If I tell you that nothing happens in this story, will you believe it? Or will you suspect me of playing a trick and read on? The text obviously continues, you can see it in front of you, filling part of the page. Surely it must describe something, narrate some kind of event? Why else would I have composed these sentences and arranged them in a particular sequence? Why call it a story? The piece is short, but it might still work its way round to mention a chance encounter with an ex-lover which leads nowhere, or describe a bizarre ritual involving stuffed otters, or offer a brief psychoanalytic interpretation of the author’s apparent laziness, though this looks unlikely with the end rapidly coming into view. But even if none of these scenarios are going to feature in this story, there is still, as you will be aware, a small amount of text remaining, and surely there will be some kind of twist. You deserve that at least, having read this far, despite my opening avowal. Some sort of denouement, a final surprise, even at this late stage.
Simon Collings
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Another brilliant piece by Simon Collings, who is always so good at manipulating his readers and keeping them hooked…
Comment by melisande fitzsimons on 28 February, 2023 at 11:55 am