It’s not in Oxford – it’s not a circus. All those people dressed in bright tartan trousers, they’re not clowns. They’ve just been to the nearby Golf Sale. You know, the Golf Sale. No one seems to know exactly where it is, it’s there somewhere. There’s always this guy on the street outside the station holding a big signboard with… Read it
Tubeline - Victoria line
Storms Ahead
When I arrive there are crowds of early risers waiting out the countdown to cancellations of service in mute pockets of steam from polymer cups. The young guy behind the counter of Pret-a-Manger rubs his eye with the heel of his hand and asks me if I want a bag. My tongue is morning numb so I nod and try… Read it
Siege
We always went to your flat in Walthamstow, but this time there was a problem with the tube. “We’ll get out and walk.” You said. I asked why it was called… “There’ll be a reason for it” You cut in. There’s always a reason for it. There’ll be some bloke who does talks in the back rooms of pubs all… Read it
Emeralds & Diamonds
He called me his Queen. I never called him my King. Except once when he gave me a brooch. “You listened?” I said. ” I thought you were asleep.” One night, when the world was at its coldest and darkest, I awoke sweating from a nightmare. It was then I whispered my one and only story into his ear. It was the… Read it
The Warrener’s Daughter Warns
Run, bunny, run. You’re a big buck coney with paws as fleet as windrush and blood as hot as sunshine. When my father comes with his ferrets and his net you’d best not be here, munching on tussocks between the pillow mounds, twitching your bunny nose with that devil-may-get-me flare. There’s a flash of grey on your rump that says… Read it
The Enchanted Hornbeams
Page Green gave birth to a girl. She held the baby close promising her the best life any child could have, unaware of her family’s impending deception. They wanted a boy who could earn his keep when older. So while she slept they stole the newborn baby and abandoned her in the wilderness. Page’s grief cut into the hearts of… Read it
A Walk in the Park
The park was not green any more, Doolan considered, as he stepped off the tube train. He headed eagerly for the exit, head full of excitement about the Winter Sales in the hundreds of shops in Retail Park. He didn’t notice his feet being swept from under him until it was too late and he was flat on the grubby… Read it
A Classic Collection
He stood, looking at the Victor FB Deluxe Saloon, 1963, with its smooth maroon paintwork and desert sand two-tone roof. A classic in prime condition. He sighed with pleasure looking at it once again. The chrome bumpers sparkled in the sunlight. It was his. At least for now. He wondered how long this could go on. The thefts. The deceit.… Read it