Extract from 'Perrix' by Jack Burston

Expecting Perrix, Lillian changed from grey into pink. She also turned off the television and turned on the radio. Lillian fingered through the periodicals then thumbed through the angled blinds (occasionally parting them to potentially spot an arriving Perrix). Lillian sat, she prepared to eat the sandwich that she had prepared to allow her appetite to become small in Perrix's presence. The appetite-alterer contained cheese, butter, tomato and mayo. Lillian demolished the snack and hid the plate.

Perrix climbed along the 'pathway' that led to Lillian's. He was persistently annoyed by her description of the route as a 'pathway'. There was too much climbing involved - there was no route, except the roots of the 'beautiful' blackberry bushes. Perrix felt that Lillian had confused beauty and usability when naming the 'pathway' as such.

The blackberry bushes, despite their troublesome roots, were important to Perrix's trips up the hill to see Lillian. He would leave his house fifteen minutes earlier than required, and spend these spare minutes sitting on the slight bank beside the bushes. Whilst on the rock he picked berries from the bush. He lined his stomach before his tea with Lillian - he didn't want her referring to him as 'The Glutton'.

'Raw-brack of Lamb 2' by Jack Burston

Raw-brack walked through the gate that foot-noted the end of his trimmed front garden. He sneezed in reaction to the pollen. The mask filled with mucus. With the paper in his inside pocket he carried on towards the bus-stop. He nodded in the direction of a rapidly sobering bench dweller.

He showed his pass to the driver and moved up the stairs. Raw-brack sat as close to the front as possible: third row. Whole row to himself. He pulled the paper from his pocket. He recited the address.

"Fifteen Maurice Avenue. Upper Bredmo. Carlstown. Zip code is: 8765-680-abdjjk."

Faster:

"Fifteen Maurice Avenue. Upper Bredmo. Carlstown. Zip code is: 8765-680-abdjjk."

Faster again:

"Fifteen Maurice Avenue, Upper Bredmo, Carlstown. 8765-680-abdjjk."

He placed the paper back in the zip lined pocket. He reconstructed the train station and recalled where he would be able to find the timetables.

'Raw-brack Hol.' by Demost

'Raw-brack of Lamb 1' by Jack Burston

Raw-brack dragged on his mask and walked to the kitchen. He sat, rolled the mask up to his nose and reached for the milk on the table in front of him. He slurped and swallowed. Beneath the milk, papers and clippings covered the table. Behind him a symmetrical mural covered the cupboards and the walls that held them up. He held a strongly highlighted, much rippled note, describing the address of a director. The paper had arrived to him from his contact. The contact was well concealed, but still unreliably visible. Raw-brack had dragged him through puddles and thrown him into walls, but the physical did little for the contact's reliability - but he provided.