Achievements (15)
Stories (932)
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Hawai'i
Celestial dart; Infinity torn by light As waves wash the land.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Poets
Matt's Dilemma
Matt I wake up again. It's the same thing that's jolted me awake. Every time. I've told my wife it's sleep apnoea and she seems to have accepted it. She's made a comment about going to the doctor but I've managed to stave that off, for now. I don't need a machine muzzling me every night. That's not going to stop the nightmares.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Cwtch
Cwtch (like butch but with a slightly longer "oo" sound) My chosen word is Welsh and is a word which I never used at home, as despite being Welsh, my parents never spoke the Welsh language. I would imagine that ancestors of mine did but I only learnt very basic Welsh at school as was required by the curriculum and I wish I knew more. It is something that I have always regretted. I know a smattering but nothing that would enable me to hold a conversation and it is a notoriously difficult language to learn. However, despite my lack of proficiency in it, I have a connectedness to it that I feel in my blood with its harsh sounds and its sing-song rhythm. Indeed, when I hear it especially in the national anthem of Wales, I feel it like a cwtch, which means a cuddle or embrace, with a sense of offering warmth and safety.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Rachel Reviews: The Sacrifice by Indrajit Garai
This small collection of short stories is a great place to begin exploring the works of Indrajit Garai and his gentle prose. These three longer-style stories introduce themes that permeate all of the previous works I have read by him: living with poverty; striving for better; good prevailing in the face of adversity; family supporting family.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in BookClub
Answers?
Katie I open the door and a woman is standing there. It takes me a moment to realise who she is and I watch as her face goes through a range of expressions: determination, the readiness for a fight; puzzlement, a surprise that has taken her aback; hope, a light that unknits her features; realisation, a hammer to the face that crushes it.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Secrets Rising.... Content Warning.
Luke I'm spent. Carved out. My mouth feels dry and my teeth woolly. Rough. But sober, the bottle reflecting warm mahogany. This is emotional exhaustion but despite it, I feel a spark of gladness at being and it refills me with something. Hope?
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Hell's Doorstep. Content Warning.
She's asked me the question that I've dreaded. But we swore that day we'd never tell and I'm not starting now. The Scotch is peeping out of the bag and it takes all my nerve not to grab it. Instead, I suppress the urge to confess, to drink, to scream, as I've trained myself and I avert my eyes from hers, stare at my coffee and shake my head.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
An Honest Question
My hand on her arm steadies her but I could do with some support myself. I can't just leave her here and so, we pay for our shopping and then, with my arm around her shoulder, I take her to the café for a coffee. She's looking less spectral now but she feels small to me. It makes me feel sad. Life has sucked what it can out of her but she's still battling.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
