Mu-onna (無女)    Felicia was startled by sudden howls of pain and distress. Her eyes shifted in the direction of the surgical bed, where a woman’s body lay beneath clot-stained fabric. Heavy breathing and peculiar whispers rose from beneath the sheets, merging together as the wobbly overhead fan cooled the intense tropical heat. Why did the screams remind her of Felix? She poured a glass of wine and returned to the laptop, and to her murky thoughts.    Trapped inside her head were the words Mayer and Rokitansky, bouncing mutely off the walls of her subconscious. She was only fourteen when the doctors told her about the

Jinmenken (人面犬)    The sitting room floor was littered with takeaway boxes. Piled up cartons provided ample accommodation for greenish and blackish mould, and possibly Worms in Residence. Bedrooms were like the aftermath of a burglary; and the "living" space could just as well be a sarcophagus - with views over the sea.        Cuckoo, sounded the old grandfather clock. It was 1:00 am.    Bill sat in silence for hours on end. Images and worries jumped from one picture to another like a reel in his head, playing and re-playing scenes from the story of his life. So many things should be different, but hindsight is a wo

The four primordial elements and the symbols which represent them: light (the all-seeing eye); dark matter (darkness and secrets waiting to be unlocked); the force of gravity (distortion caused by an object in space); and the dominion of time (a humanoid and beneath it a skull). "από φως, ζωή... από σκοτάδι, ειρήνη" (from the light comes life, and from the darkness peace) You. That's right, you. Take a good look around you and tell me what you see. If your world is anything like mine, you must be starring at a whole lo

Once upon a time, a farmer planted a magical seed of apple. The young seedling was destined to grow into a beautiful tree and produce the finest apples. The farmer watered the seedling daily, fertilised its soil and shaped its branches season after season. Many years passed and the tree finally blossomed. The flowers were beautiful and bright, attracting all birds, butterflies and bees. No other tree in the farm could equal the beauty of the farmer's beloved apple tree. One day, a blue butterfly with a golden tail-tip saw the apple tree and said "you are so beautiful and sweet, just like me - we should be friends." And so on each day, as th