Write Away

Two dandelions grow next to each other in a meadow.   They look out over the flowers and bees, and in the distance, a village.   On sunny days, people stroll past, children play in the field, and the dandelions feel that all is well.   When it rains, they pull in their yellow petals and huddle closer together whilst myriad insects cluster under the dandelions for shelter. One day, although the sun is shining, one of the dandelions hasn’t unfurled their yellow petals.   Something feels different.   She reluctantly tells her neighbour that she has noticed a grey petal amongst the yellow and it scares her.   The neighbour looks over at her friend and reassures her she too has strange grey petals but that it is nothing to be afraid of.   This must be what happens to dandelions.   Now, they can either stay huddled up feeling scared or they can unfurl the rest of their bright yellow manes and welcome the sunshine and the insects in their meadow. Ove...

Jared didn’t like waiting.   It made him feel awkward and restless.   He intense need to control everything meant that now he had to wait, it really grated. His dislike of waiting didn’t stem from a false sense of privilege as it did for others, but rather a fear of the unknown.   A ‘what happens if’ was something he dreaded. He tugged at the loose thread on the sleeve of his shirt, then looked at his newly polished shoes.   He glanced around the lobby but finding nothing distracting enough, turned his attention to the magazines piled in front of him.   He flicked through the pages impatiently, unable to find anything interesting enough. The lift doors opened, surprising Jared.   Looking up hopefully, he saw a small round woman pushing a cleaning cart shuffle out.   Her black hair was flecked with grey and her blue checked tunic looked grubby.   Jared smiled politely at the woman as she pushed her cart towards him.   She was alr...