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"Storm Eunice Makes me Realise Why I am Afraid of Flying" by Lesley James

I only knew one Eunice in my life, and she lived long enough to get a birthday letter from the queen I have a covid fever am afraid I’m not doing well I’m deaf with snot, thank God, to hear it all would- anyway afraid of losing trees and roofs and fencing in the storm. Storm Eunice has arrived she’s singing whiney songs down to the hearth clinking wood-burner stove timpani and I’m afraid the wind will blow the chimney down I see it crashing through the roof it hits bed and kills the cat afraid the roof tiles will lift off fly sideways down and hit a car.


The fact is - I have felt this many times before - I fear the wind. That time when hinge-ing from its final fixings like a big square wooden box lid that six-foot fencing on the border threatened to fly free alone then in my DIY incompetence, my neighbour laughed at me I tried to haul it free to lay it flat before it flew who knows what damage hundred mile an hour fence panels can do I tucked my chin into my chest and wore some gloves as if they gave me power struck on the face by rain I ripped and wrenched it wrestled it to horizontal next-door man looked on. And then I flew. The wind came underneath the panel was a square flat kite took off with me attached like Super Ted.


We landed by a plum tree, me face-down, the panel looking innocent I’d travelled seven metres. My neighbour laughing still.


That I am powerless against the storm, that laughter at me is the inevitable choral strain is what I fear


Storm Eunice is a siren. I picture wreckage way before it comes.




Lesley is currently shortlisted for Love Reading UK's 2022 very short story award with Jungle, 1971. Recent work can be found in The Broken Spine (twice featured flash of month) and Full House Lit Mag (featured creator). Kathryn O'Driscoll selected one of her poems for Full House's 2021 mental health live reading and forthcoming podcast. Dirigible Balloon and Parakeet have been lovely enough to publish some of her writing for kids.

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