Madness, perhaps, to rent a flat sight unseen, though it couldn’t be all that uncommon. Aberdeenshire was too far for her to have come down flat-hunting at weekends. Madness for sure to rent one she couldn’t afford on her salary. More than a lifetime of beans on toast, it would demand a second job. A view of the freshwater lake in the… Read it
Tubeline - Jubilee line
Water Wings
She ducks under the water, a pair of goggles revealing the rippling bodies beneath it. Rise, suck, duck, she bubbles along the bottom of the pool, propelled from the edge she pushed from, undulating like a stingray. She forces herself lower, as close to the tiles as possible, even though every atom of air in her body wills her to… Read it
The Love that Never Was
I am watching, surreptitiously. Who are you, wearing the wilted leaves? The Shamrock captures me first, as your eyes reflect the green clovers and sparkle as if in sync. With what? Diamonds? No, too rich. Crystals perhaps, etched into the three-lobed leaves, as you are now into my heart. Calmed by your eyes, reflecting the innocence and freshness of an… Read it
Countdown
The thing she had, the syndrome, was like nothing the best minds in medical science had seen before. In the foyer of A&E they lifted her like cloth sacking, triaged her; no she hadn’t fallen, or vomited. Her temperature was pushing fever point, that was the most they could say. “Do we have her notes?” the nurse wanted to know.… Read it
Green Stalks
Trouble with me is, when I start I can’t stop. So I saw this boy, he must have been, hmm, seventeen? Anyway his tie caught my eye. He’s seventeen and wearing a tie? Perhaps he’s got an interview. But a tie covered with bright blue flowers? So I follow him. Down the escalator, on to the platform. He walks to… Read it
Choose your Masks
“Welcome to Tragi-Comic, the world’s first fully interactive Virtual Reality theatrical experience.” The attendant hands us two masks. Cheryl takes the grinning one and exits left. I attach the purse-lipped tragedy mask firmly to my face and enter a booth on my right. Suddenly all the world’s a stage. I am assailed and jostled by robed assassins and peacock clothed… Read it
Wheels of Gold
I cheered on Chris Hoy; fell in love with Laura Trott; yearned again to be freewheeling on two wheels. But cash was tight. What to do? I popped into Mr Sharif’s corner shop on my way to work. What was this? Haldeman’s Chocolate were giving away ten golden bikes. Just check inside the wrapper for lucky tokens. I counted out… Read it
Finally
He got out of bed hours ago. He’d sat on the old bus, sang the old songs and dreamt the old dreams. But now it was real. Years of unconditional love would be defined by the next few hours. He was prepared for the overwhelming emotion he was feeling. He had perspective now and that helped. He knew there was… Read it
Not Falling Down
London Bridge isn’t falling down yet. It’s a prime piece of real estate that I’ve recently acquired – with full rights. There’s an old tale about an American buying the edifice believing it was that Victorian mechanical wonder Tower Bridge and then being disappointed that his shipped-out structure didn’t do any tricks. No, I’ve bought the actual London Bridge knowing… Read it
Up the Hammers!
“Mind the gap Grandad.” My underground announcer’s voice is a little rusty despite holding my nose so tightly my glasses steam up when I speak. I hold my Grandad firmly as we take our exaggerated step from the carriage. This is the kind of thing that would send him sprawling and I didn’t want to remember today for picking him… Read it