I slide across the warm pine seating into the dimly lit corner. With a friendly ‘hello’, the only other occupant shuffles clumsily towards me. Uncomfortably close. ‘Not a great sauna, this one.’ I don’t respond. I’m not here to talk. ‘Asian countries do it best. Real coal, real water. Menthol.[…]
Sue had always loved Ian Dury. She’d attended more of his concerts than she cared to remember. Her visit to his famous musical bench was her last significant outing. Sitting there, listening to his recordings, had given her ‘reasons to be cheerful’. Weeks later, she passed away. Paul, her husband,[…]
It had become a game. One played out in absolute silence. A game without rules. Every morning, I wrote a note and placed it deep in his lunch box. A thought, an idea, or a question. I never missed a day. He never acknowledged or commented. I never asked, though[…]
The kids’ screams of ‘look behind you’ bounce across the stage. Every time young Jack spins round, the giant is never there. Of course he isn’t. It’s never that simple. That’s not the same for me. I don’t need to look behind. I know exactly where she is. Her left[…]
The sound of perfection. Bicycle chains and bikers’ breathing, oiled gears and smooth tyres. Finely tuned harmonies rising from the choreographed band, accompanying the flashes of colour, backed-up with its own wind. Individuals working in unison, all waiting to orchestrate a solo break. As they zip by, they create their[…]
I fell asleep in IKEA. I couldn’t help myself. The store was warm, cozy, and the chair like a feather bed. IKEA named the chair Stocksund. They should have named it for me. I’d closed my eyes and allowed the mellow elevator music to wrap me like a blanket. I[…]
The fire looked quite harmless. In fact, it was simply a thing of beauty. Delicate orange, dominated by the expanding blue flames that rolled around the edges of the yellow cardboard. Drifting grey smoke added to the depth and definition. Upstairs, little Tom dreamed on in peaceful bliss. Mum gave[…]
We met in the tram shelter, at the bottom of the hill in Roker. Huddled in the driest corner, we talked, listened and laughed; managing to ignore the January storm that raged around us. He pointed to his house and, fighting the elements, dashed out into the rain. “Knock at[…]
Peeping through the rear window, he sees the bank door swing open. She strides out, clutching the black bag close to her chest. Easing himself low down behind the driver’s seat, he becomes invisible to those outside. The sawed-off shot gun, disguised as a cuddly giraffe, is braced between his[…]
I was crying over a seagull. The stiff breeze, streaming from the sea, encouraged the flow of tears. The seagull was standing on its one good leg, unaware of my distress. The more it wobbled in the wind, the more I cried. My emotional compassion towards this bird was totally[…]