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

Carlos cleaned the last speck of burnt umber from his brush and stepped back to see the final canvas. His last gasp collection of paintings had come to their own final ending; the months since  McChrystals acquittal proving there is such a thing as bad publicity, the initial notoriety turning quickly to a sense of contamination. He studied the blood congealed around her nose, hints of cerulean blue where the bruising was building and smiled, it was a fine way to bow out.

The pen weighed heavy in his hand, tomorrow is Valentines day, their first together and she'll be expecting something special from him. Adam stared at the paper set out before him and cursed having an ugly girlfriend and a naturalistic writing style.

La had been gone for too long. I wanted to do something but there was nothing to do. 'wait here, if I don't come back head to the flat and I will find you' Some things are bigger than they appear when you first encounter them, like opening a Russian doll in reverse, each revelation bigger than the last. I was scared for the first time since we'd found out the plan and now I was alone. What if she never came back,  would I be able to go back to to the life I used to have which seemed plastically sealed now ? La had been my guide although I hadn't realised it till now. I checked the window again, they were beginning to leave, I just had to believe. Today my life had taken a unexpected turn but it was no accident. This would be the best day of my life.

Mary gave herself up completely, to be one with the lord meant certain sacrifices were necessary, he wouldn't understand, he'd refused to listen so let him rot. She'd walk out of the church reborn, her whole life ahead of her.

And sad news just coming in, a man has died after falling off a cliff. Peter Clarke, 31, part time surgeon is believed to have been dressed as Wile E Coyote when he fell to his death apparently attempting to run over a canyon in southern Essex. Witness reports vary, some say he ran too slow whilst others claim he simply looked down to find himself unexpectedly in mid air. A second man described as wearing yellow tights and sporting a blue quiff reportedly disappeared into a painted black hole on the side of a removals truck near the scene. Flowers are being left on the grand piano, anvil and giant boulder that fell one at a time onto the flattened body of Mr Clarke.

Dog bite judge, unleashed and on your patch. Overdue at the library? he'll throw the book at you. Fashion disaster? he'll have the shirt off your back. Once he banned beards and children with beards. Dog bite judge with the sebatier smile 1 for the thieves and their sticky fingers 2 for the cheats, the frauds and the ringers 3 for the drunks, full of aggression 4 for the unclean kids we forgot to mention He listens and watches, cuts off your internet and your post when he pleases. It could be you as the saying goes It could be Dog bite judge with no time for niceties Welcome to the new big society.

His mind sounds like pork chops roasting, hear him coming and scuttle away. This is how we feel now, this is uncertainty, this is slabs of tissue tied to a washing line, this is someone who smells of old stew and breath mints. Here he come now, all venom and vinegar, wind your neck in, don't get into the car. Hurry home and buy a dog.