Hell on Wheels

Helen delivered drama to the street from the moment she moved in dressed in the latest ASOS creation, driving a Mercedes Cabriolet – tops down. The jury of worthies was out about whether she would enhance our lives. Twenty’s Plenty was meaningless to her, as was turning the noise down after eleven – her car thundered through the streets whenever she was returning home and … Continue reading Hell on Wheels

Things you think about as you drown

The scent of cut grass and creosote, the colour of the ocean after a storm, vanilla, the soft sourdough of the baby’s neck. The oyster slick of Andrew as he slides down your throat, the taste of yourself on his hands, frozen margaritas in a kidney-shaped pool. Sun-bleached images of the baby’s tilting totter listing towards you like a lush, oxeye daisies and dandelions in … Continue reading Things you think about as you drown

Finest Hour

I was famished when I got home. So I wasn’t pleased to find a man in my bedsit. ‘Mr Godber? Your landlady kindly let me in. I have a proposition for you.’ I’d spent the afternoon factoring bank holidays into my ‘working days to retirement’ spreadsheet, seething after being volunteered for the department’s paperclip audit. ‘I don’t need any life assurance, thanks.’ He chuckled. ‘No, … Continue reading Finest Hour