Harriet and Rosa

Harriet has always been a delicate flower. At least that's what Rosa thinks, as she watches her twin sister sleeping in the hospital bed. Rosa strokes Harriet's forehead, then rests her head on the bed. 'Oh, Harry. How did this happen?' Tears slip down Rosa's cheeks. She lets the tears seep onto the bed sheets;…

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…

Rescue

The details Bessie had been given were sketchy, at best. She's in the car, on the way to the designated meeting spot and recalls the conversation. 'Meet at the docks,' the voice said, after revealing the plan. It was a deep, husky tone; a male, Bessie surmised. 'You know the place? Under the bridge?' She…

The Icy Bench

This weekend is the first foray back into netball and I'm just back home. We're in a new level, and the teams have been graded for development purposes. The grading took place last year and was performed by an independent, objective, and non-member of our club. There's no way on God's green earth I could've…

New beginnings

Big morning in our house. T1 and T2 began their first day in secondary school. They are excited and apprehensive, in equal measure I believe. Although if you ask them, they'll say they're fine. It's been a tricky month. The January school holidays are always long, hot and confining—in this family anyway—but this year, we've…