Basket in hand she trudged up the hill, face shielded by a scarf, collar pulled up against the wind. The roads were deserted, the skies a leaden grey, a storm was coming. She was panting by the time she reached the brow, the view on the other side was masked by low cloud and the… Continue reading Taking steps
Category: Stories
Would like to meet
It was a just a joke with friends. I never meant it to get this far but I’m here now so may as well wait. The ad promised compatibility, real love not a casual date. ‘We will match you to your soul mate,’ was the slogan begging to be sneered at, and believe me we… Continue reading Would like to meet
Invisible
It’s rush hour, hundreds of commuters dashing this way and that, umbrellas aloft, dodging the puddles, hailing taxis. They all know I’m here although none of them acknowledge my existence. Well none is a bit strong, 99% don’t notice me and to the other 1% I’m a cause, a charity case, a focus for their… Continue reading Invisible
Passengers
‘Just grab your holdall and follow me,’ says the girl who meets me outside the station. It’s pitch black and I trip and slip as I cross the rails trying to keep up with her. She’s dressed in a dark coat and boots and I can barely make out her shape in the darkness. Suddenly… Continue reading Passengers
Lenny’s Dream
‘..and then I woke up to find it was all a dream,’ says Carol as she vacuums around my chair, ‘lift your feet or I’ll never finish, honestly I don’t know why you watch this rubbish.’ Carol is no fan of daytime television. ‘It’s not all rubbish, some of it’s quite entertaining,’ I reply wishing… Continue reading Lenny’s Dream
The Cuckoo
More than the money, his job gave him an anchor in the grey swell which was his life. The basic routine of getting up, having a shower, making a pot of tea, preparing his daily sandwich lunch while the tea brewed, had been disrupted. His small daily ritual spoiled forever. A ritual he’d performed every… Continue reading The Cuckoo
One of the family
‘You’ve never been camping? Really?’ Jamie is obviously astonished that someone of my not inconsiderable age has never spent a night under canvas. ‘No Jamie I’ve never been camping, never even been in a tent. Well I’ve been in marquees but not a tent you sleep in.’ ‘Enough of the inquisition,’ says Bob ‘Evelyn is… Continue reading One of the family
Prodigal
My stiletto heels clatter as I make the long walk down Lilac Close. Each clickety-click on the pavement is a step back in time. Suburbia closes in. The twitching net curtains ripple ahead of me, reaching number 36 long before I do. I ask myself again why I’ve come back after all these years. We… Continue reading Prodigal
Poised
Three deep breaths, rotate shoulders, toes over the edge. It’s sharper than he remembered, cold and slightly wet and he feels almost off balance. A few strands of hair stick to his cheek but he leaves them there preferring to keep his concentration. He zones out any extraneous sounds too, years of practice means his… Continue reading Poised
Too Late
It was all a long time ago yet the image in Gloria’s head seemed as clear as if she’d seen it yesterday. Imprinted, she couldn’t un-see it. The green was greener, the red brighter, the blue crisper, like a technicolour movie. A red coat, a green meadow, a blue sky. Her new doctor dismissed her… Continue reading Too Late
