The thump from the room above either meant her or the bottle had fallen out of bed. Either would mean I’d have to go up there, if it was the bottle then she might wake and try to get it which would cause her to fall out anyway.
Prose
I write as a form of expression and self-discovery. It may or may not be of interest to others.
I keep fish.
I keep them in a small tank. I had many at one time but now I only have three. This may be due to the size of the tank.
Their names are Gerry, Margolies & Fitz. Fitz vanishes. Much of the time you would only see two fish. Once I moved the ornaments around, removed the plants and even disturbed the stones at the bottom and I couldn’t find him. I had theorised that the cat took him. If so the cat would bring him back again. I couldn’t ever explain it, but then I never really tried.
Note on week-old corpse
Dear Father,
I owe you an explaination for this. Perhaps I owe it to others too, but especially to you.
I wish things could have been different. I wish things didn’t have to end this way. I wish we could have had a better relationship. I wish I could have been a better son. I wish I could have been less of a dissapointment. I wish I could have lived up to your expectations. I wish a lot of things, that’s always been my problem.
Install
I stood in the corner watching the crows. Vaguely I was aware that someone was talking to me excitedly but I’d tuned out their voice and the voices of the others long ago.
People milled around the room peering at the installations I had created for my own amusement. Hunks of universal crap that I had lost interest in well before these people got told they existed and would somehow enrich their lives and increase their social standing to be seen near.
My mind momentarily returned to this realm.
It began with the itch…
The absent minded scratching at one area. “You keep scratching that arm, what is it?”. A bite? A hive? Some allergic reaction perhaps. I’ve had such reactions. This seemed more like a bite.
I searched for days for evidence of insect infestation finding nothing. I accepted that it could be some kind of allergic reaction. I’ve become a virtual vegan over the past few months. Existing largely on bags of fresh mixed leaves and lentils. Soya and tofu. It’s possible that one of them any new foods I’m eating my body is somehow intolerant to.
But I couldn’t escape the idea that these were bites of some kind. I spent two days cleaning my home. I covered all carpets in anti-flea powder and vaccuumed extensively. I cleaned all surfaces I could see and many I couldn’t. I washed all coverings and furnishings. The itch increased. I developed more of the rashes. Behind both elbows, my knees, behind my ears. On my lower arms. Even on my chest.
A Flair for Fear
A short story I wrote many years ago for no reason other than to disturb my brother.