shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 20/06/2026Dad started with a secondhand set of clubs. He got them from a friend at work and they came in a frayed, brown golf bag. He gradually replaced them with new clubs, but never changed the #putter with its willow shaft. I've still got it now and I can feel Dad's hands moulded into the handle. #vss365 062
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 19/06/2026He left his fifth meeting of the morning. Or was it the sixth He knew he'd agreed to do something after meeting 3. Or possibly 4. He took the tangled chain out of his pocket. And started to #undo the knots. As he straightened it, he lay it on the desk. Pausing now and again to take his pulse #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 18/06/2026I sit by his bed. The sun warms my back as I pick at the grapes. His fingers #clench into a fist, holding the sheet. My hand rests on his arm. He relaxes and closes his eyes. But he doesn't let go. #vss365 051
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 17/06/2026The moon admired its reflection on the laptop screen. Waiting for the great first line for the great 21st century #novel. Willow tree hill watched the lights go out. The author closed the curtains. And carried over his classic to another day. #vss365 0101
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 16/06/2026The key keeps sticking. I've tied to dust the keyboad and it looks much cleanerrrrr, but that key's still not ight. I managed to pise it off, but i couldn't see anything wong. I've asked my nerrrrrdy #fiend to come and take a look. He's due any minute, so I'll have to do my #vss365 laterrrrrrrrrrr 071
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 14/06/2026Pebbles under my feet. Rusty pier reaching out to sea. An island on the smeared horizon. Spray on the café window. All now #distant, though I could be there in an hour. Like a photo in a scrapbook, never to be animated by AI. The past; just a stranger trying to tell someone else's story. #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 13/06/2026He could tell his #quietus was coming. Although claiming ownership felt arrogant. Everything, and everyone, was winding down. The sky was paler. The plants no longer individual. Entropy was leading him - them - into a vanilla future. A hand rested on his arm. Telling him he wasn't alone. #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 11/06/2026I heard a voice saying "he's ready". But I'm not. I want to see another #dawn. Then another sunset. I'll keep on begging deals to stretch this out a little longer. I know I've had a good innings. The joy outweighed the sadness. But I'm not ready for the end credits. Can I write one more #vss365? 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 27/05/2026We're held in your orbit. Occasionally we test the limit but #gravity always pulls us back. You don't need to be in sight; just like the moon controlling the tides regardless of what phase it's in, we spin around your gravitational well. Forever on the verge of falling in. #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 26/05/2026You never forget your first ghost. Mine was at the level crossing on Bell street. I was cycling home and the #signal dropped as I approached. I couldn't hear a train and was about to jump the barrier when I saw him. He looked my age and had the same bike. He waved at me. I remember the bike. #vss365 071
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 25/05/2026It came from experience: His #judgement of which shade of green to use for each layer of landscape. Even the, apparently random, drops of pink and red spilt along the way were in just the right place. He sipped his water; satisfied. Cars sped past; angry drivers rushing to jobs they hated. #vss365 051
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 18/05/2026The sea bathed in the #luminous glow from the moon. Amy said it looked different but wasn't sure how. It was only the next night, when the new moon came out that we realised we now had two. Each followed its own phases but the fresh moon calmed the same dogs that howled at its elder sister. #vss365 031
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 17/05/2026Gramps says there used to be trees. Nobody believes him. The books show the same #barren plains we see today. He tells us stories of how the feels were etched on the ground. How fruit and vegetables grew before the replicators. We humour him. It doesn't hurt. But sometimes he cries. #vss365 062
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 15/05/2026The sea ripples and rises. Waves rush up the wall and shower the zigzag paving. You ask #forgiveness for the spray scratching our cheeks. But we run through the rainbows that fill the air. We breathe in the chill of life, nothing extinguishing our #unalloyed joy. #vss365 042
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 13/05/2026It was only when we saw the vehicles in person that we wished we'd done our due #diligence. The number plates all matched the invoices; they were just attached to Skodas instead of Ferraris. #vss365 0102
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Venus comes at #evenfall to watch the final session. She enters quietly, never going behind the bowler's arm. The floodlights welcome her and the umpires check their watches. Players head for the pavilion and twilight fades into night. English summer holds us in her arms. #vss365 062
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 11/05/2026October half term, I stayed with Nan for the week. She taught me how to play rummy. How to make chocolate brownies. Took me to the park every day. Built lego dinosaurs. Read a hundred stories; with all the voices. The perfect world was #fleeting. Monday school was back to black and white. #vss365 192
