A bell chimes softly as you enter the coffee shop on Kingsland Road. On the wall hangs a sign you've seen countless times before—a dancing bean that says 'Welcome to the Happy Bean.' The girl with dreadlocks behind the counter…

The sun burned relentlessly from a cloudless sky and the smell of heated tar wafted through the air as I climbed the steps to the platform. The station was a brick building with ornamental gables atop the "golden hill", so named after the barley fields…

'All right, Cass, spill it. What’s this serious matter you wanted to talk to me about?'

Cassandra stirred her coffee, her gaze fixed on the cup. We had met at university fifteen years before and been best friends ever since, but I had never seen her so uneasy… 

My colleague Franziska clears her throat and nods towards the glass door that separates our open-plan office from the hallway. Through the pane, I see my boss grinning his horse smile as he shakes hands with a man dressed in a white shirt and beige chinos…

No slideshow of beloved faces and memories flashed through Jillian’s mind in the seconds before her bonnet collided with the unyielding tree trunk and as her head slammed into the deploying airbag, it was freed of any thought…

P. Higgins was written in bold letters on the nameplate of the broken doorbell. I had already rung three times hearing no resonance from inside, so I went for a more practical approach and banged my fist against the door. 

Nothing. SHIT…

All through her schooldays, Evelyn couldn’t wait to leave her home town, and once she did, she never went back. But as she stared at the letter, she realized she might have to. 

She walked to the window and looked at her garden with its straggling rose bushes, the letter dangling between her fingertips…

“Ha Chico, look who’s here.” Pablo giggled like a hyena as he nudged Steve with his elbow, who almost dropped the tray of empty wine glasses he was carrying back to the bar. Steve gave his colleague an annoyed look before turning in the direction Pablo was gesturing…