The Eccentric Tourist

My gaoler reminds me of Odette. She smiles a little. Sometimes. For the thousandth time I ask her where I am. “I’ll tell you that when you tell us who you work for.” Her voice isn’t harsh anymore, just tired. We stare at one another across a battle-scarred table top. It is her eyes that…

The Tightrope Walker

Below in the valley the trees barely move, but here the wind tugs the purple heather and salt spray fills the air. My hair whips my face, stinging my eyes. This will be the longest walk I have ever done. Out in the bay, the island – humpbacked and barren – is clad with its…

A Second-Hand Coat

I dismounted at the road edge, where metalled track crumbled away into moorland, giving way to sedge and a rolling sea of cottongrass. Beyond was the heather, delicate purple, a perfect foil for the scarlet of Jesse’s coat as he bobbed in and out of view against a milky sky tinged with the grey of…