From my writing desk in our spare room I look out across neighbours’ houses and the trees at the edge of the river. My companions in the (joyfully!) solitary pursuit of story-making have been the magpies that bob along the rooftops and occasionally visit my window to check on my focus.
These pied ‘accountability partners’ have worked their way in ones and twos, and sometimes more, into my stories and flashes from the wings to the crackling chorus to centre stage. They have become, at times, a lens through which I have looked at the world and our journeys through it, with all its joy and occasional sorrow.
One day they may gather to signal not sorrow or joy, not secrets or gold, but a collection of tales in which they play a starring, if sometimes covert, role. Several are roosting already in the branches of my laptop, but for now they are more a mischief than a congregation. Only one has ventured out into the world so far, although it’s possible that he hasn’t yet been recognised….
And so, to keep him company, I’m sharing this little tiny flash written a few years ago.
Enjoy!
Hilary Coyne 