A small selection of my Living on the Edge collection from over the years with their stories…
Living on the Edge 145; the Weight of the World
Penny was not given to exaggeration but lately her share of the pie was feeling more and more onerous. And it wasn’t a fabulous cherry pie that one might go back for a second helping of. It was a heavy, stodgy pie that tasted of overbaked socks. She had dealt with the phone company and the bank, the doctor and the middle child’s school, the internet and the plumbing along with a multitude of other annoyances that she didn’t have space to remember.
But today, she decided that enough was enough. Before she was squashed flat by the sheer weight of it all, she would have to start letting things go…
Living on the Edge 135; The House on the Strand
Philip had stood on the Strand for longer than he cared to recall. During his life he’d seen many things and weathered many storms. He passed the time with the others talking about everything from great matters of state to smaller worries and snippets of gossip the breeze brought them. He enjoyed dropping little pebbles of knowing into the conversation and watching the ripples radiate from it. Or, now that Blaine had joined them, being drowned by a great boulder of loud ignorance dive bombing in from the other side…
Living on the Edge 114; the North Wind Doth Blow
When the north wind blew across the peninsula like this Clifford and Wendy knew it meant only one thing; the snows were coming. They pulled their roofs down over their windows and held on for dear life. Wendy gently hummed in an attempt to keep herself calm whilst she looked for her green eyeshadow, it was more flattering in winter light than the blue. She bore the brunt of the weather even though she was smaller than Clifford and the storm was forecast to go on for yet three more days. Still. What was three days of battering winds when your view was second to none?…
Living on the Edge 100; Out of Print
From his high-rise roost Sol could see for miles, or at least he used to be able to before his sight had started to deteriorate. Recently he had been thinking about booking an appointment with the optician to have a test and see if he was needing spectacles. Trouble was he knew that as soon as he vacated his spot at the top it would immediately be taken by some young up-starter home and he hadn’t got the will to begin all over again at the bottom…
Living on the Edge 96; the Tale of Tao
When Tao had found his forever home he’d been so happy that he cried for 3 days. It had felt like home right from the start and he went about settling in immediately. He wanted nothing more than to spend his time in his own company listening to the changing seasons and enjoying whatever time he had left. The trouble came when his hideout was discovered by some locals who were out looking for the answers to difficult questions. When they happened upon Tao it was clearly apparent to them that he knew the secret of contentment; they had found the wise soul of the mountain. Word of his wisdom and kindness trickled down the mountain reaching the ear of every troubled mind near and far.
Nowadays it was commonplace to find a queue of the lost, worried and bewildered winding up the steep slope waiting for Tao to wake and speak his truth. This morning Tao opened his windows and sighed; his truth was he too was now a little bewildered, tired and running out of tea…
Living on the Edge 93; the Birdhouse of Alcatraz
When Gregory had stepped out to retrieve the bins that morning he had little expected that he would be arrested and imprisoned for he knew not what. He knew he was a rarity but this was beyond the pale. He surveyed his new surroundings and decided that if life was going to hand him lemons then, as the popular saying suggested, he would make lemonade. For a long while now he’d been thinking that he’d like to write his memoirs and here, presenting itself on a plate, was the ideal time…
Living on the Edge 92; the Constant Gardener
Paul’s patience and ability to adapt had been sorely tried. So far this year he’d done battle with the frosts, with drought, with the aphids, saw fly and vine weevil all on his steeply sloped plot. Today the north wind had strengthened to a veritable gale and his garden had taken to the air roots and all. Where others before him would have wept in despair and simply given up Paul calmly wired and tied his precious blooms to the earth and attached his new heightener. He had invented it back in the autumn knowing it would come in handy one day and here was his chance to try it out. He rose by several feet and enjoyed his new aerial garden…
Living on the Edge 90; the High Life
Try as he might Oscar couldn’t help feeling that he’d been short-changed, or possibly even duped, by his siblings. It had all sounded very charming: a place near the sea, the sound of the waves to lull him to sleep and the promise of reforming the tight knit little family unit that they’d enjoyed as children. Following the various traumas and troubles each of them had endured after leaving the nest, their reunion would provide friendship, support and cake for one another. But now, as he dangled precariously from the underside of the cliff, he began recalling darker times… like the time his sisters had used him as bait for a trick they were playing on the neighbour’s dog…
Living on the Edge 89; Paradise Lost
You would have thought that Giovanni would be happy. And he was really. He lived on a tiny island in an aquamarine sea with nigh on perfect weather. Every day. The only things to irritate him were Laura’s insistence on shouting at seagulls and Padre Francisco’s monthly discos. But this afternoon a small boat had sailed in to view and was anchored just off shore, and he couldn’t help but wonder what else was out there…
Living on the Edge 84; Around Here
The village of Little Leaning had awoken that morning to a tragedy. Audrey had somehow managed to lean too far, she had lost her footing and plummeted to the valley below. The villagers stood open mouthed, a few had gingerly edged themselves over the cliff side to see if anything could be done but it became apparent that Audrey was no more. Word of the incident quickly spread through the village and the local constabulary was summoned. But in the back street a murmuring had begun… this was no accident, Audrey had been pushed…
Living on the Edge 81; What Goes Around
When Titus ran away to join the circus, some twenty four years ago, he had never imagined that one day the circus would run away from him. But there he was alone on the hill. He cried enormous, salty tears which rolled down the hill towards the village below causing Keith to call an emergency meeting about flood defences. Meanwhile Rita and Maggie ventured up armed with handkerchiefs and a freshly baked apple pie…
Living on the Edge 62; He Said, She Said
The row had been a big one, it felt like the end. She stood, absolutely furious, watching him walk away. She believed she could see smoke rising from his head where her words had burnt him…
Living on the Edge 54; The Hangout
I was quietly about to start something new just now when I eaves dropped on the following conversation… “For pity’s sake Arthur will you stop messing about?”
“But I have found my calling my love” he replied “I am becoming a high wire artist. Don’t rain on my parade, come and join me. I’m sure you could balance on my roof with a little practice”… I heard Gillian sigh a long sigh and I thought I’d leave them to it…
Living on the Edge 51; For Those in Peril on the Sea
There had been a great deal of heartache, almost more than Manny could bear. It had taken a great deal of courage and a great deal yet more would be necessary. But Manny, with his wife and family, set sail for what he hoped would be a better life. The great ocean lay before them and deep in its belly a whale said a silent prayer…
Living on the Edge 7; The Christmas Circus