I’ve had a beard for twenty years. A russet autumnal waterfall of hair that cascaded down to my chest. There were shades of chestnut and rust, dark patches as deep and rich as coffee, mixed with highlights as light as caster sugar. It kept me warm in the winter and turned a wonderful blonde in the … Continue reading Clean Shaven
Tag: fiction
Take Off
The Dyson sphere rotated slowly around the sun, causing a gradual movement of shadows on the white grass. B.O/B bent over the rusting canisters of lighter fluid that he’d lined up, and tentatively reached behind him to unlatch his refuelling chute. R.U.Fu5 stared at him and sighed. ‘We’ve discussed this before B.O/B. That function is … Continue reading Take Off
Heartbeat
Rachel opened the door and was met by nothing but the distant sound of traffic from far below. She put her bag by the front door, then unzipped her chest, unclipped the arteries, capillaries, and veins before dumping her heart on the side table. She walked straight for the kitchen, poured herself a large glass … Continue reading Heartbeat
Dinner Plans
‘Come on Suzie, get down from the ceiling and get into bed.’ Mary picked up a broom and began waving it in the air, trying to coax her down. Suzie swatted it away and glared. From the other room the phone started ringing. Mary sighed, lent the broom against the cupboard and left Suzie crawling … Continue reading Dinner Plans
Sitting on the Fence
Tommy sat on the fence that ran along the plot boundary of the convenience store. Behind him was scrubland and in front was the empty carpark. He sat close enough to the entrance, that when the store clerk approached the automatic doors, Tommy could see the whites of his eyes. Beside him on the fence … Continue reading Sitting on the Fence
The Crossing
Ryan pulled at the drawstrings of his hoody, tightening it around his face to protect from the wind and the drizzle. Ahead he could see the drawbridge was just about to complete its lowering, having been risen for a passing freighter. The lights turned green and the traffic continued across the bridge, their wheels splashing … Continue reading The Crossing
Chewing Gum
The sand was hitting the window in waves, drowning out the radio. The reception on the radio in a sandstorm was non-existent anyway, so I turned it off and just gazed out at the yellowy orange haze. On this stretch of road, the gas station was always a little quiet, but in the middle of … Continue reading Chewing Gum
The Lonely March
As the hunters' moon rose through the night sky they began their journey to appease. With silent air they bent down and lit their torches, quietly whispering farewell to their kin. They neither acknowledged nor denied the task that lay ahead. They knew they must fulfil their destiny or god would reign havoc until the … Continue reading The Lonely March
The Summer of the Dig
It took them weeks to find the perfect spot to dig. Weeks of pouring over maps and looking at longitude and latitude, but they pinpointed a spot on the edge of a field about a mile from the village and then set about trying to find some shovels. It was the beginning of the 6-week … Continue reading The Summer of the Dig
Flood Waters
We had been watching the rolling coverage of the earthquakes like everyone else, but it just hadn’t occurred to us that we’d need a tent. When we realised, Marcy ran out to find one before the sirens started. She came back an hour later with one of those pop-up tents that are supposed to be … Continue reading Flood Waters
