fiction – The female perspective

Grease

I’ve just woken up. My eyes blink and a grey ceiling is above me, speckled with black splodges, and a stringy cobweb in the corner. My hangover lingers in the background, like a radio on low volume, threatening to ruin the day, but not bad enough to stop me from sitting up and looking aroundContinue reading “Grease”

As I

As I watch a screen You are outside roaming As I sit in my shower You walk the streets, drifting As I jump to conclusions You walk without conscience As I stare in the mirror You order another As I put on more makeup You pay the bill for both As I lie hungover You’reContinue reading “As I”

ELLA1

When Ella was twenty-five, she joined an acting group. Though outgoing and vivacious, she found it hard to make herself known and truly connect with those around her in her first few months there. She had a budding passion for theatre. She wanted starring roles in shows, but felt neither bold nor integrated enough inContinue reading “ELLA1”

Temporary part four

When I make it back to the kitchen, I start setting out the fruit. Half of it in the basket, half of it in the cupboards. Seven bananas in the basket. Five apples. Five oranges. A bunch of grapes. Men slip in and out behind me, pouring themselves cups of coffee. Some of them talkContinue reading “Temporary part four”

Good copy

My job as a copywriter consists of making language simple. Long words have to be cut down into shorter ones. Anything vague or “not to the point” needs to be condensed and pulverised into something that resembles good writing, but is actually a regurgitation of another agency’s ideas. Every word is for the purpose ofContinue reading “Good copy”

Temporary part three

Joanne takes her fob and opens the door to the main office. There are lines of rectangular desks and rows of balding heads, eyes down. I traipse after her cautiously, adjusting my skirt, not wanting to stray in front of her. I can hear a slight murmur ripple across the room. A few heads liftContinue reading “Temporary part three”

Temporary part two

The ground floor of the Apex looks a bit like a hotel. There are two receptionists sitting chatting, and to the left is a room filled with chairs and comfy benches where people might sit if they were waiting for someone. I contemplate sitting down, pretending that I’m a visitor, and that I won’t beContinue reading “Temporary part two”