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 10/05/2026I lay awake wondering how I would put it right. I ran through what-if scenarios and only fell asleep when I decided to talk it over with you, when we next meet. You always cut through the noise and make it seem so simple. Being #haunted isn't all bad. #vss365 082
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 09/05/2026We grew up in Round Hole Town. Some shaved our edges, squeezed in and kept quiet. Some left, heading for Square Hole City. And me, I revelled in being a #misfit. Whatever was popular, I avoided. Whatever the town avoided, I ran towards. Being opposite tying me down as much as being normal. #vss365 092
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 08/05/2026There was a single sign to the #dewdrop inn. If you found the sign, you'd come too far to turn back. By then, the road had become a farm track and the ancient oaks were blocking out any light. The track dropped down about 100 yards from the door and that's when you first heard the music. #vss365 1143
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Percy the Pigeon sat on the gatepost outside the aviary and watched the exotic birds inside. His grey feathers seemed dull in comparison until he saw a #dove. Its white plumage was essentially just a cleaner version of his own, which prompted his idea. All he needed was some flour. #vss365 052
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Kit's life changed when they decided to become nocturnal. It started with a couple of night shifts, and they never went back. After midnight the world was reborn. Owls replaced swallows. Badgers appeared from the undergrowth. Kit sat in the bandstand watching from under a spectral #moonbeam. #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 05/05/2026She smiled at each moment of kindness. "Thank you #dear." She said. Every time someone took the time to help, or listen, or wait, they made the world a little better. It didn't cost anything, but it was the most valuable thing in existence. That's why those who showed it were so dear. #vss365 051
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 04/05/2026When he died Bob was asked to take a ticket. At least there were plenty of magazines. At last his number was called and he was given his options. "What's the difference between a ghost and a #phantom?" "Nothing really, but market research showed people think phantoms are cooler." #vss365 062
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 03/05/2026He said he loved her. He told her every day. He wrote her poems. Made mix tapes. Carved her name in every tree he saw. Everyone told her how lucky she was. She wanted to feel him reach for her hand. To listen when she told him about her day. A little #affection to go with all that love. #vss365 071
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 02/05/2026The world was angry without knowing exactly why. William decided to tell them. He wanted to scream but he needed them to listen. So he picked up Woody Guthrie's machine for killing fascists and changed his name to #Fury. He back-combed his hair, stood in the spotlight and waited for the bang #vss365 071
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 02/05/2026He never knew his #name. He knew where he'd been found. He knew what the people who found him called him. But that wasn't his name. It was just a label. A nickname at best. It doesn't bother him now. People know what he looks like. Sounds like. Everyone knows he's good. And that's enough. #vss365 081
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 30/04/2026We all went to The Red #Lion when we were 18. Pound a pint, a row of ten pence pieces on the pool table, 50, never-changing, songs on the jukebox, and a paved beer garden. When I went past last week they were advertising Sunday lunches and Curry nights. I didn't go in. #vss365 0101
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Bob and I always had #dichotomous views. If I drunk lager, he drunk cider. If he went carnivore, I went vegan. The first time I knew something was wrong was when we agreed. I asked if he was sure and he didn't see anything unusual. Suddenly he wasn't Bob anymore. #vss365 1122
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 28/04/2026He started counting at the first spike of #lightning. Ten seconds later he heard the thunder. The next gap was six seconds, then two. Then lightning and thunder joined. Each rip in the sky, accompanied by a crash. Silence. Then thunder, followed a second later by lightning. Nature reversed #vss365 081
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Eddie's book had details of every match he'd ever watched, played in or managed; interspersed with quotes from Sun Tzu. In this way he made himself into a master #tactician. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The knack was in how quickly you identified the correct reaction. #vss365 1113
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 26/04/2026When I was growing up we went to the same seaside town every year. As soon as I was old enough I chose my own holiday destination and promised I'd go somewhere different every year. Even for me, this is different. It's a basic room, but the view of the #lunar surface is amazing. #vss365 041
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 25/04/2026I love Halloween. It gives me a chance to walk around in my #psychopomp. I wear my Anthony Perkins mask and carry a shower curtain under my arm. And you're sure that's what it means? Yes... pretty sure. #vss365 061
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 24/04/2026It's a Miaow of #cats. Are you sure? It's something like that. Maybe a Purr of cats. Isn't it a Pride of cats? You know? Like a Pride of lions. Collective nouns were never my strong point. I don't know how you talked us into playing our joker. The only one I know for sure is a #vss365 of tweets. 7194
