In the beginning, it was cold all around. Dark and cold, the kind that seeps into your bones—though in the beginning, you had no bones. No eyes to see light, yet the dream of it was there. And when it came, light, that’s when you knew: the beginning had passed, and darkness would never again … Continue reading Our Closest Celestial
In the hush of dawn, four soft paws pad across a hidden threshold. One step, two, four. The shadow-dappled body holds still for a moment, testing the air. Listening, ears perk. Dust swirls. Dark, heavy ivy twists into the concrete around her. Fresh grass pokes feathered shoots through cracks. Crepuscular insects whir their membranous wings … Continue reading Pripyat
Suze dropped the black sack of Grandpa’s clothes next to an empty machine, fishing for coins in her pocket. She’d rather spend four dollars getting the old clothes clean than buying lollies on the way back from the salvo’s. Grandma’s volunteering stories about smelly garments dumped at her charity shop remained with her. It would … Continue reading Worn With Years
It’s hospital month, apparently. One weekend with my sister who sliced her finger, the next with my daughter struggling to breathe (bronchiolitis, poor thing). I’ve now visited seven hospitals in the Perth metro area this year, four in the past two weeks. That’s a record for me. The problem I have with hospitals is the … Continue reading Hospital Time
EMMA LOUISE GILL 