The gull lifted her wing and winced: the size of an eye, the wound was red and weeping. Inhaling deeply, she blinked and stretched out a leg. It was early morning, the town still and quiet. Across the rooftops the sun was rising, and the ferris wheel glistened in the yolk-orange light. This is happening, she told herself. Closing her eyes, she attempted to relieve the tightness in her chest, to bring lightness to her breathing, but then a mob of cawing crows swooped down beside her.| The Stinging Fly
Gregor Montgomery, she told me, was a man of such standing, of such unimpeachable gravitas, that no matter the location of a party, he was surely known by at least two attendees in any given room at any given time before his arrival, such had his legend spread. All who had heard of this icon, … Continue reading "The Gregor Montgomery"| The Stinging Fly
There’s a place on the road to the west where there’s a car park for a lake. Traffic signs announce a viewpoint with little triangles that are supposed to show there’s something nice to look at. People stop in the car park and sit on the grass drinking tea from flasks. We used to go there, when my children were younger. | The Stinging Fly
The noise from the pub cuts off abruptly as the door swings shut. She hesitates, not knowing where he has parked his car, and he gestures up the road towards the square. His other hand lifts towards, although does not quite touch, the small of her back.| The Stinging Fly
The alarm sounds. Waves three, four, five times the height of the two brothers roll towards them from the deep end. Low hum of the machine that generates the waves from somewhere unseen. Shankill Leisure Centre. Their father has brought them here, sits in the viewing gallery in his Liverpool tracksuit while the boys jump into the waves from the shallow end. The younger brother has never seen him in swimming trunks, let alone in the water. He doesn’t want to believe it but he’s sure their ...| The Stinging Fly
It’s in the car park we bump into them. I stand back like the other man, before our wives can have a go at introducing us. He makes a business out of locking up their Focus and I bend down to tie my youngest’s shoelace. Then I see the second one is loose, so I go to undo it and tie it again. It’s hard to get the double knot in it to come free and she won’t keep her leg still. The other man has found a smudge on his wing mirror so he’s at that with a lick of spit and a tissue. His fa...| The Stinging Fly