by Rae Cod

‘What do you mean you lost the baby?’ asked Alicia, her wide eyes begging Charmaine to get to the punchline.

‘I popped it down right there,’ shrugged Charmaine, pointing at a spot on an oversized sofa, ‘while I ordered a smoothie, by the time I’d turned around it was gone.’ She took a slurp of her drink and eyed Alicia warily.

‘Well, it’s not like it could’ve wandered off on its own, is it?!’ cried Alicia.

Charmaine suddenly found something interesting on the toe of her shoe.

‘Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…we lost a baby, we are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!’

Charmaine patted Alicia’s shoulder consolingly.

‘It’ll turn up, probably just some idiot’s idea of a prank. Smoothie?’ she proffered the cardboard cup towards Alicia but lowered it gingerly as Alicia’s carefully manicured eyebrows hit her hairline.

‘How can you be so calm about this, Charmaine?’ she asked, wringing her hands…

by Rae Cod

He knelt before her and took her liver-spotted hands in his, as gently as if he was collecting an injured bird. His eyes hadn’t changed since he was a baby, but what a strong young man he’d become. It wasn’t fair he had to carry this on his shoulders, but she could ease his burden.

‘Nonna, we have to go now, I’m sorry.’

She looked at him gently, but her voice was firm as she spoke.

‘I am staying here Nicolai.’

‘Nonna, please…’

‘I am Katrina Van de Vars,’ she interrupted him, ’our family have lived here for five hundred years,five hundred yearsNicolai. I know that doesn’t mean much to you now, but it will one day. It will. I am not made for change any longer. I will stay. If there is a way to salvage our lives here, I will find it and…

by Rae Cod

Millie followed the path around the trees as she had done every morning for the last six days. Six days surrounded by people but totally alone. She’d expected the silence to be heaven, but her own mind seemed determined to create torment. Six days down, four to go.

First, she convinced herself she’d left the iron on at home. By the time she got to day five she was pretty certain the whole of the outside world had been annihilated by a zombie apocalypse, but she couldn’t know for certain because she didn’t have her phone, though her hand kept going to her pocket anyway, she could almost feel it, like a phantom limb.

Why had she signed up for this course? The flyer said it would connect you with your true self.

If that’s what I’m experiencing, then my true self is more neurotic than a…

by Rae Cod

‘Get back into bed, love,’ hushed Ayla’s mother bustling into the room. Caught in the act, legs dangling, toes stretched in anticipation of freedom. She’d almost made it.

‘Aw, come on Mama, I’m fine, look at me!’ Ayla jumped up and broke into a round of star jumps, dressing gown flapping to reveal sheep patterned pyjamas.

‘That’s not what your well-link says. If you don’t rest up, you could become seriously ill.’

‘Says who?’

‘Says whatever health rhythm is running that link!’ cried her mum, exasperated by her daughter’s complete lack of concern for her own well-being.  ‘The rhythms were created for a reason, Ayla.  I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you, not after your brother.’

Ayla’s bounce fled and she sat down heavily on the bed, guilt twisting her gut as she met her mother’s eyes, where dark circles reflected shades of fear.

‘This…

by Rae Cod

Martin knew the saying; once man’s trash is another’s treasure, but it always amazed him the items that people discarded. Dropping it at the charity shop made them feel better about it, but make no mistake, if all the charity shops closed tomorrow it would be on the rubbish heap.

That’s how much stuff people were drowning in these days, he thought, so much they didn’t know what to do with it. On a typical day, they’d get board games, teddy bears, designer clothes with the labels on them, books, DVDs. That was just the normal stuff. Then you had the weird and (not so) wonderful; the see-through trouser suit (that one sold to a gentleman in a non-see-through pinstriped suit, the toilet seat (binned), the set of false teeth (also binned) and once a box of ashes that turned out to be the family dog, returned…