Author: Kieran

(032) It had been a reflex. Like a doctor’s hammer had fallen on his knee, but instead of kicking out he’d started walking. He’d left the office without a word, phone pinned to his ear and eyebrows furrowed, unconsciously distancing himself from the moment. He couldn’t say where he’d walked or what was leading him,…

(031) “I was certain it’d be enough,” Sheila bites at the skin beside her thumbnail, staring at the picnic table before her, “I thought if we did names on the cups it would last–”  “It’ll be fine,” George plucks a mini sausage roll from the table, popping it in his mouth, “the kids won’t care…

(030) Short hops, little flutters. Head swivels, always cautious. A reassuring trill lets her know he’s nearby. She puffs up her red breast and chirps back – keep looking.  She flits across the sun baked ground tossing twigs and leaves aside. Her eyes wide, checking surroundings. Strong wings carry her from light to dark beneath…

(029) A short tug of resistance from the lead brings Nick to a stop. Behind him, the wizened face of his border terrier Terry is stuck fast to the floor in search of something. His eyebrows are furrowed in a way that makes him seem like a detective who’s ‘just blown this case wide open’,…

(028) “Do you ever think,” Seb leans to his right to pass the joint to José, smoke filtering out of his mouth as he speaks, his voice flat and congested, “how we see through our eyes–” he exhales, releasing the rest in a billowing cloud, “and the word to describe our being…is I.”  José squints…

(027) The twinge that emanates from the small of Maddie’s back and spreads down into her left buttcheek makes her shift and wriggle on the spot. Nervous energy begs her to stand up and move, but an introduction mid-push-up during a heatwave wasn’t exactly how she’d hoped to kick things off.  She opens her phone…

(026) It felt good to walk. Well, insofar as it felt less bad than sitting inside in the stagnant air that he’d brought in from the night before. Perhaps it was better to say that it was distracting to walk, and it felt good to be distracted.  Snippets of memory flicker in Sam’s mind as…

(025) “153.” Reads the text beneath Luca’s name, nothing more.  Cazzo. Ciro drops his phone onto his things on the floor, folding the sleeve of his hoodie over to cover it. The need for a hoodie had probably been misjudged today, but with this country you could never be sure.  He swipes his hand through…

(024) A wooden stage congregated by people of all ages stands facing the water, fairy lights twinkling around the perimeter. The gentle hum of conversation and soft jazz is interspersed with the knocking of high heels and dress shoes against the wooden planks. A sudden flurry of booms comes from somewhere across the city, leaving…

(023) Four figures stand at the water’s edge, their armour glinting in the morning sun. Drinking from the river beside them are their horses, each wearing different coloured saddles emblazoned with an elaborate coat of arms.  The green knight strokes his horse’s mane and whispers something in its ear, then unfastens the faceplate of his…