To our left, another door shone through the mist, and as Rusty and I approached, I licked my nose to take the chill out of it before whipping my tail. Peering into the light, the music coming from within made me close my eyes as the moment I bore witness to was as known to… Read more

As the words rolled from Rusty’s tongue, I followed him into the forest. The music carried us as if we were floating on magic carpets, and as we moved through the trees, our paws barely touched the ground. The branches that brushed against my face were like fingers—the fingers of long-dead relatives I hadn’t seen… Read more

“It’s strange,” Rusty said. “I once lived a life that was colourful and true, and although that life is behind me, I still feel it calling. The people I knew, the places I called home, they’re not here anymore, and sometimes it feels as if they never were. Within me, however, they live. Not as… Read more

Rusty looked at the sky; his beady eyes searching for shapes among the stars that were no doubt as natural to him as street signs were to myself. “Most that come here—that change—they don’t go back.” Licking his lips, he yawned and then shook his head. “It’s a shame you won’t stay, as I’ve a… Read more

“Where is Prudence now?” “She’s close by” replied Rusty. “She comes with another. Some curious creature she picked up on a whim in a pet store, would you believe.” “Sounds about right” I sighed. “Tell me,” he asked, “Why did you push her to one side? Beg my pardon if you will, but she’s undoubtedly… Read more

“Where is here?” Rusty grinned, nodded, and then licked the end of his nose with his tongue. “Here is a place where the likes of us end up—the lonely souls who don’t belong. I was once like you. Out of place and out of time, my days spent drifting around not knowing where to go.… Read more

Sniffing the night air, Rusty nodded to himself before snorting steam through his nostrils. “And just what is this dance of life?” I asked. Grinning, he bowed his head so his nose touched the scattered leaves on the ground. “It’s the very place you’ve been looking for.” “I wasn’t aware that I was ever looking… Read more

The moon was big, bony and cold yet warm and brilliant. It shimmered like a reflection, and in the forest below that hummed and sang, the music continued to call my name. Yet not just my name, but the names of many. I couldn’t put a face to any of them save for one—the one… Read more

Under George’s instructions, the magpies flew from the bathroom. When they returned shortly after, between their beaks, they clutched a blanket retrieved from X’s bed. Letting it fall as they hovered in the air, it covered her naked body and helped take the bite out of her shivers. The tears were still flowing, yet unlike… Read more