1
Awakening
Winter, early 1231
France
Philip became aware of a shuffling sound. It was pitch dark, and eerily quiet. Except for the shuffling. A mouse, or a rat maybe? He strained his ears, trying to hear the tell-tale sounds of claws scratching… Read More »
September
This morning, I woke up at 6 am, got up, did my stretches and forty lengths of the pool then said to myself, ‘Isabella, you’re a lucky girl. No cellulite to speak of, all your own teeth, a handsome husband, three beautiful children and a lovely house.’
I wouldn’t want to give you the impression that… Read More »
Prologue
Josiah’s spade strikes wood around five feet down.
‘That’s it. Willard’s coffin.’ Standing at the edge, I peer into the pit.
‘I think it is.’ Josiah scoops soil from the lid, adding to the spoil heap. When he’s cleared half of the lid, we swap places and I finish the job. The coffin is still intact and seems remarkably strong… Read More »
1
When Mum said we were moving back to Edinburgh, I chucked a radge. That’s Scottish for getting angry and losing your temper. I stamped and slammed doors and shouted rude words.
When I finally calmed down enough to talk to her about it, I said, ‘How can it be back to Edinburgh? Cairo is my home… Read More »
Chapter 1
The Story of the Good Samaritan
Thankfully, it was a dry autumn evening. Our patrol hadn’t been that eventful when we came across a man, perhaps in his early sixties, whose hands were bleeding profusely. To our surprise and disappointment, he refused all our offers of first aid. We finally managed to persuade him to… Read More »
1
3rd January 2020
What’s in a Name?
Albert Stridemore’s neighbours on the Irmingshawe estate would often observe that never had a man been more appropriately christened. ‘He really is an Albert,’ they would say to each other as he passed with a curt nod of his head and a brief greeting – never usually more than… Read More »
Chapter One
‘Get off me!’
‘Shhhh, you’ll wake everyone up.’
‘No. Get off me!’
Sienna sighed, not sure if it was her brothers’ muffled words or the sound of them wrestling that had woken her up, but she certainly didn’t need an alarm clock. The paper-thin walls were not enough to keep out… Read More »
1
Do it Well
Good Governance Matters
We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God. (Daniel 6:5)
Things need to be done well so that there is honour to the name of Christ publicly.
Governance is an awkward-sounding word: it does not trip easily off the tongue, and it even sounds a little threatening. It can feel Read More »
1
A Relentless Nightmare
Imagine a married couple renting a two-bedroom terraced council house in the 1950s in a dilapidated neighbourhood, with five young children all under the age of six. The children’s parents were holding down different jobs to bring in enough money for food and payment of bills… Read More »
chapter 1
the golden trowel
I’ve been telling stories all my life. That’s what I do. That’s what I’ve always done. It must have started with the squiggles and scribbled drawings I made of what I could see around me when I was very young. And as soon as I learned to speak – at least, that’s how I remember it – I began to tell myself stories as I drifted off to sleep each night about what had happened that day… Read More »
