I plunged my hands into the tempestuous froth. It was dark below, and the liquid had an almost oily sheen that did not encourage touching. The ever-present threat of unseen blades below put me on my guard. This needed to be done, however, and no amount of reticence was going to stop me. I grasped the first slippery ceramic rim as my hand glanced off a submerged steel something. Pulling it into my ...

Elsie had hoped that she would have been able to continue to admire him, a little longer at least. When she'd started working here six months ago, he'd seemed like a respectable man. Maybe a little less well put together than some of the other men in the office, no clean shave every morning, shoes unpolished, not the same manicured gleam that most of them had. But if anything, that leaned in his f...

We sat in our flat grinding quinoa to flour,

Sepia-toned memories of our odd behaviour.

Small batches, hopeless artisans,

Hopeless romances.

Telescopes on balconies looked out over stars and oceans,

but we focused on beaches

kept watch on the spyglass.

Tom Waits kept us company

when no-one else would.

Chess played as we passed in the night,

until our game met its early end

winner undetermined

cou...