Her bedroom windows were rattling as she entered. ‘It’s windy.’ She pushed the window closed harder, checking it let as little as possible of the icy Antarctic wind in. Her evening-before-early-morning-winter swimming routine: · towel jacket and thongs – ready to drop near the water exit point so her feet wouldn’t turn into frozen meat slabs pierced by each step on the asphalt on the walk back. · swimming bag – a treasure trove of swimming paraphernalia that is

I wake up. Just wake up. Go through my daily morning routine. Try to find a spark, some joy. Just like yesterday. And the day before. I had always been an optimist. I’m told that just by walking into a room, I raise the energy. That I’m a joy-bringer. Sometimes, people react violently to that energy. It’s June 2021. I’m not feeling any joy. Some days, I look back to the pre-covid me and wonder who that person was. The spark in her eyes looks… unfamiliar. Is it just covid-lock

He smiles at us and follows us to the car. ‘Can we drive past and pick up the kids?’ He stands there and looks at the back seat, as though it were something he had never seen before, looking at us, then the seat. Laughter echoes around us as Adam lifts him into the car. ‘Can we drive past and pick up the kids? They are super excited and want to meet him,’ comes from the back seat. After some negotiations of who will sit where, the kids jump in the car. It’s hard to work out w

She closed her eyes and automatically, her hands went out in front of her, seeking to part the thick heaviness in front of her, like opening a curtain. But it didn’t work. She opened her eyes. Mostly to keep her balance as she used one hand to mop the waterfall cascading down her forehead, in the vain hope of keeping her eyes clear – clear enough to see and clear of stinging. ‘Geez! It’s heavy,’ came the crack as he passed her. ‘Just. Keep. Going,’ she muttered, overcoming th

She walked around the block again. Then, she stopped. Will I? Won’t I? She checked her watch 3 2 1 And sprinted, her feet barely touching the ground. Some steps, she was pushing so fast that she nearly lost her balance. She fell on the ground. Her lungs were on fire. Her breaths couldn’t come fast enough. She sucked the air in. Cough Cough Too fast. The ache in her thighs was unfamiliar. Painful. Sweet. As her breathing slowed, there it was. The silence. She stood up. Here ey

She held on tight… to her skirt, blowing around her legs and gusting upwards, outwards, sidewards. To her hair, trying not to inhale as...

“Hey Siri. What’s the time?” “It’s 9:05.” 9:05! No wonder it’s so warm and bright! How on earth did I sleep until 9:05? I sit bolt...

“It’s true. I lived in a tent for a year.” “A whole year, uninterrupted?” “Of course. A year’s a year… I don’t have any of the chicken...

“Hi. I’m just ringing to check that my appointment this week is on Wednesday at 2pm, and not this morning.” “I have you in for 9am on...

Remembrance “I’ll send that straight to my forgettery, as my mother likes to call it.” Laughs. Everyone always laughs when I say that....

Time preferred for meeting: Thursday Time of meeting: Tuesday 11am That’s what the board said in the patient’s room. “Excuse me. Could we...

Why is a grand grand? It’s a grand night for singing. The moon is riding high... Such an old-fashioned term. It’s grand became it’s cool…...

Personality People love me or hate me – black or white. That is the way I felt about things when I was 15. I only know that because I was...

You were always there for me, my dear, faithful, trusted friend. Together, we embraced clear, sparkling, sun-kissed waters, misty...

'I’m trying to help YOU!’ Exasperated, my voice rises. ‘I need your name, address and phone number before I can log your issue.’ ‘For...

“Dance, lance, prance, France.” “What ARE you on about?” “Chance, trance, glance…” “Gibberish! Pure. Utter. Gibberish.” “Crance, hance,...

Me! No me! It was… Surely not? I’m sure it wasn’t… Yellow! Yellow? Why are we talking about colours? Did Roger do it? Roger? Roger! Who...

My name was Mark Smith. Mark Smith! Did my parents have no imagination? No time for me? For crying out loud – they must have know that I...

In the town where I was born lived a lady with grey hair. And she lived a life of ease in a little blue canoe. The sound of many voices...

Kechaw Kedring Boof Booing Bounce, Bounce. Bounce. Smaller & smaller. “What ARE you doing?” Wham Whack Whollop The piece of wood flies...