Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by Chris Green ‘What happened to the old bus station, Geoff?’ I say. ‘While I was driving here, I couldn’t help noticing it had gone. I know it was a bit of a monstrosity, but it was a landmark. I grew up around there.’ ‘God’s teeth, Vince!’ he says. ‘They knocked that old thing … Continue reading Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Tag: paranoia
Domino Logic
Domino Logic by Chris Green ‘I am not Dirk Vandenberg,’ I say. ‘No one called Dirk Vandenberg lives here. There has never been anyone going by that name on this number.’ This is the eighth or ninth phone call for Dirk Vandenberg I have had on the landline this week. At first, I put the … Continue reading Domino Logic
Just My Imagination
Just My Imagination by Chris Green There is a knock at the door. I am not expecting anyone. I do not get visitors these days. Since the misunderstanding, people tend to stay away. Even Donna has stopped calling. While I try to think who might be at the door, they knock again. Harder this time. … Continue reading Just My Imagination
Lost in Space
Lost in Space by Chris Green When it was just keeping up with social media and a bit of casual surfing, it was manageable. But since the gambling and online dating kicked in, it has become uncontrollable. I’m spending too much time on the internet. Every time I find myself with a spare moment, I’m … Continue reading Lost in Space
A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life by Chris Green As he drives along Great Western Avenue to work at Trask and Wherry, Lenny Fusco is a worried man. So, he thinks, should everyone else be. He cannot understand why so many people are still going about their lives as normal. The people he passes seem not … Continue reading A Day in the Life
Google Knows
Google Knows by Chris Green ‘You may have a point with what you were saying last week,’ Max says. ‘Every time I search for something online, I get adverts for products vaguely related to it for days. Nine times out of ten, I didn’t even want whatever it was in the first place.’ ‘Frightening, isn’t … Continue reading Google Knows
Noir
NOIR by Chris Green It's early evening. It is getting dark and the street lights are coming on. Apart from a solemn, middle-aged man dressed in black sitting near the door, Stacey is the only customer in Café Noir. She is uncomfortable because the man keeps staring at her. She cannot put her finger on … Continue reading Noir
April’s Shower
April's Shower by Chris Green Hotel California strikes me as an odd little café. Apart from the curious choice of name, it is situated underground and has no windows. Despite its claustrophobic feel, the acoustics seem to belong to a much larger space. The sound fades in and out and bounces off the walls in … Continue reading April’s Shower
Call Wyatt on the Western Front
Call Wyatt On The Western Front by Chris Green Penny hits the button on the bedside clock. 4:33 AM. We’re hardly going to get up and answer the door at this unearthly hour, she thinks. No matter what is going on. She tries to drift back off, but again the doorbell rings. She turns over to … Continue reading Call Wyatt on the Western Front
All About Jazz
All About Jazz by Chris Green All About Jazz tends to be quiet in the afternoon. After the lunchtime rush, things do not pick up again until the evening. We are a small establishment down a side street on the edge of town. If you were driving along the main road out of town, you … Continue reading All About Jazz
Bus
Bus by Chris Green The bus isn’t supposed to go this way. What is happening? Where is it taking me? ‘You’re going the wrong way,’ I call out to the driver. She takes no notice. Perhaps she cannot hear me over the noise of the engine. I try again. ‘I have an appointment and I’m … Continue reading Bus
Tequila Mockingbird
Tequila Mockingbird by Chris Green When Max turned out the light last night, he assumed he would wake up in the morning, pull back the chintz curtains to let in a little light and listen for a few moments to the birds singing in the back garden. Apart from a small corner in front of … Continue reading Tequila Mockingbird
Weatherman
Weatherman by Chris Green I shouldn't be writing this. The organisation I work for is very conscious about security. And rightly so, when you consider that we control the weather. Security is so tight that I don't know who runs WeatherCorp. I was head-hunted online by them through an anonymous encrypted email. They had heard … Continue reading Weatherman
The Cats of Ronda
The Cats of Ronda by Chris Green If you visit the historic city of Ronda in southern Spain, you are likely to notice that the cats scurrying around under the tables at alfresco restaurants for scraps are slender. While you are wondering whether to toss them the skin from your monkfish, what you may not … Continue reading The Cats of Ronda
Oleander Drive
Oleander Drive by Chris Green The black Mitsubishi has been parked there for several days now. Les Rubio first noticed it on Monday, when he came back from a business lunch at The Whistle Blower. The big SUV has been there in the same position, on the opposite side of the road fifty yards from … Continue reading Oleander Drive
ThinkTank
ThinkTank by Chris Green I have an incoming call on my cassette recorder. Yes, I do mean my cassette recorder, a 1980 vintage Hitachi. A few months ago getting a call on anything but my phone would have phased me, but lately I am becoming used to technology around me behaving strangely. I live round … Continue reading ThinkTank