Author S. K. Nicholas

With the town disappearing in a series of vast ripples, the tree carries us into a strange new world, and yet although changed, the light we seek remains the same. The whole thing reminds me of the music video for Come as You Are, by Nirvana. Those precious three minutes where everything exists in a Read more

Lifting my fingers from the flesh of her shoulder, I trace them over the buildings either side of us. Smudging their outlines, I smear them upwards against the moon, giving the pale rock a ring to match that of Saturn’s, although this one is more beautiful by far. Smearing the road as well as the Read more

She seems mad. She is mad—now more so than ever. It appears as though the current chain of events has driven her to the point of ecstasy. Not a drug-fuelled one, nor one that’s purely sexual, but an ecstasy brought upon by how close we are to that which lies ahead. With her eyes spinning Read more

Bounding along the street, the tree snatches at the sky with its branches as if trying to pull down the stars. It doesn’t succeed, but I do. On tiptoes, I wrap one arm around the trunk and with the other, reach as high as I can into the swirling, infinite sea of mystery. Or is Read more

The tree stomps on a car caked with mud. Pulverised like a squashed mosquito, the glass from its windscreen shimmers before disappearing out of view. Up high, Hachikō howls, and whatever direction he turns his tail, so the tree follows. Hachikō’s keen, observing eyes are seeking a way through the urban maze towards the light Read more

I read the script and didn’t like it. Too wordy. Too grey. Her feet were dirty but biblical, so for a while at least, it was okay. She ate fruit from the holy tree and worshipped Roy Rodgers—read the comics and everything. Reading them beneath the sheets gave her papercuts, but she had a thing Read more

Staggering like a drunk, the tree lurches into the middle of the street. Pulling back one of its more prominent roots, it throws it in the direction of a sparsely illuminated car parked half on the kerb, half off. The car doesn’t stand a chance. Buckling upon impact, it flies upwards before briefly disappearing into Read more

As shards of glass rain down like diamonds on some exotic planet I know the name not of, the tree grumbles as if angry at the obstacles littering its path. Thrashing its branches at whatever dares halt its march, the force of them as they crash against the stained brickwork of the stores and cafes Read more

Rushing and then crashing, the foxes surf the crest of the animal wave. Below them, the trough consists of a throbbing mass of salivating mouths and chattering beaks that snap at the air as if possessed. The faces they belong to remain unseen, and yet they’re not unheard. Louder than waves crashing against prehistoric rocks, Read more

Listening as intently as I can, the flapping of many wings causes Meeko to shake her arms. Like a chicken, she parades about upon her branch—the baby feathers beneath her skin getting a taste of what awaits her. Not today, I don’t think, but some other day that shines on the horizon like a light Read more