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Circles of Separation: Contract

Whenever you feel a spark of love or goodwill towards another person, feed it so that it will grow.

Chapter 68: Being Watched

Another week had passed. Still no word from Amira. Gabriel drove to Waldmeer again. As he entered the bungalow, he had the uneasy feeling of being watched. He looked at the stacked boxes from the Darnall Curiosity Shop. I don’t know why Amira has to keep all this junk from her great aunts, he thought. He moved closer to the stack and was about to open one of the boxes when he heard a loud call from the forest. Walking to the door, he spotted two eagles, in a nearby tree, gazing at him.

“Who are you?” said a woman at Amira’s back door.

“Who are you?” asked Gabriel in surprise. The woman was about forty with dark, curly hair and the sort of focused, intelligent eyes that belong to a driven, uncompromising person. Continue reading “Circles of Separation: Contract”

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Together: Writing as Co-Creation

One of the wonderful things about writing fiction is that we have complete freedom to be as honest and blunt as we feel is necessary to get across an idea. The reader never knows which bits of a story are fictitious and which are true. There is an immunity to story writing which nonfiction does not have. The latter can, generally, not maintain the same sort of freedom due to concerns of hurting others or defamation lawsuits. Continue reading “Together: Writing as Co-Creation”

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Together: Fame

Chapter 50: Words

Gabriel had started dating again; male and female. He didn’t sleep with any of them. These days, he was too old to imagine that one can sleep with another person without paying the price. He wasn’t willing to pay that price; so he didn’t. Amira had explained to him about her upcoming trip to Los Angeles. In a week, it would be school holidays. She was going to take Marilyn and Bianca with her to the States so that they could see their father. Everything had been arranged.

“My Eraldus lease is coming up for renewal,” said Gabriel to Amira when next he was in Waldmeer. Since Paul moved out, there was only Gabriel in the house. “The house is way too expensive for me on my own but I don’t have any clear idea of where to go next.” Continue reading “Together: Fame”

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Together: Hope / Peace

HOPE

Chapter 44: Opportunity

Teresa had eight, big bags lined up. They were full of her rich-clothes from the years with Arthur. Two by two, she took the bags down the stairs, past her own bookshop, to the Op Shop a few doors away. When the shop assistant started unpacking them and saw the expensive brand names, she looked at Teresa enquiringly. Continue reading “Together: Hope / Peace”

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Together: Touched

Chapter 39: Miss You

Amira was admiring a different generation of sweet peas. This lot were winding up the footpath railing and onto the front doorsteps. They seemed to be singing a soft, repetitive song. Tell him you miss him. Tell him you miss him.

After a while, Amira caught on and replied, “No, I won’t.”

Tell him you miss him.

“No, he’s married.”

Tell him you miss him. Continue reading “Together: Touched”

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Together: One Year On

Chapter 35: Accident

One year had passed. There had been a little accident. Perhaps, accident was not quite the right word, but little was. Farkas was standing by Ide’s bed in Waldmeer Hospital. They were both staring adoringly at their brand new baby boy. Farkas had hoped for a little girl but, regardless, the intensity of his feelings of love for and protectiveness over the child surprised him. Ide had secretly known it was a boy. Her Clinker instinct told her. If that had not told her, the look on the ultrasound technician’s face, many months ago, gave it away. She had worked in hospitals too long to not be able to read the silent language of its professionals. Still, they had agreed to let it be a revelation at birth so Ide kept it in her heart. Continue reading “Together: One Year On”

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Together: Petals and Sweet Peas

Chapter 33: Enough

Amira and Ide were sitting at Ide’s kitchen table in her new house. “Sorry, it’s still such a mess,” said Ide.

“Not at all,” said Amira. “It’s coming along really well. I must tell you that you have inspired me with a big change. After you explained to me about your budget and how the new house came about, I started to think about my own situation. Continue reading “Together: Petals and Sweet Peas”