Iain Kelly's Blog, page 28

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Tap, tap, tap. The soft knocking on the door. Laurie pulled herself up from the sofa and glanced in the mirror. What a mess. She had let herself go during lockdown, not that she had made much effort beforehand. She took another swig from the vodka bottle and tried to flatten her hair. She adjusted … Continue reading DOUBLE JEOPARDY

ALLEVIATE 2020

They needed something to alleviate the boredom. The dark nights were creeping in, the weather was turning towards wintery and the numbers were rising again. Christmas was all they had to look forward to, and it looked like it would be cancelled. They had the same thought at the same moment. ‘Can we?’ ‘Should we?’ … Continue reading ALLEVIATE 2020

WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF?

She saw him through the window as he approached the café. The arrogant strut, the charming smile, the nonchalant wave. She stopped toying with the sugar shaker and placed it back in the rack and clasped her hands together to mask her nervous tension. How had she not seen it in the first place? How … Continue reading WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF?

TIME

Too old. Her back was killing her. She straightened up and stretched. This would be the last year. Next summer she would need to get some help in, or let the garden grow wild. Maybe that was the answer. Time to give up trying to control everything. Time to just go with whatever will be, … Continue reading TIME

CRABBIT

Shovelling the seaweed away, Agnes was not happy. ‘Forth time this year,’ she muttered and threw a disgruntled stare at the waves lapping against the ineffective flood wall. Archie pulled up in the hire van. He drove over the seaweed Agnes had spent the last hour gathering into one neat pile. ‘Next lot ready?’ he … Continue reading CRABBIT

ILL-GOTTEN GAINS

Her Mum helped her bake the pastries using the rhubarb they had grown in their garden. Each had their own neat tray – rhubarb crumble, rhubarb tarts, rhubarb and toffee cake. She set up the stall at the corner of her street, waiting to capitalise on the Friday, end-of-week rush hour footfall. ‘Treat for the … Continue reading ILL-GOTTEN GAINS

THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

She could hear her mother’s voice from the grave, ‘Is it worth it?’ The world tilts out of kilter. Sun sears her eyeballs. Cool tarmac against her face. Shards of broken green glass. A dent in a red metal bin. Memories of the night before. Anger and hatred. Standing firm. Too slow to run. Her … Continue reading THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

A FUTILE LIFE

It was time to give up. Admit defeat. Accept the desolation. The whole thing was futile. Life was futile. It was just another thing, on top of everything else, that made him angry about this year. A year of pandemic, riots, protests, more Brexit, more Trump, more Boris. Was it no wonder the country was … Continue reading A FUTILE LIFE

FREAK

They call me a freak. I live in the old church surrounded by crosses and hang garlic cloves from every stained-glass window and revel in the sunshine that pours through the coloured panes. They call me a freak because I’m not like them. They’ve stopped visiting now. I never invite them across the threshold. I … Continue reading FREAK

EVOLUTION

IN THE APARTMENT ‘When did you last see your baby?’ ‘I went into the kitchen to collect her food. When I came back, she and the chair were gone.’ ‘You think someone stole the chair and kidnapped your child?’ ‘I don’t know!’ ‘Alright, Ma’am, keep calm.’ ON THE STREET ‘Dispatch, this is Officer 423. We’ve … Continue reading EVOLUTION