Flatting isn’t always bad. When flat veterans are in a more mellow mood, they will talk to each other, in hushed and reverent tones, about the Flat of Legend. Somewhere in the mists of Aro Valley, up a leafy side street, there is the Flat of Legend. On winter nights when the Pleiades shine unimpaired, […]
Entries Tagged as 'shortfic'
The Flat of Legend
May 14th, 2010 2 Comments
Tags: old city · real estate · social mores · unreal estate · welly at its best
My Squalor Was More Squalid
May 12th, 2010 1 Comment
Winona has joined Will and his co-workers for after work drinks. One of them has asked where Winona is working, and gotten more than he bargained for as she describes her ongoing interviewing experiences with the Department of Stodge. “…so then I spent all afternoon taking those bizarre employment-fitness psychological tests. The ones where they […]
Tags: beer · real estate · social mores · will · winona
The Starfish
May 11th, 2010 1 Comment
“Get in the car! I said, get in the car! Get in the car NOW!†Helena Hutt takes the deep breaths familiar to any mummy trying very hard not to scream at the children. Right now she is driving them all to an ear specialist doctor, 30 minutes and a parking nightmare away in Newtown. […]
Tags: geography · helena · romance · social mores
The Department of Stodge
May 5th, 2010 1 Comment
Sit bolt upright on the edge of your seat, rigid as a post, and you’ll have the same posture as Winona, who is in the middle of her job interview. On her way in, she surveyed the Department’s location with interest. They are tucked into the bad side of an office tower in the middle […]
Tags: government · jobs · old city · winona
Makes A House A Kiwi Home
May 3rd, 2010 1 Comment
In Willow’s living room, her friend Winona and her new acquaintance Wazzer are all arcing over a basket. Wazzer, driving her ’92 Nissan, has given Winona a lift out. Upon receiving Willow’s message, there was no time to waste. Winona leans over the basket, eyes wide with adoration. “Who’s an ickle bitty baby? Who’s the […]
Tags: real estate · wazzer · willow · winona
Craft Fair Chaos
April 30th, 2010 2 Comments
Willow texts Winona and asks if she wants to go to the market this weekend. Winona replies, asking which market? Willow said that she has heard of a farmer’s market that has started up in one of the parks. Winona asks if she means the one in Thorndon, or Te Aro, or on the waterfront? […]
Tags: food · social mores · willow · winona
The Guardian Sphinx
April 28th, 2010 Comments Off on The Guardian Sphinx
It is now Winona’s turn to navigate the intricacies of a job interview. In Wellington, the mushy term “Business Analyst” can be read as “Smart Person Wanted.” So Winona sent in a CV for a position being guarded by an employment agency. Gratifyingly, her cellphone rang two days later. Now, she is facing off across […]
Tags: government · jobs · winona
Landlord’s Perogative
April 26th, 2010 Comments Off on Landlord’s Perogative
Wazzer lives in a rented bungalow in Kilbirnie with a manicurist, a call center worker, and a security/guard bouncer. (Yes, a female bouncer. Be very afraid.) In their late thirties to early forties, they have moved beyond most flatmate dramas: their occasional squabbles have a sisterly tone. There are also two potbellied cats, tabby and […]
Tags: real estate · wazzer
Celebrity Sighting
April 21st, 2010 Comments Off on Celebrity Sighting
Winona is at a cafe and a celebrity comes in. Everyone ignores him. At least, it seems that no one is looking at him directly. Even the waitress sidles up to his table as if she is overcoming peripheral vision difficulties. But a certain abbreviated murmuring goes around. Is that who I…you know…yes, I do […]
The Waiting Space
April 19th, 2010 Comments Off on The Waiting Space
Willow hadn’t minced words about her flat when she offered it to Winona. “It’s the kind of place that you live when you’re saving up for something.†“If everything works out, we’ll just be there for six months, maybe a year,” Winona admits. “I’m sure it’s fine for us.” It is, just barely. This abode […]
Tags: real estate · willow · winona