Exclusive short story: Who Forgets Childhood; Poem - The Tragedy; Shoeless Joe; Adventures in LovE - part 19 LIVE!: Tales From The UniversE No 36 - this newsletter from Copenhagen
An arcadia of imagination
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1. Adventures in LovE - out now!!!
My tale of sun-baked romance, crime, dancing, and teenagers Nancy and Joey boosting 1,000 ecstasy tablets from Lancaster’s Mr Big and punting these out and trying to flee to a Balearic isle for the rest of their lives is LIVE - 1st week FREE; 19th part AVAILABLE NOW (each week there is a PDF of the story so far for new readers).
Purchase an annual subscription to my Substack for £50 (10% cheaper than monthly) and receive a free autographed copy of my first novel, Night Time Cool.
2. Who Forgets Childhood
‘see the picture of us on the swing’
He saw it in his kid - the way his kid kept stuff internal already and he remembered his own private heartbreaks as a child, the quiet disappointments, embarrassments.
Christmas time in town, feeling the torment of poverty, the department stores with their glistening displays, toys that shone and were as from a fairytale he was desperate to step into but were for other children only.
There on a stand in the store that looked out onto the town square that was covered in snow white and magic. A pair of Muhammed Ali boxing gloves - the picture on the box a portrait of poise action excitement glory glamour two gleaming red leather gloves that spoke to him of what a life can be and how a life can be and of a mystical existence that would be realised if only Father Christmas could drop these pugilist mittens down his chimney on 25 December.
‘Mummy,’ he said to his mother who held his hand, ‘can i put these on my list for Santa Claus?’
He pointed; his mother looked where he pointed; he saw her face drop and didn’t know why yet, somehow, did.
‘Sure, darling of course.’
He smiled but it didn’t feel like a smile.
He picked the box up and turned it over. On this side a picture of Muhammed Ali lit in a dazzle of neo-noir lights stood in a boxing ring the canvas as if a Broadway stage the gloves fitted to fists that came out of the photograph as if about to hit him kerpow! smash! biff! bash! bang!
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