The Bird of Space
‘Why did we move here?’ Laura had asked.
Because she didn’t like the machines, her mother had explained. She hated the noises, and the powerlines. She couldn’t cope with the city, Laura surmised later. The people, the light, the noise. Laura had liked the powerlines, the trains, and the persistent background hum, and the superior television reception.
There were other things too, Maureen had said, but she wouldn’t go into too much detail. Things that you can’t see that are in the air. But they weren’t here, Maureen said. Laura imagined insects, tiny like iron filings.
‘Something like that,’ Maureen had said, and then reconsidered: ‘but not really.’
I’ve recently found some more copies of this chapbook from 2014. Get in touch if you’d like one.