Amber Days 2

            Chapter 2

Tea splattered on Berta's spotless table cloth. She winced at the clatter of a teaspoon on a saucer. The dust covering the top shelves in the living room made her itch.

"How do you like your tea?"

Joy Sheppard moved to L.A in the 50s with her husband who was hoping to be an actor. In the end, he became the head of the biggest advertising agency in California. 

"Mmm, it's good. Goes well with the digestives."

Berta pretended to like it and swallowed down the bitter drink. She preferred coffee. 

Every Thursday at around 4PM, they had tea at Berta's place. This time, Berta made her famous almond cookies. She helped herself to another digestive and shoved the tin towards Joy. Dunking it in the tea, she brought up the subject of her daughter Beth.

"Did Beth tell you about the date?"

Joy opened the tin before dunking the almond cookie in her cooling cup of tea. 

"Yes, she did, but I don't think she like Charles."

Berta sat up straighter at hearing the news. Charles was her eldest son, and her favourite. 

"Oh? What about him didn't she like?"

Joy's face drained of colour.

"I...I don't feel well. Maybe we can continue this next time."

Berta helped her up, her joints popping. 

"Of course. Take it easy Beth."

Amber Days 1

                     Chapter 1

"Berta Robinson, come to the desk."

A tall slim woman in a pale yellow dress shuffled over to the front desk.

"Nurse Ray, you got my pills?"

She laughed out loud. He winked at her and shuffled from foot to foot. His 400 lb figure were a weight on his joints.

"Your grandson is in the waiting room. Here, don't forget your medication."

She squeezed his hand.

"Thank you."

Taking the bag of pills, she found her grandson reading a poster on the wall. He turned around and looked at her. At the sight of her fragile figure, his stiff composure softened.

"Come on Grandma, the car is right at the front."

She followed him out into the too bright day, squinting all the way into the car. Berta lived in L.A for most of her life. The cheeriness of the sun evaded her. From her bag, she pulled out a pair of ancient Chanel sunglasses. 

The drive took longer than expected. 

"John, can you go to the store for me? Here's the list."

She settled down on a kitchen stool. A cupboard was open before her. 

"Sure, anything else?"

He exhaled the sentence almost annoyed at having to be stuck in traffic again.

"Oh yes, please get those almond cookies that I like."

"Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can. Call me if you need me."

He grabbed his car keys and walked out with a grimace. Berta reached for an old coffee can and pulled out a small jar. 

The amber glass gleamed in the watery sunlight. Her eyes lit up as she remembered familiar faces from her past. 

The Black Rose 10

                                                                      Chapter 10

Rosie threw her favourite clothes, a toothbrush and some skincare in a small overnight bag.

"I don't understand what happened to you Jane. You weren't like this when we were first dating."

"I...I..."

She followed her to the door not knowing what to say. When the door closed, she checked the news. 

In the kitchen, she grabbed a bag of three black roses from the fridge. She picked up her backpack by the sofa, opened the window and shimmied along over to a drain pipe. 

A bus puller over and she jumped in. At the clock tower, she got off and walked over to Lizzie's flat. A man with a bicycle wheeled his bike out. She slipped in after him. Jane pulled out a key with a batman keyring dangling from it. She turned the light on when the door swung shut behind her. 

A lamp at the far end of the living room turned on. DI York placed her gun on the coffee table. 

"It's very kind of you to bring me roses."

She approached the detective slowly. 

"You've got nothing on me."

Sweat rolled down the side of her face. York laughed out loud. 

"It's over Jane. Come clean now. There's no point in dragging it out."

She lunged for the gun aiming for the detective's head. A sound from the kitchen distracted her.

DI York kicked the gun out of her hand. DS Scott grabbed her arms and cuffed her.

"Jane Anne Smith, you are under arrest."

The Seer 8

                                                                        Chapter 8

Under the light of the full moon, Opal glowed. The kids who had survived sat in a circle. Jade and Art sat next to each other. Annie, Jeffrey and the new kid resisted opening their eyes in the bright silver moon. They were the six people who survived.

Opal shimmered blinking in and out of existence. The light expanded and swallowed the circle. It exploded into a billion sparks filling them with one bright opal for a heart.

The light sent out a flare to the other survivors, if there were any left. The light grew smaller and smaller until the only thing left was the pale glow of the moon. 

Opal opened her eyes.

"Thanks everyone, I think that was it."

Jeffrey stood up and carried on digging. The rest of them went to the beach. Jade unzipped one of two tents on the beach. She changed into a pair of blue shorts and a white tank top. Her stomach began to protrud. The future inside of her.

In the distance, bright opal lights danced before them, the only hope that's left in the world.