Story
Alienation
It’s strange. You arrive to a new land, there are people to greet you. At first you don’t understand; in fact, you don’t understand for quite a while. But speaking…
One of the Girls
It’s quiet outside, a little too quiet. There are meant to be 17 other people here but I haven’t seen any signs of life. Tired, culture-shocked, and utterly starving, I…
The Pessimist in the Pool
A screech of, “GET ME IN THAT FUCKEN POOL!” rattles the oven air. Through the haze of red wine fumes baking off my body and the pain of sticky thongs…
Sushi, Sex and the Boy Who Broke My Heart
“You’d be more attractive if you smoked and were less of a feminist,” he slurs, sloppily, arm slung like a dead weight over my shoulder as I walk him home…
What It’s Like to Travel With Chronic Fatigue
“Fuck it,” I said as I clicked book. The decision was final. I was going on an adventure. When travelling, especially as a young person, there’s an unspoken expectation that…
Looking For Reasons Why
“So you attracted your own attacker by manifestin’ him through your nightmares…” The round, well-meaning woman sits nodding to herself comfortably in her chair. White walls enclose on me, and…
I Went to a Love Hotel, Japan’s Open Taboo
It was approaching midnight on a cold Tuesday. My boyfriend and I were drunkenly trawling the backstreets of Shibuya, leading us to the street of dôgenzaka in search of a…
I Don’t Remember the Countdown, I’m Puking My Guts Up, and I’ve Done This Before
Because I cannot bear the thought of spending New Year’s alone, I get in a car with a friend and two others I’ve never met before. One of the strangers…
Cold Water and Sliding Doors
I’m halfway through my month-long escape in Bali and my weeks have begun forming a pattern. Monday morning, wake up early, yoga, green tea. Tuesday morning, wake up early, journal,…
I Toured Amsterdam’s Red Light District With My Mum
“Holy crap!” Mum shouts as a bike skyrockets past her, narrowly missing her little feet. “The bikes really own the roads and the bloody pavements here, don’t they?” “Maybe you…
A Bit of Bad Fortune in Tokyo
During my stay in Japan, I observed a lot of fortune-telling in Tokyo. I write “observed” because I found it difficult to get my own fortune told given that my…
My Friendship With a Quiet Japanese Bookstore Owner
The first thing I noticed about Colombo Cornershop was its owner doling out takeaway coffees from the side window. His bowl haircut and baggy red jumper were visible behind the…