Monday 16 January 2012

Small Stone - Jan 16th


A heart can beat. It can beat a little faster, or at a smooth steady rate. It can stop altogether. What it cannot do is sink, or leap into your mouth. So why does it feel as if it misses a beat when the telephone rings at an unexpected hour?

In the time it takes to stumble downstairs a thousand thoughts carousel around the brain, running through every family member, starting with aging parents and a husband on the road.

Floodgates open on hearing an automated voice, but grateful relief is rapidly replaced by the milder worry of unexpected activity on a bank account.