and the increasingly questionable future of civilisation. The pub was warm and Greg, who had been studying atmospheric circulation for most of the afternoon, suggested it was probably the accumulated thermal output of seven people drinking beer and explaining things they didn't entirely understand. "Six," said Tony. "There are six of us." "Seven if you… Continue reading Who, why, watt?
Suckers
Marcin put his hand on Greg’s head. “What’s that?” Greg continued buttering his toast. “You’ve had that joke since primary school.” “A brain sucker,” Marcin said. “What’s it doing?” Outside the café, a walking tour had stopped beside a mural. The guide held one hand above his head while his group negotiated the pavement around… Continue reading Suckers
Sprung
The Clarence was still mostly silver. A thin strip of sunlight had reached the far bank. Purple flowers lay across the footpath. “Beautiful,” said Kate. “Slippery,” said Jo. They slowed beside the river. Somewhere behind them a ute started, reconsidered, then started properly. “Australia’s batting, eh,” said Kate. “I was having a nice morning.” “Yes,… Continue reading Sprung
Washed up
The sky over the river has gone that peculiar green-grey that means Brisbane is about to receive several million tonnes of water in no time. The jacarandas are out. Purple flowers scattered across the pavement, stuck to the bottoms of people's shoes. The air is thick, warm, and smells faintly of rain already. Down at… Continue reading Washed up
Fields
On the telly, the commentator said the rain would clear shortly. “Someone should tell him to look out the window,” Marcin said. Behind the commentator, water was pouring off the pavilion roof. “Probably got better information than you,” Adam said. “He’s standing right in it but can't see the forest for the trees.” Isobel shifted… Continue reading Fields
Wizards
The morning had started with the sort of optimism that generally accompanies men who have purchased expensive fishing equipment and have not yet attempted to use it. Early spring had arrived in Norway, although nobody had informed the mountains. Snow still filled the gullies above the fjord, and a cool breeze came down through the… Continue reading Wizards
സ്ഥിരീകരണം
The wind had finally dropped, which was a considerable relief to everyone except Tony, who had spent most of the afternoon complaining there wasn't enough of it. They were sitting behind a low wall of coral stone at the edge of a beach near Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka, where someone had assembled a bar out of… Continue reading സ്ഥിരീകരണം
Sprung
September had done that Sydney thing where it made winter look like an administrative error. The sky over Coogee was offensively blue, the wind had dropped, and the ocean had gone from the hard grey of August to something that looked good enough to swim in. At least if you were looking at it from… Continue reading Sprung
Autumnal
The mountains had moved closer overnight. They always did that. All summer they sat politely at the edge of things, blue and decorative, allowing the valley to pretend it had room. Then September sharpened the air, stripped the haze away and brought their faces forward until the village seemed less built than caught between the… Continue reading Autumnal
¨Rare Earth”
By late afternoon the heat had started coming off the yacht club. Kids were running around the tables, gulls were working the chips, and the water slapped under the dock. Nobody was sailing. Tony came back from the bar with four beers. “Forty-eight fucking dollars.” “Market forces,” said Mitch. “Fuck off.” “Supply and demand.” “There… Continue reading ¨Rare Earth”
