The Joker

Badge of Honour

I can never really relax beforehand; I am always looking round for something to do, even if I will invariably end up winging it; when my tax card came in the post that morning, I thought I had found the perfect conversation piece. “It’s been the running joke of my life here,” I said at …

Read more…

The Half Days

A Tale of Envy

I was in the middle of a translation; and, as it was a particularly tricky one, my brain was starting to fog with quibbles, so I stepped out onto the balcony and stretched. From my balcony, I should point out, if one looked left, one could make out the blue of the sea. It was …

Read more…

The Curse of Turan

The Italian Ugo was a small man, and he could scarcely see over the battlements. Besides, the chainmail he was wearing was far too big for him and hung loosely down over his thin body. His helmet was too big for his head. He looked quite absurd, standing there and scarcely able to see over …

Read more…