#written by me
Our place out here
How long am I here for? Oh who's to say, boy. We've got a cottage on the island, so I suppose it's really up to me how long I'm here for. Where? It's out on the spur, right out where the lane starts bolting back and forth like a silly little rabbit. Near the end. It takes an age to drive out there and it knackers your suspension and in fact... it's a lot easier if you just walk it, if you don't mind the distance. I still don't really mind it even in my age. That must be why...
The return
Max dropped bread in the toaster without looking. He read the jagged little letter again from the beginning. It arrived at some point last night, shoved through the letterbox with no envelope, a loose sheaf of note paper ripped from a spiral spine. It had been two days since the final blow up. Beginning again at "liar", he wandered into the bedroom and dug his phone of the sheets with his spare hand. Putting the charger into its corresponding place at the bottom of the device was at first slight resistance and then a satisfactory give. It made him think...
Instructions
Take these for the pain\ twice daily after eating\ Take these for a headache\ and these for your tired legs\ Take these for a pain in the neck\ in the mornings Take these if you miss your train\ And you can't see the funny side\ Take these if you suffer Take these for loss\ or a twinge in the heart\ Take them in the evening\ Stand by a window you can't see out of\ Take with water and look into the dark\ For as long as you can bear Take these for courage\ Take a partner by the arm\ Take...
Cove
Pieces of aeroplane sprayed across the water in front of them, but only Arlo saw the distinct shapes of people striking the sea's surface. The beach was the thin fringe of a wide bay. At their backs, the drastic slope of the mountains dove into the ground. The town, just four streets deep, was squeezed tight between the mountainside and the sandy beach. The double blades of beach and town pinched off at the end of the bay: a headland the shape of a fist. It punched the passenger jet out of the sky, those still lounging on the beach...
The Professor
The emcee stood off to the side of the stage in darkness and in a rented tux. Standing in amongst the clutter of the backstage area he swallowed a choke as he tried to clear his throat quietly. Reaching into his jacket pocket he felt the thick stack of note cards there and shut his eyes for a moment, allowing the cool calm of their presence to wash through him. He turned to his side and gestured to the drama student stooped over the lighting board. He removed the note cards from his pocket, gripped them lightly in his hand,...
Candlesticks
Tonight, Kwame would clean the altar. He walked to the front of the chapel. He methodically clicked each in a row of switches and light soaked the altar. Standing next to the altar in the bright lights, Kwame couldn’t make out the first row of pews. His breathing slowed there in the warmth. He stood next to the altar and allowed his arms to hang by his sides. The very end of his middle fingertip brushed on the cotton tablecloth. He stood six feet and half an inch tall. Each time he measured himself he hoped that the downward force...