For the first time, a month after her twenty-second birthday, Maria, shadowed by her mother, greeted guests arriving at their seaside residential compound. Year in, year out, this was the most exclusive New Year’s Eve party on Earth. Yet one so shrouded in secrecy, that whispers had never once reached the gossip columnists’ ears. Maria was dressed outrageously; if her glamourous little black outfit hadn’t been the most ex...

early mornings make me wonder if sunlight can still graze your ebony skin though your golden soul has long departed I know I should not be doubting these things but I can't not think of your eternal journey away from me, you see? on the narrow path to heaven can you peer down and see the sinner still roaming earth though God took you from him? He led your love to death and left you to drown with it He wants to end it, eve...

December 31, 2036 The hands of the giant holographic clock, projected above the crowded lobby, ticked off the seconds until midnight. With less than five minutes to go, upturned faces watched intently and excited chatter buzzed above the haphazard strains of the jazz band. The anticipation was palpable. Dunbar Helpers patrolled the floor, weaving between the partygoers with trays of brimming champagne flutes for the New Y...

Blood pooling. Friends to the left. Friends to the right. Given their all. Wishing to hear. The crackle, Of the radio. Bringing salvation. Your fallen team. Their last minutes, Calling out. To loved ones and mothers. Wiping your tears. With steading hands. You gather, Forty rounds. Your last friends. Momentary quiet returns. Sun filters though. As you see. Shadows advancing. As you know, This is it. No last minute, Cavalr...

31st of January – Season 3 Terrance Moodley had woken up early, having taken a shower and had breakfast before his wife had woken up. He'd just finished brushing his teeth when Angela walked into the bathroom. "Hey, you're up early." "Winners wake up early, Angie." Angela looked at her husband almost worried as she had no idea what he was going to do today. However, she did know what he had to do. "What's on the schedule...

Elderly Joe Vickers faced Doctor Reed and asked for a full physical examination. The doctor looked puzzled, “Why now?” Joe smiled, “I’m getting married.” “That’s splendid.” “I’m eighty-two and she’s twenty-four,” Joe said. The doctor looking dubious, but he conducted the examination. Afterwards, he observed, “No real problems considering your age. Could I make one suggestion?” “What’s that?” Joe asked. “Having a lodger mi...

28th of January– Season 3 When Leonardo Mustafa arrived at the Fuel Speedway, he'd made a point to wear a disguise. He'd heard the stories of what happened when Bru Constantin had arrived here a year ago and Tendai Mathemba a year before him. Leo was not interested in interacting with any F-X racers including fellow Auto 1 racer, Solo Magubane. Leo was a member of Team Caltex and a former Auto 1 champion hailing from Egyp...

Clyth in Caithness, north-east Scotland was the original source of my mother’s parents. I was seventy-seven when I felt a renewed need to drive up there. A journey I should have made years ago when I was a shade spritelier. The motivation, in 2011, was based on the research a cousin using on-line ‘Ancestry’, carried out on my mother’s parents, Jane (nee Sutherland) and James Baillie. Long-standing interest was reignited,...

Who is the one that through the seasons, is the same? Who is the one that will take the blame? Who is the one that will carry the shame? Who is the one that left the embers inside aflame? What will it take to shed the tiniest tear? What could I do to make my own morbidity disappear? What have I done to warrant your malicious fear? What would make my compass clear? Where would I be, without you inside of me? Where would I...

The old man sat at the table, watching the couples dance. He stared into his glass of Schnapps. The taste did nothing for him. Nothing did anything for him anymore. He wasn’t sure why he’d come. The lecturers and professors got younger every year. He felt they only invited him because they knew he had nowhere else to go. He doubted they’d even notice if he slipped away before the bells rang out. He wondered if many of the...

Thank god you’re here, I wasn’t sure you’d come. Sit down and look natural. I have something very important to tell you. Someone needs to know, you’re my son, the only one I can trust. Where do I start? Okay, it was the last week in March. You remember, it was unusually warm for that time of year. I woke up early as I always do. Five past seven and the sun was just starting to rise. I left mum in bed and went downstairs....

Will Mitchell leaned against the lockers and stared at Neil Parker. The older boy lay on the floor, his head surrounded by blood. Was Neil dead? Or just unconscious? Will dropped the baseball bat he had used to attack the bully. It hit the floor with a loud thud. Mr. Krauss, a math teacher, came out of his classroom. Within seconds, he was shrieking for help. Miss Allan, a gym teacher, joined him. She taught first aid so...

Penny Lambert sat in the darkest corner of the bar, nursing a glass of Orange juice. She checked her watch... again! Still only ten o'clock. She had never felt so lonely and miserable. In fact, the whole week had been miserable. Only one week before, she had spent Christmas day with her family. Her husband and two young children had a wonderful day whilst she had tried, quite successfully, not to show the emptiness and gu...

At first I barely felt the bullet pierce the low-slung cocktail dress and enter my heart. It seemed impossible to consider death real, despite the warning minutes earlier from the mysterious lady with the black eye shadow alongside me. I always thought I'd have more time. Guess everyone does. My demise only registered when I caught sight of the spatter of red – my red – peppering his shirt as he tucked the gun away, butto...

24th of January – Season 3 MONDAY MORNING Mandla Xulu felt strange sitting in the lobby outside Moodswing’s office. Even though the Club President was nothing like the Deputy Mayor, Mandla felt exactly how he usually felt sitting outside his father's office, listening to his PA, Sindiwe typing away on her desktop as the dread of the conversation set in. Mandla realized that what he was dreading wasn’t the conversation wit...