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

alright, you coming out tonight yeah see you later k Danny's there by the time we arrive, he's gutting  a swan, his latest obsession, bought himself proper knives from town specially for it. peb danny mike seen the tele ? it's a samsung 100 Hertz Plasma 56 inch I'm going to get one of those in your dreams sshh, get down We've the place to ourselves, Mikes swaps the big binoculars for the telescope whilst I light the disposable barbeque. Going match tomorow? nah going alices party? nah, whos going ? dunno I might go then, but I'll tell mum and dad I'm staying at yours right? k, but what if they call ? They won't, I'll text them, say your mums being mardy and sent us to bed early and I cant talk ok The meats not cooked, we all try a bit but spit it back into the fire. This time next year and Danny will be at University, I take the small binoculars and stand. whats he doing now cant see shes been out back gett...

Sunlight strobes through the trees as we make our way through the forest. Good english trees, oaks and beeches, strong and ever present. I used to count the trees each time we made this journey, never got the same figure twice, didn't matter, trees are planted and fall all the time. The cold air forcing salty tears as I stare out into the distance, wishing to be going anywhere else. Wishing seems to bring me no luck these days. Mum's in the passenger seat, talking to my dad, I tune out their voices. It'll be another hour till we get to Leo's and then I'll be placed in the snooker room they've built in the attic, I've brought a book, never been invited to play and my grandparents would offer if they wished me to. Wonder how long it'll be this time. The air cools as the sun sets. Dad's turned the radio on. I would give everything I own, give up my life, my heart, my own.

Father Mullikan is refusing to climb down from the spire although he's stopped throwing lead tiles at the villagers until I return. He has heard that a 'Primate' has been warning about gay marriages and I have been asked to provide proof that this 'Primate' is not a ' jumped up catholic  Orangutan '. I'm not keen on Father Mullikan nor the rest of the village so I'm booking a ticket to the Isle of Arran.

Michael Blake surveys the pantomime playing out before him and lets out a big, throaty laugh. All those years of training, the sacrifices made along the way, the years of drudgery it had drudged into once the shine had gone. He'd felt a fraud for at least the last year, sitting in judgement on people, respected, well paid, moral whilst inside just bored out of his head. Just for the money, that was what took him from his bed in the morning before returning him later. Just for the money. But today, these men and their weird science, man, he felt alive and vital once more, assured of his place in the big chair. The jury were now dressed in white, a grand piano had appeared in the centre of the court, squashing the stenographer. The barrister to his left now clothed in a military jacket, the buttons polished and the epellettes swaying. " One more ", the short one shouted as he aimed a handful of powder at a duty sergeant who'd thought he'd seen it all ( he hadn...

They line up like schoolboys, the banter and bravado growing quieter with each shuffled step forward. These are our saviours I am told. They look like they'd rather be anywhere else right now. As criminality spread into mainstream society the call to supercharge the police gathered momentum. You can't beat cancer by frog spit, the deputy prime minister memorably said, times change and we must use every weapon we have, to safeguard our future. That was six months ago. Back then we doctored a select few, volunteers, the cream. Their response was rapid and violent. Those dosed up grew stronger and more fearsome. The temporary and localised rigor mortis, an unforeseen side affect gave rise to the phrase ' terrorface ' to describe our new guardians. Now, as I look down the line and draw up the next vial into the syringe, now its the norm and by the end of the year we are told every police officer will have been dosed. The next recruit enters silently. I wonder what will...

I wake to the sound of gunfire, I'm in an underground tube train, three figures are running past me, guns strafing left and right, the female casts a liquid hand into the air and then there are two of them, the guards turn their attention towards the doppelganger and off they disappear down a dark tunnel. I wave my hands in the air and then sit back down and fall asleep. I wake to the sound of gunfire and duck as all kinds of fleshy parts stream over us all, I'm pushing a trolley which I immediately let go, I can see I'm illuminated by head torches then it's too late. I wake to the sound of gunfire and immediately drop the crate I'm carrying. I can't see anyone yet apart from the scientists who run past me, I count them all, the visitors can't be very good shots. An explosion knocks me sideways where I land on a pig faced dog, he squeals and runs off into a cloud of dust. Their words appear in the sky, there must three of them, one is called DokTor BadaSS...

The clouds had been gathering for days but I had other things on my mind. "You gotta see this place, come on " I jumped, so eager to show her my discovery. " You dumbo " Alice laughed at my stumbling and waited until the bus came to a halt. The Hotel needed no introduction but I found myself throwing my arm to the sky as if I were unveiling it for the first time. " When did this open ? " She asked, but I could see her smile. She got it, she understood why I was excited. " Not sure," I grinned, " do you want to go in Mrs Ramone ? " I'd read that Paul McCartney used the name Ramone when he booked into hotels to keep his identify secret and it had turned into a private joke between the two of us.We linked arms and walked up to the entrance. The building I'd got so excited about looked like a miniature bavarian castle, from the road you could see groups of robed monks walking and tilling the land, picking fruit and fixi...