The living room television plays in the background as Sol inspects his son, Mikhail, one final time. He kneels down to polish his boots with the cuff of his sleeve till they shine. As he stands, he ensures the belt is secure and then moves around to the back. He attaches the cape and unfurls it. A shimmering golden cascade flows down almost to the ground. Sol turns Mikhail to face him and smiles with admiration. The royal...

It was around 10 p.m. when a lone car careened down the empty rural road, engine growling, disrupting the peace of a lonely night. Its headlights ploughed through the darkness ahead as it angrily chewed up the centre lines along the road, then spewed them out in the rear, back into the nothingness trailing in its wake. Reggie Morton sat in the driver’s seat of the Corolla, leaning forward, his fingers closed so tightly ar...

“I don’t care who you are or where you’ve been. Don’t tell me stories of your spiritual journeys or epiphanies. Screw your aspirations and achievements,” I fume as I scroll endlessly down my cellphone screen. “Just give me the recipe!”