Last week Malcolm had been thrown out by his beautiful girlfriend Alisha. Her image was lingering in front of him like a ghost, everywhere he went he saw her floating in and out of reach. Her skin was as opaque as black olives and her eyes were so clever they had made him believe in magic. After nearly eighteen months of her magic she’d switched it off.
“I’ve met somebody else Malcolm. I’m sorry but I need to do this for myself. I can’t stay in this relationship just for you.”
“But what about Bella?” he’d responded desperately. Bella, a soppy two year old beagle, was their only shared love. They had rescued her shortly after they’d moved in together.
“She’ll be heartbroken if we separate.”
“She’s a dog, she’ll get over it. I’ll look after her, that way she won’t have to live out of boxes while you’re looking for a new place. You can visit but only when you’ve gotten over it too.”
Malcolm watched the blurry world pass him while he sat on the riverbank immersed in grief. Two black blurs fell to the ground in front of him and started dancing with each other. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them to see two magpies. They were fidgeting and pecking at each other. Their wings flapped allowing him to capture glimpses of metallic blue.
Perhaps, I’ll go back to Adam’s flat to find a message from Alisha asking for me to meet her. I’ll accept and we’ll meet at the Green Bean. She’ll be waiting for me, sipping her butterscotch latte with white sugar. I’ll drink my milky tea and listen as she tells me how unbelievably sorry she is and what a hideous mistake she’s made. After we broke up her doctor diagnosed her with temporary insanity but she’s on the mend now and wants to put her life back together. She’ll tell me that Bella has been pining for me, waiting sadly by the door at half past five each night.
While Malcolm let his thoughts dry his face, the birds continued to wrestle in front of him. Each time one tried to fly away the other would pull it back down to earth by its wing. He was deaf to all their squawking.
I’ll visit Mum and tell her the good news about Alisha and I. Her doctors will tell me that she’s responded really well to the new medication and her condition is improving steadily. I’ll take her to her favourite restaurant to meet Alisha and we’ll plan what we want to do for Christmas.
Black and blue feathers litter the grass surrounding Malcolm. His day dream carries him like a small leaf in a river; he picks up a glossy black feather and twiddles it between his fingers.
When we get home I’ll get a call from the garage saying my car has passed its MOT and that it’s ready to be picked up. Alisha and I’ll take Bella for a long walk to go and collect it. On the way back we’ll go food shopping and fill the trolley right to the top with groceries. We’ll buy our favourite ice cream and get a new movie from Blockbusters to watch. We lie on the sofa, curled around each other like spaghetti, sharing ice cream from the same bowl. Bella will lie on her back letting me rub her tummy with my foot.
The magpies escape in to the air, chasing each other into a giant tree. Malcolm reclines so that he can keep the birds in view. He smiles towards the sky as perfection fills every corner his mind. He watches in awe as he sees himself driving through landscapes in his rusty white Volkswagen with his loaded camera on the passenger seat, ready to capture the world. Exquisite snapshots of places, women, men, architecture and oceans cover his study walls. His portfolio is bulging with skilfully captured photographs, ready to help him break into his real profession.
From the tree, the magpies came twirling to the ground, fast and heavy. One of them lay at an awkward angle whilst the other continued to tug at its wing. The fallen magpie tried to manoeuvre out of reach but slowly gave up and was still. The other magpie, feathers ruffled but overall unhurt, took to the sky and disappeared.
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