The Strength of the Pack Part V: The Strength of the Wolf Connor sat in the rear carriage of the train staring straight ahead trying to see the platform. He laughed at himself, thinking how much like a kid he must look, but hi stop was next and he was eager to set his feet … Continue reading The Strength of the Pack: Part 5
The Strength of the Pack: Part 4
The Strength of the Pack Part IV: Fear Itself Connor’s eyes snapped open. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs as he emerged hazily from sleep; the icy ground beneath his side meant that he must have slept outside again. Snow fell, pure white, from the sky settling in his hair and biting like … Continue reading The Strength of the Pack: Part 4
The Strength of the Pack: Part 3
The Strength of the Pack Part III: Silent Night Snow settled in Connor’s hair. Wind whipped at the thin, dirty shirt he was wearing and he lifted his hands automatically to warm them with his breath, even though the cold did not touch him. He was used to the cold and embraced it; numbness kept … Continue reading The Strength of the Pack: Part 3
The Hobbit: 75 Years On
My dear People. My dear Bagginses and Boffins, and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses, and Hornblowers, and Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots. (Proudfeet!) Today is the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit! I can't remember when I first read The Hobbit, which will shock you all … Continue reading The Hobbit: 75 Years On
The Strength of the Pack: Part 2
The Strength of the Pack Part II: The Scent of Fear Fireworks exploded in the night sky, stars and rockets in a myriad of colours crackling into nothingness to the admiration of the crowd below. It was a little overcast tonight, by comparison to the clear blue sky of the day, but the cloud cover … Continue reading The Strength of the Pack: Part 2
The Hands of a Healer
The Hands of a Healer Sam woke from his usual dreams irritable and tired. He looked at the alarm clock by the bed out of routine, rather than from a wish to know the time. Sunlight circumvented his attempts to block it out by creeping around the sides of the blinds and over the top … Continue reading The Hands of a Healer
The Island
The Island Jessica ran towards the edge of the lake, fallen acorns and old pine cones kicking up from her shoes. Grasshoppers leapt away from her rampage through their territory and butterflies swirled in the air, dancing their incomprehensible steps about her head. She ran for all she was worth, hair tied with blue ribbons … Continue reading The Island
The Strength of the Pack: Part 1
The Strength of the Pack Part I: The Best Laid Schemes He felt his hands slipping from the drainpipe but there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from falling. Bushes enveloped him as he fell, going over on his ankle and sprawling face down on the lawn. Laughter came from above. Connor looked … Continue reading The Strength of the Pack: Part 1
Recycling
Recycling The sun blazed brightly behind the cloud cover, turning the whole sky into a light box. Despite the glare of the sunshine, rain still sleeted heavily from the sky, sending humans scurrying for cover in shop doorways or huddling under umbrellas. Miniature rivers coursed in the gutters, converging into great lakes where the overworked … Continue reading Recycling
A Fox in the Night
A Fox in the Night Rufus awoke shuddering from a dream in which he had been running down twisting passageways in a cave formation. The curtain billowed in the breeze from the window, open even though it was well into winter. Cold sweat on Rufus’ skin turned colder as the draught hit him, but he … Continue reading A Fox in the Night
Nick Palmer 