Mark Wagstaff’s work has appeared in The Write Launch, Book of Matches, The Meadow and The Piltdown Review. He won the 39th Annual 3-Day Novel Contest with off-kilter romcom 'Attack of the Lonely Hearts' published by Anvil Press. Mark’s latest novel ‘On the Level’ was published in 2022 through Leaf by Leaf, an imprint of Cinnamon Press.
Bobtail Five
Snow, but not yet. Clouds built across the sky, ahead of a raw east wind like smoke from encroaching fires. Pavements and walls, brick and stone, scornful of fragile bodies. He moved quickly, thinking a day ahead when streets would freeze, when snow would lay and, bound with anxiety, each careless step invited damage.
He walked opposite to the way home. South across Euston Road, by the spot where the hospital Christmas tree stood just a week ago. A few decorations still pinned in the emergency room. A half-deflated balloon. He cut through the muffled crowd at Warren Street station. Cut across their flow, fixed straight ahead, walking fast to make people falter. A small pleasure. Read more.
Required Fields
First, you don’t know the politics. Boundaries are hazy. Clusters of desks, all kinds of work getting done. Nobody knows how much use or annoyance you’ll be. I had no plan, no schedule. I had fields to interrogate, with dry-throated alarm at how the Next Page links jumped up in tens. The data, my domain. Read more.
Things Left Behind on the Moon
I was ten, I didn’t want to change school. But my father died. It wasn’t important he left us with nothing. We had nothing before, his death made no difference. We moved from a flat in the town to a house in wretched country. A suburb, tethered meaninglessly five miles from anywhere. Overnight I lost my friends. Read more.