Ten o'clock on Saturday in Clifton. No drunks run between the pubs of Clifton. No students huddle in gangs. No one shouts, and no laughs follow after. My only companion is the moon.
Big advances today. My hands are still a bit shaky.
Now that the exercise restrictions are looser, I walk round Clifton daily, looking for that inspiration from the first creative challenge. That sense of a forced magnetic path. But rather than using these journeys for flash fiction ideas, I think about the Butter Mouse.
By day three of this new routine that pressure built in the air again. I knew the mottled spots on the stone buildings. The points where the double yellow lines faded. Where the rusty railings needed a clean and a paint job.
Then that pressure turned to movements at the far ends of alleyways. Shadows flickering despite nothing blocking of the sun. But I could not pin down a clear message. Perhaps this was illusion.
The walks became a frustration., like watching stage magic behind the scenes. My feet hurt, and the heel of my right trainer broke open.
Today was walk number eight. I debated throwing my cards away. Considered how much money I could make ploughing this time into an online Ebay site. Once again the streets revealed their mottled stone, their faded yellow lines, their rusty railings. Nothing more.
My key was in the lock of the building’s front door. My plan was a session of juggling, and ten hours sleep. Then a final decision in the morning.
Something cold brushed against the back of my knees. I spun round, and a scaly brown tail vanished into the hedges that bordered the small communal garden.
By the time I looked over there was nothing but grass and stone bird bath on the other side.
Name one animal common to the UK the size of a dog with scales. One native to urban dwellings.
Research replaced my juggling time. I found the following link about Thecodontosaurus. And now my hand hands are numb, the moon is my associate, and I write about the Butter Mouse.
This month’s flash fiction is under construction. Challenge follows next week. I am not going anywhere.
