The Names

by Florence Knapp

her goodness had scrunched at Cora’s heart.

What if his presence changes who Bear is, his sense of himself knocked off balance as easily as a scoop of ice cream from a cone.

such a perfect analogy

And as they talk, she realises everything that tilts the balance in his favour upsets some other internal measure. She feels as though she has entered a funfair house of mirrors, where whatever is there in front of her may not be what it seems.

such an empathic and deep way of exploring a tricky conundrum of a feeling.

His expression morphs each time she pictures it. Sometimes he is benign, sometimes stern, almost maleficent. A word so close to magnificent, she thinks, sent off-course by maleness. But his expression is irrelevant. Far more important is the question of where he was going. And who might be waiting for him at the other end.

A suggestion as to why a woman feels like a safe restikng place for her.