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 23/04/2026I lean my #fishing rod in its cradle. The far end of the line reaches under the water and the bell hangs from the near end. I watch a heron and he half-watches me. His other eye scans the river for movement against the current. He tenses then dives. He's hunting food. I'm hunting sanctuary. #vss365 072
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Poochie looks up at her human, knowing they will understand. She waits. But not for too long. She barks. So they don't get distracted. She listens for intruders. Ready to protect her territory. She is comfortable. But remembers the #wolves from whom she came. #vss365 081
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Before she was born, they were going to call her Lisa, after his sister. Then they saw her eyes, and #Jade it was. In her teens, her nails freckled with emeralds. At university, her hair developed streaks. She never seemed affected. Each change was just reflecting the envy of the world. #vss365 0112
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 20/04/2026The ferry climbed each wave, paused on the crest, and then slid into the trough. His mother slipped on the deck as they headed for the lifeboats, and he was tossed into the water. He was too young to know you can't breathe #undersea. It was just like air. Only wetter. And his next life began #vss365 051
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 18/04/2026They were the oldest family in the parish. Their name was in the domesday book and they'd led the Circle for over 20 generations. This #investiture was different though. There was nothing explicit in the constitution to say the Grand Master couldn't be a woman but... It just didn't sit right #vss365 1155
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 17/04/2026The waves squeeze through the arch and into the bay. Three pillars reach out of the water forcing the #seafoam to slalom around them before falling at my feet. I bend down and pick up the bottle. Something rattles inside. I unscrew the cap and tip his gold tooth into my hand. #vss365 062
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 16/04/2026He lay the #hammer in his palm and found the balance point. His fingers curled and felt the grain before his thumb locked them in place. He wiped the door handle on the way out and headed next door. #vss365 162
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 16/04/2026He liked the feel of the #hammer in his hand. He found the balance point and let it come to rest. He closed his fingers around it and his thumb locked them in place. He looked down at the result of his work and allowed himself a smile. He wiped the door handle on the way out and headed home. #vss365 031
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 15/04/2026He sat, waiting. He knew his name, Jake, and recognised the food cupboard being opened. He didn't need anything else. Collie claimed to know 100 words, but he couldn't list them. Jake just knew 1. The #Word: "right" His human was about to stand up. they were going OUT #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 1142
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 14/04/2026He comes in to the living room at 6 o'clock every evening, lies in front of the fire, and then he goes out at 10. I sometimes reach out to stroke him until I remember he's just on a #loop. Nobody else can see him, but he's still my best friend. #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 163
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 13/04/2026He wanted #letters after his name. Just so he could politely correct people "Actually it's Tim Ball... OBE" When he found the missing diamonds while walking Jojo, he thought his chance had come. So, it was a bit disappointing to have to say "Actually, it's Jojo... OBE" #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 1103
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 12/04/2026He'd always loved #water: streams, the sea, rain. Anything wet. On this day his human had thrown a ball into a brook. He splashed after it, but suddenly felt tired and lay down to rest. He woke up surrounded by tennis balls, next to a big lake. He sat. And waited. #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 1123
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 11/04/2026He watched the "Bringer of Food" #sink behind the sofa. He couldn't see her. She was gone! He ran around but couldn't get past the table. He knew he wasn't allowed on the sofa but surely... He jumped up and saw her on the carpet. He dropped next to her and licked her face. "Don't leave me!" #vss365 051
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 10/04/2026After the tree was blown down we could see our neighbours: white dots of life on the hills. Boo was ok until they moved to the bottom field, which is too close to his boundary. The only thing that calms him is the finches that #sing as they perch on the footpath sign. #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 173
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 09/04/2026The steps were hesitant. They stopped at the road, and waited. Dave clutched the lead then bent down and scratched Benny's ear. They'd been together since he'd gone #blind and couldn't imagine life apart. Benny leaned into Dave's scent; colour in his world of darkness. #vss365 @redsaid1.bsky.social 172
shippers1871.bsky.social @shippers1871.bsky.social · 08/04/2026He looked around to get his bearings but the current made everything a blur. He picked a #bank and headed for it. The water swirled and he didn't seem to be getting any closer until the river narrowed and he took his chance. He clambered up the wet rocks, his precious stick still in his jaws #vss365 2143
