Tales From The Town #110: Summer Snow

Late afternoon turned to early evening. Cherry blossom falling like summer snow.

***

When Eleonora first came to the town, everything was knee deep in snow for a whole week. Ever since she always thought the town, the true town, only exists in winter. The rest of the year all she sees is the bones beneath its fur.

***

Anna and Oya dreamt of confetti at a wedding both were too lazy to organise.

***

“On the moon we made our own snow,” Selene said wistfully. “By throwing dust up into the sky and letting gravity do the rest.”

***

Early evening turned to night. Shooting stars sparkling like celestial snow.

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Notes:

1. Written April 25th, 2023

Tales From The Town #109: Market Stall

“How much is that?”

“A pound.”

“How much is that?”

“A pound.”

“How much is that?”

“A pound. Everything’s a pound,” Simon said, simultaneously pointing to the sign that said, “Everything £1”.

“Oh,” said Claire. She opened up her palm a fraction and counted out her coins again. “Urgh. Wait, how much is that?”

“A pound.”

“They can’t ALL be a pound!?”

“A pound.”

“This is so unfair!”

“A pound. Everything’s a pound.”

“I told Daniel we shouldn’t have bought those penny sweets!”

“A pound.”

“But we bought those penny sweets!”

“A pound.”

“I DON’T EVEN LIKE PENNY SWEETS!”

“A pound,” said Simon, dreaming of pounds. “Everything’s a pound.”

__________

Notes:

1. Written on March 30th, 2023

Tales From The Town #108: Seven Unrelated Incidents From Around The Town On A Bank Holiday Weekend In Early May

1. Lucy stood on the pier and looked out to sea. She did not care what was currently occurring behind her. The smoke of flames and ghosts neither mingle nor mix.

2. The dogs ran beneath the moons at noon, howling at every single one with a joy that was hard for any human heart to possess.

3. Yulia lay in a boat at the harbour and dreamed a dream of a dream within a dream, waking luxuriously from each one over the course of an especially decadent hour. Even the mermaid was jealous.

4. Smoke billowed up like volcanic clouds from the centre of town. Alarms sounded and were subsequently ignored.

5. The blinds in the mayor’s office opened briefly for a moment, then closed again before anyone had noticed.

6. The whale looked at the penguin and the penguin looked at the whale and the whale looked at the penguin and the penguin looked at the whale and not once did they blink or back down.

7. Edith’s barbecue clearly did not go as planned, but she insisted afterwards that in fact it absolutely had.

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Notes:

1. Written on May 17th, 2022

Tales From The Town #107: A Skeleton In A Spacesuit

The skeleton in the spacesuit stands at the entrance to the pier. The stitches are unravelling, the helmet fogged, the insignia faded to the point of illegibility, but still it works. Put in a pound and it laughs and laughs. It even gives an awkward little wave.

No one has ever put in a pound nor ever will.

_________

Notes:

1. Written on March 23rd, 2023