I am a happy man. I am a wealthy man. I have everything a man could desire. My bamboo raft and basket, always filled with fish enough to share. My faithful black-winged cormorant, who does the diving and catching. Moss and rocks, my beloved mountains, gathered round me. Mornings soft with promise; evenings rich with […]
This was exactly where we stood last year, muddying the waters with our immature: “I don’t know, let’s just go with the flow.” The tide turned. But the sky quickly greyed again, as it always had. Promises were made. We tried to hold it together for sunnier days, for another possible rainbow, but poor choices— […]
On good days, Mom sings as she cooks luxurious breakfasts. We run downstairs to kisses and hugs and a warm kitchen. Today, the house is quiet and cold, filled with a grey fog that’s almost visible.I slip into her bedroom to check on her. “Beth,” she sobs. ” I’m lost – drowning in my own […]
Beach clean ups and inventions like the Interceptor were mildly useful in keeping rubbish out of water. The three Rs and ecological organisations like Oceanic Society were encouraged. Yet, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch bulged broader. Compostable biodegradable plastic was invented; Notpla was made from seaweed and plants. Finally, legislation criminalised non-compostable plastic production. A […]
And the rains came. And the crops flourished. And we fed our families. And we were filled with contentment. And we cut down trees, built tall cities, paved over greenways. And we were filled with pride. And the rains dwindled. And we trampled the meadows, moved into mansions. And we were filled with greed. And […]
The glass of water sat on a high shelf. Some of the gallery visitors wondered if it was half-full or half-empty, contemplating their lives accordingly. Others said it represented third world drought or marine abundance. Eventually someone bothered to read the title on the plaque, and announced it was an oak tree. The others laughed […]
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had my suspicions about my kid brother. The clues were always there. His favourite book, ‘Robin Hood’. Preferring a bow and arrow to a game’s console. And the twinkle in his eye whenever the word ‘love’ was mentioned. A major clue was Valentine’s Day. He was never anywhere to […]
Life for Mab had been normal, up until a fateful night in the late summer of 1694 when everything irrevocably changed. As she watched the Tears of Saint Lawrence, a dark shape fell through the night, landing with a whomp of expelled air into the dense privet hedge; a huge and fuzzy cat, dark as […]
He was big, strong, lean and handsome. Very handsome, as required for the mission he was on. Dressed all in black, he stood on the edge of a tall, vertical cliff. Directly below him, tiny in the distance, lay a speedboat, tied up to an unseen jetty tucked under the cliff. With a well-practised crooked […]
Prof Schubert sat in his chair, face buried in his hands. The hypertensive quinquagenarian could not take the escalating anxiety any more. Suddenly there was a loud cheer shattering the eerie silence of the floor. “Good news Davy. There has been a clear communication. They have all settled well.” Tracy’s voice shook him out of […]
As I grew up, everything that shaped me turned into a liability, because almost none of those qualities were considered girly. Being smart wasn’t girly, majoring in engineering wasn’t girly and loving sports wasn’t girly. I liked billiards and Texas Hold’em poker, and they were both male dominant games. I never liked how heels hurt […]
He’s waiting for the letter eagerly. Everybody in our house is waiting but all for different reasons. My father is waiting to see whether his frail son has made it to the army. My mother is waiting to finally analyse how many days she has with me in the same house. My sister is waiting […]
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