Gifted

'Look!' Millie squeals. She jumps up and down, her legs kicking backwards. Her eyes are sparkling; the blue of her iris seems brighter, glossy even. 'What is it Millsy?' I ask. She's a wonder this kid. Only five, yet off-the-chart intelligent. Actually, she's been off the charts for everything since birth. Apgar, length, weight, for…

In Hiding

I want to self-isolate. And not from the current panic overtaking the world with this bloody virus, either. It's been quite a weekend for me, and it's only just gone midday on Saturday. Craziness in Coles: bare aisles; too many consumers bumping trolleys and devoid of manners. Snarky parents during two out of the four…

Leaving home

The contents of the bucket slosh inside as Bernice swallows back her own vomit. This is not how she imagined her life would turn out. When she was younger, she imagined a life of travel and fame. She was destined for greatness. Everybody said that. Well, Gran and Pop, and a few others. Maybe it…

Sleep School

'It's a myth! Totally baseless and unproven,' Karen cries. She heaves herself off the sofa and moves into my kitchen. Opening the fridge door, I hear the wine bottle scrape against the shelf as she pulls it out. She unscrews the lid, looks over at me and says, 'Wanna 'nother glass?' This is her way…

The Rumour

Roz opened the door to her home and, with a sigh, walked inside. She kicked off her shoes and leaned against the wall. 'Babe, is that you?' called Jerome. 'Yeah hon.' 'How was your day?' he asked. He was standing at the opposite end of the hallway. 'Oh...' his voice trailed off as he took…