Fiction & Nonfiction
One has his own course another is on hers. What are the chances that they shall ever meet? How many dimensions are they moving through? What forces are acting upon them? An astronomical chance, a seemingly infinite number. But it still happens. They meet, connect, and bond.
Words © Neil Hayes and neilhayeswrites
How did I end up with such a weirdo for a landlord? Why couldn’t I have got the nice old lady who would bake me the occasional cake? That’s what Ben got. Me? I got the ghost. I call him that because of the permanent grey pallor which he displays. It gives me the creeps every time I see him. If I have to talk to him I can feel the cold sweat begin to form on my forehead even as I approach. And now this. The rent is due and my account is empty. A lack of planning has caused an imbalance in the cashflow situation. So I have to ask for an extension from Mr Friendly.
Standing outside his door gives me a sense of dread like no other. Whenever I have to visit, which is infrequently, just knocking on the door takes an extreme act of will. When he opens his door it is always just a crack, he obviously prefers to conduct business on your threshold rather than his. Every time I have knocked on his door I have sensed something, like a chill, and this time is no different.
Once he opens the door I explain the situation. I have always been a good tenant, this is a one off situation, it will never happen again. He nods, but then shakes his head.
“All debts must be paid,” he says, “somehow.”
Continue reading “All Debts Must Be Paid : Short Story”
Bright sparks returning. Without them life is tame. Days pass with a seeming calm. Once home you know what you missed. No sparks, no fire.
Words © Neil Hayes and neilhayeswrites
The world is full of myriad opinions at the moment. Everything from Covid to Black Lives Matter elicit different points of view. Some of which are articulated in an extremely hostile manner. Nobody seems to be considering the fact that both sides of any argument could be correct, at least about something.
Alas, we seem to be living in a world where if a person says something you disagree with, then they must be full of shit about everything else too. Sorry about the language, but only that truly expresses the rage which you often see. The problem is that when we take sides we seem to assume that there are only two. But this is not a war between countries, or a sport, and this is not a two-dimensional world. Would you want it to be?
Continue reading “Points of View”
Blue and beaten down. Sorrow cauterises my soul. Else it could bleed out. Can a man's essence bleed into the ground? Not just the red, but the marrow of a man. Harden, sear, and survive. If that is the only way, is it worth the price?
Words © Neil Hayes and neilhayeswrites
