Notes I’m working my way through the archives looking for stuff to collate into a book of short, and very short, fiction. It’s inspired in part by some of Warren Ellis’s musings on the papernet. I’ve been sticking little chunks of fiction on here for a while. Some have been set ups for longer stories that never happened, others were self contained. This piece followed Tribes and All Stood Still but, as far as I can tell, has never appeared on the blog before. It’s an experiment in layout and dialogue which may be a bit of a mess. I fully expect to go back in and tweak the html.
Sorry?
I’m Ron. It’s short for Saffron.
Oh. Right. I’m Sam.
.
.
Did you just see…..?
Yeah. On the dancefloor?
Yeah.
.
.
I saw someone do that in TK Maxx this morning.
I saw it on Market Street.
This is fucked up.
Yeah. Er, wanna drink?
Okay.
*
So?
So what?
So, who you buying a drink for?
Ron.
Ron?
.
Damn, that’s one short transvestite.
Short for Saffron.
I’m not sure that’s any better.
Oi.
Two bottles of Brown, please.
*
Who’s your friend?
Sam.
Some sort of karmic G love thing?
What?
I don’t know. It just…. Sort of…… Sounded right.
He saw it too.
The… It, the…. thing? In TK Maxx?
Here. There was one on the dancefloor.
There are a lot of freaks on the dancefloor, Ron.
That appear from thin air?
.
No. I guess not.
*
Brown. This is Dave.
Hi.
Hi.
Sarah.
Hi.
Hello.
.
.
Oh. I love this song. Seeyas.
.
.
.
.
I should take the hint, shouldn’t I?
See you later.
Yeah.
.
.
I told Sarah.
About the… people appearing from nowhere.
Oh.
She thinks I’m crazy, I think.
I think I’m crazy.
But I wouldn’t dare assess your sanity.
Crap to this. You dancing?
Yeah.
*
Sam. Could you be any more beige?
It’s what I wear, alright.
I don’t like jeans.
Do you own any black?
Some. No trousers.
Why do you come here?
Dave’s got a bad goth habit.
Hey, so I do goths from time to time. I can handle it.
See? My jacket’s black.
Flasher mac.
Where are you heading?
I’m in Rusholme. He’s in Longsight.
We’re in Chorlton, or we’d offer to share a cab.
There are normally a few outside the hotel, up there.
Bus stop’s just down here.
*
I thought you were catching the bus?
Oh I am. I just thought….
Can I have your number? So we can talk about…. y’know.
Okay.
.
.
That’s work on the front, but the number on the back’s my mobile.
Okay. See you.
Bye.