At first I denied it, telling myself autumn was coming early. Leaves can begin to turn in July. It had been a dry spring.
But there were the birds. In the three weeks since coming here we hadn’t seen a single bird.
I took up the satchel of food I’d scavenged from the deserted grocery. It was not promising. The cans of hash and beans were all long gone now. All I’d been able to find was aspic, cranberry sauce and a keyless tin of deviled ham.
I looked at the innocent sky as I climbed the splintered wooden staircase.
Very post-apocalyptic
Dear Josh,
Such a bleak and excellently described story. And I’m left worrying how he’s going to open that can of ham.
Shalom,
Rochelle
This is shivery. Excellent opening for a book?
Great sense of foreboding here!
This is one of the many things i saw in your picture… but maybe a roof is a beginning at least.
Nice one, reminded me of ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy.
“And times, we know, are tough…” Well written.
A grim time for your character – not many options left for him without food and with the season changing earlier than it should. Well told, Josh and a gret picture for this week
Gloriously grim.
Thanks for a great picture, Josh. Things look so very grim (especially when aspic is involved.)
With the lack of birds and deserted grocery I’m thinking something has gone very wrong with the world. Nice one!
Good prose, lean and muscular, telling the story by implication rather than explicitly.
Nice work, Josh!
This looked like a good cause and effect story very ably written. Reading you is always a pleasure, Hardy.
Thanks!
Brilliant.
This is a wonderful opener for something longer. What a voice.
Starkly ominous. The desolation of it all comes through. Well done.
Really like the way you manage to build up to something that can only be apocalyptic. Would like to read more.