Category: What Pegman Saw
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LEFT BEHIND
Left, left, left, right, left. Back straight, arms swinging at the shoulder, crisp, clean steps. He would drum it into these natives if it killed him. No good roads, that was the problem. Didn’t live in proper houses. Didn’t wear any clothes, half of them. The whole place needed civilising. Her Majesty’s army would soon…
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MARKET TRADE
The sights and smells of the small market were intoxicating. The constant chatter of humans mixed with the sounds of caged animals. Xao Ling dragged him along. ‘Here,’ he pointed. An old woman sat surrounded by pots of powders and liquids. Her skin was a patchwork of wrinkles, her eyes half-closed slits, her hair was…
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IDENTITY CRISIS
Arnaldo slugged the last of his beer and tossed the bottle. The tinkle of glass echoed in the night. ‘That’s me,’ he announced, even though there was no one there to listen to him. ‘Same time tomorrow.’ He stood up, swaying precariously on the edge of the wooden pier. He stared into the dark, black…
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FREE STATE
He stood in the doorway of his homestead, looking out at his land. The sweat poured from his bronzed head, the receding hairline exposing his scalp to the sun. In his hand he held the machete. Blood dripped from the point of the blade, pooling on the steps at his feet. The stench of fresh,…
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GORODSKOY PARK
Gorodskoy Park in the sunshine. Not the most beautiful park. More concrete than greenery, but well-maintained. A series of paths connected by roundabouts. Along the wider walkways, freshly painted green benches, shaded by overhanging wispy branches. So what was I doing in this nondescript park in the middle of Minsk? Well, that is a longer…
Iain Kelly 