Snippets of Creative Writing
Kebab
Jackson woke with a whisky belly and the smell of last night's kebab drifting off the drool that trickled from his mouth. The bristles on his cheek scratched the cotton of the pillowcase as he pulled himself upright to check the room. His back ached with every turn, and each way he turned his head, the blood inside felt like water sloshing in a bucket. He rubbed his eyes, dragged his hands over his face and pulled them through greasy hair in desperate need of a wash. His arms fell limp next to him. All his body would allow him to do was breathe in silence and listen to the staggered approach of cars going up and down the road, and follow the light that bled through the curtain and fell on the body next to him.
The body that shared the bed was stark naked. Jackson was fully clothed, except for the toe that poked out from the hole in his socks. He patted the pockets of his jeans. Everything was there: phone, wallet, keys and the new addition of a sticky substance that had taken residence on his thigh.
Part of a Memoir
Argh! Fuck me.'
He stood, frozen for a second. His hand clasped the handle of the passenger door. He let go, ran his hands through his white hair, and rested them on top of the bald spot on the crest of his head. He looked at the dog that sat on the front seat. His hand moved swiftly from his head back to the handle and eased it open.
'C'mon Frank,' he said, 'time to go.'
The man pulled up his navy tracksuit pants and took his time to bend down, grabbed the dog bed and lifted it out the door. The white wiry dog's tongue poked out the side of its mouth, excited for the ride, not knowing where he was or where he was going. The dog's eyes no longer took in the light. Using his boot, the man kicked the door of the old Hilux closed and caked the white paint with mud. He moved slowly up the steps of the vet; face streaked with tears, chin trembling, mouth upturned and desperate.
The terrier and collie at the fence of the property next to the practice jumped higher and barked louder. No one spoke, not even the vet.