I wrap myself in a blanket and lean up against a wall. The boat sways on the water. My stomach churns. Several times I crawl to the tiny toilet to be sick. Every time it was hard to wrestle myself away from the bowl, the motions of the sea more vigorous in there. I sip water to steady my stomach and wash back the bitter taste of my own bile.
Continue readingMonth: October 2021
Story a Month: Does the Wind Miss the Mountains?
Every month I’ll be writing a short story from the Susan Dennard prompts. All of them will be taking place in the world of the book I’ve been working on, so expect fantastical and futuristic elements in each one. October’s text prompt was “Hey,” he shouted at her back. “You’re going the wrong way!”. The audio prompt was medieval fantasy music.
Continue readingWANT TO FORGET YOU: Chapter 10
I wake to the sound of sea birds and the hiss of the tide on rock. I expect to find myself at a harbour, but in the darkness I can only see one small pier reaching out over the black water. Taler is here, wrapped up in a large coat. He puts a spare one around my shoulders as I grip the orchid tightly in my hands.
Continue readingWANT TO FORGET YOU: Chapter 9
WANT TO FORGET YOU: Chapter 8
I handed in a notice of immediate resignation and ignored every phone call from work. Forgetters don’t resign, we retire. None of my co-workers have my details, so they wouldn’t be able to reach me.
Continue readingPondering on Poetry: A Flower Fairies Treasury
While I’m aware that there are several Flower Fairies books, from seasonal to other collections, the one I’m looking at is the full hefty Treasury – though I doubt there’s enough difference between them to make this review specific to the Treasury alone. You may have seen the magical botanical watercolour paintings on postcards, mugs or on social media, but not realised that Cicely Mary Barker’s fairies were originally accompanied by verses of poetry, then later turned into a childrens book series. But in the modern world, does the 1920’s Flower Fairy poetry hold up?
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a place of words 