John Baker’s Blog

The magician stepped into the walk-through metal detector and a loud bell sounded. A uniformed man twice Danny’s size came towards him. The man had a long truncheon attached to his belt. ‘Put your watch and cash and any metal objects on the tray,’ he said. His manner was not polite. He didn’t seem to [...]

Some people have confidence from the word go. They are born into the world and have a quick squint at it between womb and cradle and think to themselves, Hey, I can handle this. No problem. It’s as if they’ve arrived here from a much worse place and they know they’ve landed on their feet. [...]

‘Shaz’s made some tea,’ Stell said. ‘She used to work at the hospital.’
‘I’ve put two sugars in and a drop of brandy,’ Shaz said. ‘Sip it.’
She handed him a mug with a graphic of a young, auburn-haired nun on the side. They watched him sip the tea. Ruben cupped the mug in his hands and [...]