Licking her lips, she can taste every ounce of meaty goodness as it sizzles on the grill ahead. Shaking with excitement as her feet move with a life of their own, she skips past the blurry shapes that come and go through the mist until she finds herself stood before the source of the culinary wonders that had called to her from afar. In one unseen swoop, she stuffs her hand into her pocket to fetch some coins, but when she grasps at nothing, the horror of her situation hits her in the stomach like a fist. It’s her own fault for spending the last of her money on the previous evening’s wine. But still… Gritting her teeth, she blames the world and the god above for her sorrowful situation. It’s everyone else’s fault other than hers. Damn the lot of them for her being poor. Damn them all! The shadowy figure guarding the hotdogs watches her as she watches him with a desperate look on her face. They can’t see each other’s features, only the outlines of their bodies, but she senses he’s all too aware of her poverty. With neither of them moving, she’s about to admit defeat when someone calls out to the vendor from somewhere in the distance. As he turns his head, she doesn’t waste any time in seizing the moment to strike. In the blink of an eye, she reaches out her hand and snatches a hotdog before promptly stuffing it into her pocket. Turning around on her heels, she grins an evil grin and disappears into the mist like a thief in the night ready to swallow whole her stolen treat.

X and I: A Novel and A Journal for Damned Lovers on Amazon UK

X and I: A Novel and A Journal for Damned Lovers on Amazon US