The Phone Call The punching of a phone number. The dial tone down the line. The static as someone answers. 'Hello?' For a moment Laura pauses. She hasn't planned what she'll say. She imagines her mother in the hallway, flowery apron covered in flour, the smell of baking bread in the air. Laura summarises briefly, aware of the reaction she is about to produce. A gasp at the end of her sentence leaves a ringing silence. 'Are you sure?' a strained voice finally responds down the line. 'A letter came for me. What do I do?' Laura can hear the desperation creep into her voice, despite her best efforts. 'Please help me, mum, tell me what to do!'

The Letter The sound of the clap of the letterbox. The clean rip of an envelope being opened. The skimming of a letter. A few simple actions that changed everything. Laura felt her hand flutter to the doorpost as her knees weakened beneath her. Her breath caught in her throat as her heartbeat raced to a gallop and words leapt out of their sentences, synapses making searing connections in her brain. Forcing herself to calm down, she read the letter word for word. She waited a moment for the full impact of its contents to hit her. Abandoning the washing up in front of her, she stared at the children happily playing in the garden and had the strange sensation that her #life was starting to unravel.

An Ode to Opuss Oh glorious puss, with your eyes so bright, inquisitive through and through. What a wonderful thing your senses are, alert and so fine-tuned!

An Ode to Opuss Oh glorious puss, with your eyes so bright, inquisitive through and through. What a wonderful thing your senses are, alert and so fine-tuned!