Postcards from Kronk - the second collection of daily stories. (2025)

“There aren’t that many people if truth be told and most don’t like fussing.” Mickey Miller, on the case, asks of patients with ongoing medical conditions, but all the outgoing Doc can offer is a few cases of asthma and one woman with bad arthritis whose son cares for her, getting whatever medication she needs from the hospital in nearby Leeds. Miller continues his evidence gathering, asking about teenagers wanting contraception, hypochondriacs, families with young babies or older incapacitated relatives. Each of his queries is answered with kindness and an increasingly apologetic tone but doesn’t require a lot to be written down. “We’re surplus really, them that need medical help call an ambulance or go elsewhere, to Leeds, like I said, even calling 111. There aren’t many who bother now, many think we’re already closed.” In summary, Miller writes on his pad, to fill the page, the village population is small and seemingly blessed with good health and of the few appointments he’d ...

 In 2029, after we’d reached peak enquiry overload, shiny faced politicians proposed to give democracy a rest for a bit to see if the old school tie could fix the mess the country had got itself into. Whilst there were many voices of opposition, a once in a lifetime vote was announced amid wealthy backslapping whilst the final of Strictly Come Dancing was on. Campaigns were given blank cheques and by a slim majority, it was agreed to cede power and decision making to those with the largest wallets, openly, instead of hidden. We were only given approximate numbers, as is the way nowadays, facts are so legacy. what did Lou sing? ‘You’re gonna reap, just what you sow’ Anway, 3 months down the line, the NHS has merged with a newly formed energy company and pet food business, the churches have been taken over by Bannatyne Health Clubs who offer two for one baptism and spa treatments, and Acme has just been awarded the highways maintenance contract in partnership with a hedge fund le...

 How many of the stars above no longer exist? Tens, thousands? Top of Form Bottom of Form As the rich and the curious, categories of people that never truly overlap, send probes and build quantum computers to decode footage snatched from the edges of our reach we lie here, on this lawn, kids playing PlayStation inside, and look upwards. We don’t need to know; knowledge brings uncertainty and decisions. Content to be, down here, on this tiny fragment of rock, surrounded by everything else.

 Nothing is what it once was, but things are settling we are told, day by day most changes are less extraordinary, and people can adapt to them, most new misalignment appears less concerning than the one before. Apart from the rogue cases, which thankfully, according to the authorities, are becoming less frequent.   Hibernation had been seen as mankind’s last chance, a way to reverse climate change, fix the food and power crisis; and hopefully, address the mental health crisis crippling those but the very wealthy and confused. During the first trials there had been reports of people waking with strange tastes, even a rumoured case in Switzerland where a whole town had woken up convinced they’d all been turned into vampires whilst they’d slept. But changes to the medication had been made, and the risks were lower each day.   But still some people experienced stranger reactions, often in clusters, amongst people who worked together, or had similar hobbies. Scientists on...

 Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying these little daily tales. There's a lot of you out there so please say hello, I'm fairly certain these posts can be commented on and it would be lovely to hear from you. Thanks again David

 I do my business and marvel at the miracle before me. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, Mayor Vinnie Carmicheal is part way through handing over substantial hush money to his ex-mistress on the Mundang Beach as she’s suddenly engulfed by a torrent of decomposing sewage, human waste, and noxious gasses, coming from somewhere up above their heads. Instinctively he tries to grab the bundle of money back before she completely disappears, her acrylic nails about all he can make out by now, but the force of the fecal sludge bomb almost breaks his wrist: that’s the kind of man he is. It will only be a matter of minutes before the news begins to break, initially locally, but pretty quickly as the isolated incidents become linked, signs of an apocalypse will be on every global news channel. Someone will have to stand and say ‘we will learn the lessons’.

 The open plan office was quiet, everyone in their little boxes, talking and typing, thinking and waiting. Jemima hesitated at the door, wondering if she’d go through with it. Wednesday afternoon, half-day once upon a time. She pushed her hands down her skirt, momentarily flattening it to her body like she used to do on stage, and walked in. Moments like this grow over time, certain details come to the fore, others vanish entirely, editing our own memories to explain how we find ourselves. After a while, it’s hard to remember what actually happened, and plenty of times that’s for the best. Daniel Rotherhay, the most famous magician ever to come from Newcastle had just announced his comeback, back where it all started which was causing great excitement for the country, specifically those in the local area, but dread to those who’d had the misfortune to actually spend time in his company away from the cameras. Jemima was one of those people, and even though she’d had prior warn...