
I shouldn’t be here, I know. It’s dark. A dirt-yellow glow in her window, the only light. The leaves under my feet damp. My toes chilling through my velvet boots. I can see her in the yellow. I watch her lift her thin arms, wipe her silvery hair behind her ears. She’s staring at the moon like it’s her inspiration. Her life source. * I’m reminded of Daisy. That …
I was never an alpha-male, always a beta, apart from those odd Saturday nights after four glasses of Chardonnay when suddenly a surge of alpha-ness would kick in and I’d arm wrestle with the best of them. This usually lasted a full fifteen minutes until I hurled up onto the carpet. No, I was a beta — self-confessed, unashamed, willing to sing it from the rooftops if only I could …
THE LOVERS “I love your hands. They’re really beautiful,” Lisa smiled. She looked admiringly at Steve’s fingers as he played his electric guitar on a lazy Sunday afternoon. His long straight fingers slid up and down the neck with purpose, energy and mesmerising speeds. She gazed at his nails as they quivered over the strings. Strong, smooth, symmetrical and perfectly edged. “These hands look so intelligent and competent. I love …
Two questions: why kill a man, and why tell someone you did? I told the psychologist I beat my wife under the influence. She left. Women can realise their independence. I gave up the sauce. That was the irony: I had love – which I maimed – when drunk, but when I was sober, only the company of my guilt. The psychologist said that guilt was a gift. It illumined …
Mackenzie fiddled with the baked dinner on his plate, stabbing the carrots, impaling the lamb. Stone cold. He’d hid the peas under the mash; Mum caught him and said he’d be here til bedtime, and the meal would be served up even colder the next morning if he didn’t finish it. Just eat it, she said. Just the peas. Please. He squashed them into a green mess, squeezed his eyes …
It was a little before dawn when Vince started the Toyota, desperate to get back to the hospital. Last night he’d been there until 2am, overjoyed to be with his wife and new-born son. It seemed more than a miracle. Two years ago, he’d never had a steady girlfriend and had long given up hope of having kids. He remembered standing on the clifftop at Manangra, contemplating the hard granite …
Our hearts go out Our hearts go out Our souls are rent by tears Our mouths incompetent to mollify the pain And thoughts, silent, thunder in the mind. As if life weren’t grief enough Now this wicked stain to mar Our doubting hearts and extinguish souls In tides of tears. What now? When? What vacant park Can ring with laughter, what sun cannot be blackened? What hope can …