Mary moved to a small village on the coast within a year of Vernon’s death. Her friends told her it was too soon, that she ought to wait and not make decisions so hastily but, if anything, she had waited too long. They never had children and Vernon hadn’t been interested in identifying the causeContinue reading “First Love”
Author Archives: Bruce Aiken
Late Male
My phone pinged with a message. I expected it to be a friend, checking in after David’s funeral. ‘Hello Lauren. You think you’ve got away with it, don’t you?’ It was David, but it couldn’t be, we’d just cremated him. Someone had hacked his account. ‘Who is this?’ ‘Did you really think you could murderContinue reading “Late Male”
The Girl outside the Odeon Cinema
An illustration of an Odeon cinema with a girl waiting for a friend outside. This actual building still exists but sadly is no longer a cinema. The period I chose is the mid 1960s so the four advertising posters outside the cinema are all from around that period, being: Marnie, My Fair Lady, Breakfast atContinue reading “The Girl outside the Odeon Cinema”
Sisters
I was seven years old when I decided that it might be better if my parents died, probably in an unfortunate accident. I, of course, would be distraught and everyone would gather round to comfort me. It wasn’t that my parents were cruel or neglectful; in their own way they were perfectly adequate. But IContinue reading “Sisters”
Times Past
Soft summer rains falls on warm grey roads. The black stains fade as the heat evaporates the water and the smell of softened tarmac dominates his senses. He wrinkles his nose, puzzled by why he is there. “Do you want a drink Peter?” He doesn’t know the woman who is talking to him. He doesn’tContinue reading “Times Past”
Until Death
I fell in love with my husband when I was eighteen. Some people said I was too young for him or he was too old for me, but we had three happy years together before I killed him. Soon after we married, Derek bought me a large four-wheel-drive car. It was more like a tractorContinue reading “Until Death”
Brief Encounter
George and I lead a simple life. We talk a lot, or rather, I do. George is quiet, some would say aloof, but I do love him. One morning this summer I drew back the curtains in our bedroom and saw a large ball in the middle of the lawn. Sometimes we would find aContinue reading “Brief Encounter”
Porlock Harbour, Exmoor
This drawing of Porlock Harbour in Somerset, England was made only with coloured pencils. It was a fairly large scale piece of work and is offered as a reproduction in three different sizes. The small detail sections below show the technique of over-layering pencils to create a depth of colour not usually associate with thisContinue reading “Porlock Harbour, Exmoor”
La Joie du Vélo (the joy of cycling)
We see more and more cyclists on the road and more and more lycra. At one time fashion demonstrated by cyclists on holiday might have been less comfortable, but was certainly more elegant. A cycling holiday passing through the Valley of Rocks would have been just as enjoyable and, I suspect, the lower speeds wouldContinue reading “La Joie du Vélo (the joy of cycling)”
Saunton Sands, North Devon
The inspiration for this poster comes from an old 35mm slide taken at Saunton Sands in the early 1980s. The emulsion on the film had deteriorated by the time I rediscovered it and a high res scan, minus a few retouched scratches, developed into this ethereal image of a couple on an otherwise relatively desertedContinue reading “Saunton Sands, North Devon”
