ENDEAVOUR

ENDEAVOUR is published in Aesthetica’s Creative Writing Annual, 2016. On board the Endeavour, on route to a new home, and in spite of Earth’s pending expiry date, a mother tries to convince her husband that they should take the last blue-planet bound vessel. Available to purchase through: Aesthetica Magazine: paperback

Excerpt: A child fills a bucket with white sand, scrapes away the excess, and turns it upside down on the beach, just like her dad had shown her. She lifts the bucket, but the sand spills out into a shapeless mound. She looks over to her dad, who is sat on a deckchair next to her mum. ‘Keep trying. You’ll get it.’ ‘She won’t, you know,’ says the mum, who takes a handful of sand and lets it pour through her fingers. ‘It’s too fine.’ ‘Nonsense. She’ll figure it out.’ He looks along the beach: a crescent of brilliant white sand, and a sapphire sea, boarded by grey granite peaks. The dad inhales deeply. ‘This is nice, isn’t it? Blue sky, calm waters, deckchair service, and salty sea air.’ ‘Do you think it smells like real sea air?’ The dad shrugs. The water heaves and sighs in time with his breath. A waiter appears at his side. He orders an orange juice and two beers. The waiter nods and returns to the bar. ‘I can’t remember what one smells like,’ she says.