A Fish’s Brain. Scilly Isles 10. Written by Richard Alan Gardham. Transcribed by Angela Gardham.

An enormous blue frocked lady wobbled painfully over pebbles towards the water. She’s big but minute besides the blue waters edge. She finally smiles as she cools her feet in the water. A tall slender figure walks down the sand stroking her long untidy hair. Her round little bottom sways – great. She has a paddle, shows herself off then turns around and comes back up the beach, her thighs gently pushing against the soft sand. She strokes her hair again and flicks it so the sun blazes it……. Aunt Alice died by letter; meat flies buzz over the scrap bowl in the kitchen. Frank started to empty the scraps off the plate, he stopped then peered close, “It’s a fish’s brain.” I squeezed it, the finger ends sinking into the numbed privacy of the dead brain. I let it drop into the garbage bin. If it were alive would it be savage or sterile with the pressure on the brain? Frank disappeared into the dining room.

“Stop staring at me, you’re mad. Why pick on me? Do you know that you are hurting me? You hurt people when you keep saying those nasty things you keep saying. Some people are sensitive.” “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to hurt you.” Her eyes are green, they enlarge and are subdued in conversation. “Leave me alone, stop staring at me.” She walked away towards a sailor. Fred smiled and said “Don’t waste your time with her Dick.”