Good morning all,
Haiku loaded, primed, and ready to fire…
Fug
Peat smoke fug, hanging
Snug against slate roofs and thatch.
Fishing boats bobbing.
Forgotten
Red-rimmed, rheumy eyes
Scan corona-haunted streets.
Freedom forgotten
Things I’ve read this week…
Chris Hall’s fantastic piece of speculative fiction ‘Summoning the Rain‘ is the latest in her San Man series. It is such an atmospheric piece of writing that you can almost smell the campfire in the darkness. This is writing full of earth and dirt and sky – an absolutely brilliant piece.
‘Twelfth Night‘ by Rosiebooks2009 is a cracking piece of flash fiction set in the depths of winter. It is a wonderfully evoked and beautifully sad story that is pitch perfect. The best stories are always the most simple ones, and there is not a wasted word in this tale. Well worth a moment of your time.
*Thanks for reading, folks. Images courtesy of Mount Pleasant Granary and Needpix.*
Matthew Richardson is a writer of short stories. His work has featured in Gold Dust magazine, Literally Stories, Near to the Knuckle, McStorytellers, Penny Shorts, Soft Cartel, Whatever Keeps the Lights On, and Shooter magazine. He is a PhD student at the University of Dundee, a lucky husband, and a proud father.
Not necessarily in that order.
Matthew Richardson 
Thanks for the lovely mention, Matthew. I appreciate your very kind words. 🙂
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Not at all, Chris. Couldn’t not link to that piece of writing
It was wonderful!
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Finally!!! 😉🎉🎉🎉🎉
“Haiku loaded, primed, and ready to fire…”
Omg. Swoonerama. Best opening line ever. 🤩👍
I adore Fug. Such a grey but cosy ambiance. *Adore* it.
As a side note, being the web rabbit that I am, I also clicked through your footnote link to the image source for that one, and wowzers, does that Granary place ever have a to-die-for library room. Inspiring. 😍
I agree with the vibe in Forgotten. It’s kinda scary the way the borders are closing. First 911 now this. Feels like the Handmaid’s Tale in slow-mo.
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Thanks so much Nadine. I totally agree about the Granary. Don’t ask me how I landed on that particular image but I definitely want to visit! 😁
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p.s. Very cool that your Twitter feed is now at the bottom of the post!!
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The achievement belies my platinum technophobe status!
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😂well, your phrasing of that makes up for any implied reluctances/deficiencies!
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Nice wee haikus, matthew. Corona haunted streets coming soon. Cheers
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Cheers Peter. Let’s hope not but looks like it’ll hit us in Glasgow before long!
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Yeah, could be lockdown quite soon. Chance to get on with some writing! Cheers
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I’m back here because I just looked up Fug and found out it’s actually an existing word, which I did not know before. I’d thought it was a made-up, to mean “ponderous fog of vague Fear, Uncertainty and General obfuscation.” Anyhewls, I like your cheerful attitudes above, about corona. Above every cloud, the sun is shining. Time to make hay. 🌤✍️;))
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Totally agree. If worst case scenario happens at least there will be time for more writing!
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You are a marvel– an aesthetic pendulum with the sway of words. Anand Bose from Kerala
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Very kind Anand. That means a great deal.
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