By Peter Devonald By a peculiar twist of fate he replaced his lover with a brick. It was easier this way for him, for her. The brick was reliable, amenable and dependable. The brick always turned up for football, never said anything silly or controversial. She never disagreed with him or was difficult, she didn’t buy a round, but neither did his ex. They were inseparable, his brick and him, did everything together, cinema, pub and exercise. He’d found his perfect match and th

By Alan Ireland Beneath a Hello Kitty banner, the six members of the Sumire Suicide Club are holding a 'graduation ceremony'. Even anorexic Reiko is here, her head in her hands, still overdosed on daylight. The four-and-a-half-mat room is barely large enough for the patchwork quilt of memories. 'Do you remember the time...?' The voice trails off, is lost among abandoned soba bowls. In Apartment 17, the afternoon fades as slowly as the smile of the androgynous pink panther.

By Daphne M.Larner She hung his suits on trees all down the Avenue His evidence would be that she was barking She stole his address book, and met his clients, imagining sex- But really, just for the thrill of illicit meetings for lunch or dinner - she didn’t care Their hands might travel making further suggestion. More wine, playing for time, then one impulsive decision An exit with ‘Please excuse me’ indicating ‘the Ladies’ Her coat abandoned as she disappeared through the k