Threshold – Written by Rain Foley

My booted feet cross the threshold, one foot after the other, the warmth of the house behind me and a promising chill ahead of me.

The grey skies tell tales of rain to come, the cold breeze silently concurs. My feet appear to have a mind of their own, and I am led to follow.

I feel the soft drops of rain on my face as I walk away from the seven detached homes, softly cocooned by large trees in a quiet cul-de-sac tucked away from the main road.

The ground slopes and curves beneath my feet as I head down towards the little corner shop at the bottom of the road. To my left is a tall stone wall, white with shades of grey where the weather has left its mark. To my right, a beautiful evergreen fence that runs along the length of the road. The raindrops on the leaves look like glistening crystals as the light dances around them. There is the distant sound of cars driving past, children playing in their yards and the beautiful tweeting of birds.

The smell of baked bread and brewing coffee is not lost to me. It is the sole reason I set out to begin with.

Words: 206

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Barking Mad – Written by Stella Turner

I was beginning to really dislike taking the dog for a walk. Off the lead, he’d race for the biggest tree in the park. Sit in the shade that formed from its leaves and bark.

Honestly it was more like a howl. He’d look at me with doleful eyes. I’m sure if he could speak he’d say something like “For God’s sake woman you should know why I’m barking at this tree”

Looking up, I couldn’t see anything different with this tree to the rest. No cat stranded in its branches. I even thought about bringing a spade and digging around the roots.

Was he turning into a sniffer dog, a cadaver dog, my imagination was running riot.

I began to investigate other trees. It was turning into a hobby. I bought a little book so I could put names to each one. The dog stopped wanting to go out with me preferring to go with my partner. I didn’t miss his company.

I stopped going to work, stopped cooking. Eating shop-bought sandwiches on the run, in between trees. Stopped washing, stopped anything that delayed me looking for that one special tree. Today I looked up to the sky and between the branches I could see a cloud in the shape of a dog biscuit. Now I knew my dog had been barking up the wrong tree.

Words: 227

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