Anyone looking at Marlowe’s Pride had to think that Marlowe was either short- sighted or very forgiving. With a battered hull only a mother could love, the little trawler cowered low behind the flagstones of Owenstown harbour, sneaking a random peek over the harbour wall as it bobbed gently in the shallow waters. Most of … Continue reading The Veil of Light

I see them scurry and flee. They race past me, sometimes crossing paths, at other times following in the wake of another. Each one a little protective cocoon battling against the overwhelming force of the steel giant as it carves a path through them. With my cheek pressed against the window it seems that they’re … Continue reading The Journey

A reinvention of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Brave Tin Soldier”  The salvage vessel 'Blue Mariner' eased gently into the docking port of the orbiting Eoli mining station. Whining turbines spun into life as recycled air was pumped into the airlock, re-pressurising the umbilical corridor. After a few moments the noise subsided and the outer hull … Continue reading The Blue Mariner

Onutė left the house early with her brother Antanas. Their mother had sent them to gather wild mushrooms and berries, typical of the Dzukija region in southern Lithuania. These they hoped to sell to highway travellers. If they made enough money, Father had promised, they would all travel to the Kaziukas fair next sunday. Onutė … Continue reading Onutė and the Oak Tree

I scratch a long nail across my chin as I contemplate the blank page before me. The words are on vacation, out of the office. Frustrated, I knead my temple, trying to coax them back to me. My skin is taught, over stretched. Outside a lawnmower, churning its way over my neighbour’s lawn, drones against … Continue reading Coffee Pot