Cleaning The Roof

Dave always thought of himself as a handyman fixing things around the house that need some TLC.  Last summer Dave thought the roof on his eighteen- year old house was in-need of a good clean. Over the years Dave’s terracotta tiles had been growing a garden of dusty greyish green Lichen.  The roof had a … Read more

He Always Knew

He woke with a start, not knowing what had disturbed his sleep. Closing his eyes to the darkness, he rearranged his pillow and his legs. Something was wrong. He couldn’t hear the refrigerator gurgling and rattling in the kitchen. He raised his head to hear better but still no gurgling and rattling. He waited for … Read more

A Scarf for Alfred

There was a rhythm to the clicking of the knitting needles as the scarf grew longer. Her fingers were knobby and stiff but they never faltered, stitch after stitch, row after row. Her brown eyes were as bright and alert as those of someone much younger. The knitting yarn was the color of the sky … Read more

The Omen

Kate’s radiant smile had made her briefly beautiful; she stopped and left a seat for Zoe to come and rest on the way to the race… had she wanted to. Some people left those rare empty spaces for others, be they elderly or in some way disadvantaged, but today, since the spectators had been prevented … Read more

A Resolve to Ruin

Part 2 (Part One was published here) ‘Wait, hey, wait,’ the young girl raced off after him, neither of them remembering to pay. Not that the waitress was inclined to rectify the matter, she observed the drama unfolding like the rest of those entranced by the spectacle, with a broad, dopey grin plastered on her … Read more

A Resolve to Ruin

Part One Malcolm surveyed the lay of the land, studious and stoic, face betraying nothing, ignoring the heat toasting his shoulders from the sun overhead. The crowd lumbered around him, babies bawling in prams, geriatrics wheezing what could be their last, kids haphazardly weaving paths through the gaps, jostling with nonplussed adults. The heads of … Read more

A Soldier’s Life

He sat on the end of the pier. An old man now, he wore a long gabardine overcoat and a red scarf to keep the wind at bay. His black brogues were slightly scuffed. After Gillian died he didn’t see the point in keeping them shiny, a life-long habit broken. Her lingering death from cancer … Read more