Pasta

Today I went into a supermarket - Morrisons. I was overwhelmed. I nearly didn't make it out again. Have you been in there!? Have you seen what they've got!!?? I don't know ... for instance, and this is just an instance, they have a section entirely devoted to pasta. I looked at it for ages, overwhelmed, transfixed. This pasta was so beautiful. So beautiful. I don't even like pasta! A section of different kinds of pasta. Loyd Grossman's was my favourite. There was Buitoni. And Morrison's own. I would like a wall of pasta in my own house. That would be amazing.

Still

After the end of everything, we come out into a square and reach into our pockets to see which possessions we have retained. I have a marble, said my son; I have a piece of chewing gum, said my daughter; I have a gun, said my next door neighbour, look, and he blew his own head off. Apart from that, it was very quiet in the square, as everybody else had just gone, perhaps they were indoors, I don’t know, I don’t even want to know what had happened to them, but, as I went down to my local fish and chip shop, I saw a few signs, a few signs of what had been. A leaf, a piece of chewing gum, and a little brown dress. Inside the fish and chip shop were some chips, cold now. I dived in and ate a load of fucking chips because I was so damned hungry. I ate and ate and ate like there was no tomorrow.

Harry

There was a man called Harry, and he would walk down the street, and go into the fish and chip shop where he would buy his supper, and say to the lady behind the counter, How are you? When he got home his cat would miaow at him, and he would sit down in front of the telly and watch something like Family Fortunes for instance. One evening a man came round - called Reginald - and he stole his soul. He came in and sucked his soul right out of his mouth, but little Harry didn’t even notice.

Steve

Steve came down to the flat below and walked in and I said hello steve, how are you? He opened up his mouth and from within came a flock of seagulls like beautiful creatures and after that came a flock of other birds - blackbirds - and then after that came nothing – death - and after that came the last thing which was night.

Bob

Bob was a guy who liked to open other people’s letters so he became a postman and opened other people’s letters. One day he opened my letter and I found him looking at them. Come here, I said, but he said, No way, man, you must be joking. I shot him in the head and as he bled to death he said to me, You bastard, why did you shoot me? I said, because I am violent.