The Boat

Water, water, everywhere, but not inside me; my organs, these vitals, they rattle like dusty pebbles. I understand those tubercular poets of the 19th century. In a slow decline, you reach for the pen...

'The Boat' by Hugh Fulham-McQuillan is a humorous story set against the backdrop of the post-Celtic Tiger recession, with its hero and his companions attempting to take a relaxing sun holiday at a seaside resort of repossessed properties and abandoned boats. With a single copy of Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim to entertain them, the companions strike out on a seafaring excursion that will test their survival skills and their friendships. CLICK HERE TO READ 'THE BOAT'.

Drayman

Not until he was past the Deluxe did Teo notice the absolute quiet of the garden... Stepping along the perimeter he followed low, unintelligible wisps of voices in the air to the edge of the hill. Their backs to him in a closed phalanx, the patrons stood pointing towards the low horizon. Following the imperative of their fingertips, Teo turned to see in the distance tall, gossamer spirals of smoke rising like dried weed stalks here and there in the town.

October 2013's issue is a harrowing tale of an 'everyman' living in the Philippines in the 1940s, caught in an invasion by Japanese soldiers. The struggle for survival, the pain of witness and the question 'Am I my brother's keeper?' are themes deeply explored in Karl Shaddox's tale. The plight of Teo, a contemporary Sisyphus, will not be easily forgotten by readers of 'Drayman'.  CLICK HERE TO READ 'DRAYMAN'.