The Ladder

Nothing much happens in our village, except now it has and I’ve made a fool of myself. I’ve broken my ankle and I can’t settle down to the way things were. We’re not a proper village exactly, no farmers, no village hall or school. Most of the people who live here are retired, the ones…

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…

Timeslip

The crow lands beside me, head cocked, watching me scrape and undress the layers on the stones. Three years out of uni. and working for free this summer for the Prof. It’s a dream come true. I’m soaking wet, freezing cold, blue-lipped, but my spirit soars daily. “Each stone has its own story, Roman soldiers…

Kala Pani

There was a smidge of Radha in my pocket, a smattering of her on the cruddy wooden deck. I drew the string together and put the cotton bag in my pocket. The kala pani, that’s what the people in my village call the sea. It wasn’t really black water though, despite all the slops of…

Water Sweet as Death

The Thames runs salt, strong and brown. Faint flavour remains in my fingers, rubbing sore gums. Grey strands trickle past my waist and my sodden hem oozes mud into footprints on the floor. I squint at the other passengers through the bright-lit air. They don’t like my dank person. Why should they? I am repulsive,…

Doll Man

“Mummy!  Look what I’ve found.”Amy tugs impatiently at her mum’s sleeve, while Janey taps on her iPhone. “In a minute. Just let me finish.” Amy shrugs, skips back to her ‘discovery’, pokes it then pulls at the filthy trousered leg. It jerks. The white plastic bag, wrapped around the bony fingers, floats upwards. Tugging to…

The Neon Exit

Vicky is already in the bingo hall, tapping her fingers on the table, with her books laid out and her dabbers all in a neat line. I knew where to find her. She is sat where Mum used to sit. She got here early so she could get that booth. People get funny about sitting…

Current Girl

As soon as she blinked the light went out. Not a fizz, hiss or crackle as the glow disappeared, dwindling to a tiny dot, a lone star in the sky before vanishing completely. She repeated the action, blinking once, twice, thrice, focussing on the item in question. First up, a single light bulb suspended overhead,…

The Key

I remember the day I found the little brass key. A nondescript thing. The box, on the other hand, was made of wood mellowed by time and hands. On the lid an inlaid mother of pearl oval with a circle of ebony at its centre. As a child I thought it was an eye guarding…

Charles Marmaduke

The box arrived in the post. It had been packed well by the agent, no sign of damage. The moment he was alone Charles cut the string, unwrapped the brown paper and carefully lifted out the glass jar. He held it up to the light. The amber liquid within glowed, swirled and pulsated. Following the…