She checks the time, and it’s later than she thought. Towards the end of summer, the dawns stay darker for longer. So she draws herself out of bed. Beneath her bare feet, the floor has a fleeting chill. The line of light between the curtains beckons, and she parts it with one hand. Outside is […]
Entries Tagged as 'shortfic'
They’re Percolating In
February 18th, 2011 2 Comments
Helena Hutt is back in the swing of mummying, Wellington style. The organizing white board in the kitchen, after the blissful emptiness of summer, has filled up with grids of who has to be there when. She spends half the day in her car, shuttling small people about. And as she drives, she notices something. […]
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Hot Bread
February 16th, 2011 1 Comment
Every Wellington bachelor has several idée fixes. They vary from bloke to bloke, save for one: that the “hot bread” bakery closest to their abode is the best bakery in the entire Wellington region. Surely it must be so. There’s always a line – it has to be good. The cases are loaded with gleaming […]
Tags: food
My Welly Valentine, II
February 14th, 2011 Comments Off on My Welly Valentine, II
Will and Winona have settled in for a romantic Valentine’s evening. A bottle of good red wine; a thin, crisp pizza; a small box of chocolates; and Will’s iPad, scrolling real estate ads. Together, they are planning their future. “I’d like…a place with some character. Except warm, and insulated, and with heating.” “Walking distance from […]
Tags: real estate · will · winona
If You Had Just Five Minutes, What Would You Say?
February 11th, 2011 1 Comment
That’s the motto of the Ignite event. Wazzer, intrigued by the “evening of speakers” trend that kept taking Willow out in the evening, asked to be brought along one night. Willow put some thought into which one would suit her happy headbanger flatmate best. Pecha Kucha‘s flickering images gave Willow motion sickness, and while Wazzer […]
A Night of Win
February 7th, 2011 2 Comments
Courtenay Place, the night of the Sevens rugby final, is a scene of post-apocalyptic debauchery. Hooting groups of drunkards fumble out of taxis and stagger around, their group costumes the worse for wear after three days. Unwilling to sacrifice a parking place in Mount Victoria, Winona and Will have watched the madness through the safety […]
Tags: romance · the sevens · will · winona
Smells Right
February 2nd, 2011 Comments Off on Smells Right
By the time Winona returns to Wellington, a certain detente has been achieved. She had to quit ignoring her smart phone sometime. Karin sent her home soon after, saying, “If all you’re going to do is poke at the bloody phone…” Three hours of post-holiday traffic and a stop for fish and chips at Paraparaumu […]
The Other Big “0”
January 31st, 2011 Comments Off on The Other Big “0”
On Wellington Anniversary Day, Willow is relaxing in her breakfast nook, enjoying the unique sensation of reading the Dominion Post on her netbook, instead of at her desk at work. A small glass pot of flower jasmine tea is unfurling/brewing on the table, and a happy cat is nestled up beside her. The serenity doesn’t […]
Tags: social mores · wazzer · willow
Good Riddance
January 28th, 2011 Comments Off on Good Riddance
“Mate. Mate! Mate! Calm down!” Will isn’t sure who he’s addressing. Six hours ago, as Ulrika wept, he felt like a hero for saying that he’d help Ulrika tell her now-ex-lover, Wayland, to move out of Ulrika’s flat. He’s in the middle of the hundred-decibel negotiations now, thinking that maybe he got asked along to […]
“For There Is No Friend Like A Sister”
January 26th, 2011 Comments Off on “For There Is No Friend Like A Sister”
It’s midnight. Winona has just finished pacing, unburdening herself to her sister Karin, about how it feels to walk in on your partner with another woman’s face in his lap. The day has been so long and peculiar that it barely registers that she is now in a foundry-cum-studio on the outskirts of Waikanae, talking […]
Tags: drama! · kapiti coast · winona