The Waves

The waves swooped down on the beach, where Thora was lying with her head on the sand and her feet in the water. They crashed at her toes and dribbled and trickled up her calves. She stretched her arms out to either side, making an angel shape. A sand angel. She was a sand angel. Overhead the sun beat down brightly, making her eyes squint, the light playing and dancing in the corners of her vision. The waves crashed again and this time the water reached her knees. Clouds skirted across the sky, soft white shapes that were too far away to really see properly. She moved her arms again, the coarse sand chafing her newly pink skin. She would burn if she stayed out here much longer. Her mother’s voice resonated in the back of her head, a stern warning to stay out of the sun delivered with a kiss. She didn’t have to heed such warnings anymore. It was the surf’s turn to kiss her this time, as the water reached her thighs, covering the tops of her legs this time, caressing her with its cool hands. She continued to study the sky through her eyelashes. She guessed at what she couldn’t see. She couldn’t see clouds shaped like dinosaurs, she couldn’t see planets, she couldn’t see aeroplanes. She could see the shadow of a man stood above her. She lifted one of her angel wings, placed a hand horizontally against her brows and opened her eyes fully for the first time that day.
“Are you alright? You’re getting wet,” the man said.
“I know. I’m fine, thank you.”
“The water will be up to your neck soon,” he warned.
“That’s ok,” Thora shrugged, her shoulders making little furrows in the sand. “I like the water.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” the man said, stepping over her to continue his way down the beach. Thora was sure. She thought how odd the man was, how earnest. How nice it was that he’d stopped to make sure she was ok. If she hadn’t been ok, she would have very much liked someone just like that to stop and ask how she was. The waves landed again, pushing the water up to her waist this time. Thora wiggled her toes as the froth splashed over her. Behind her, she could hear children playing in the sand, digging a moat, building a fort, waiting for the sea to come and destroy it. What a funny game, what fun they were having. Another crash and the water crept up her sides. The sand underneath her was wet now, with each wave she could feel the pull of the sea tugging at her. Crash, it covered her belly, crash it covered her breasts, crash, it covered her face, her neck, her head and then she was gone. Dragged out into the sea by the sheer force of it, by its willingness to reclaim her. Thora felt her legs fuse together at the ankles, the scales wrapping round her like a piece of chiffon as she kicked her flippers, tested them once or twice and swam.

National Helen Day

tomorrow is National Helen Day and I am oh so very excited. National Helen Day is a day when Helen's have fun, and they traditionally happen about four times a year. National Helen Days can last anywhere from a few hours, to a few days. anything and nothing can happen during a National Helen Day. most National Helen Days involve presents. past National Helen Days have involved whole series of CSI or Heroes. this National Helen Day, I am introducing Helen to the delights of Medium. National Helen Days can often involve making things, like trees made of wire, or teddy bear keyrings out of leather and felt. some National Helen Days involve Bingo! or Japanese food. I love National Helen Days.

so if you're a Helen, whether you have another Helen to enjoy your holiday weekend with or not, make sure you do something fabulous.

Viva La Helen!!!!!!!!!!!!

is that a yes then?

so I've been getting arts jobs emailed to my blackberry for the last few months. every day at about 19.06pm a little email pings its way into my inbox and tells me about writing jobs all over the UK. its pretty cool. I've sent a couple of things on to my friends, and Laura is doing some music reviewing and I eventually submitted an idea the other week. and I've had a response! and it was very nice, explaining what they want and telling me to let them know...what does that mean?!?!?! is that a yes? do they like my idea? (recycled dissertation, I have decided that I might as well put these ideas to good use) anyway, its screenplay format, 12-15 episodes, 4-10,000 words per episode. eeek! so quite a lot.

I've emailed back. watch this space. it would be a lot of work, but it would be nice...anyway, must dash. the boyf is asleep on the couch so I am going to try and wake him up (unlikely) and then I am going to go and watch Medium in bed. series 3 is a bit weirder than the first 2 but I do like it, and am very glad I've made the effort to watch them in order so far. over and out.

books

today, on the bus, there was a man with an e-reader. oh, how I stared and stared. see, I've heard a lot about them but I'd never actually seen one before, and now I have I think I am even more dubious than I was before.

these are my reasons...

• when you're reading, and you need to flick back a few pages, how do you keep your place with one hand, whilst finding whatever you needed to find with the other?
• what do you do when you need to put your book away, and read something else for a bit? but you need to keep your place in the book you're reading, because you don't want to put it away forever, just for now
• I doubt an e-reader would survive if you dropped it in the bath (not that I have ever dropped a book in the bath, but I had never dropped anything on my glass-topped coffee table until I was holding something heavy enough to break it)
• I won't be able to buy e-books in charity shops for £1, which will mean I will not discover as many new authors
• I won't be able to take e-books back to Barter Books and swap them for credits to buy more books
• I won't be able to sit cross legged in front of my bookcases and choose what to read next
• how do you wrap up your favourite e-book and give it to someone you love as a present?

on the plus side, I would have a lot more space in the flat...