Escape through the forest

My breath comes in short, raspy gasps. I jump over a tree stump, my feet land on the twiggy undergrowth and, for a second, I fear I will tumble. But my body remains upright, my legs keep running. I can hear Nath behind me, to the left. I glance that way, but I can't see…

The truth of the evening

I'll tell you the truth. The others won't, but you can count on me. Sit awhile, take a moment to relax, make a cuppa perhaps, while I give you the whole story. We were at the soiree. You know, the annual fundraiser for the footy club. Oh, and I guess you need to know who…

The hours between

It's Good Friday here in Australia. I'm reminding my children, especially T1 who is bemoaning there is nothing to watch besides (countless, pointless) YouTube clips (with annoying American gamers), that when I was their age I went to church on Good Friday ALL DAY. We were rushed out the door before 8.30AM and arrived back…

The view from the aisles

Goodness, it seems we're in quite a predicament. People of Australia are bracing for Covid19 impact by behaving in quite a selfish manner. Most of the population have jettisoned social norms and niceties; they no longer tolerate positive aspects of community living: sharing, kindness, and even the Aussie attitude of 'she'll be right, mate!' I…

The beginning of the end

Losing water was the first sign. Initially Mara thought she'd forgotten to pay the bill. She went to make a call and found the phone lines were down, too. 'Brad?' she called. 'Are we up to date with the bills?' Rustling from the back garden was the only response. 'Brad!' This time she yelled. 'Huh?'…