The cave house next to ours is let out to weekly renters. A green-eyed German with a ponytail came out of his cave to stand on his terrace and look for the Blood Moon at the same time as I stood 30 yards farther along the ledge to look. There was no moon to be seen and we spread our arms and opened our palms to each other in that universal expression of frustration. I knew he had green eyes because earlier I had knocked on his door and presented him with two boxes of pastries, which I had been given, but Catriona cannot eat pastries because she is allergic to eggs, so we passed them on. I’d had a few drinks and was maybe a bit tousled and my eyes were probably glazed. As I stood on his doorstep and mutely presented him with the enormous patisserie boxes, the green German eyes registered first surprise, then gratitude, then as they focused on mine, benevolent pity.
Jeremy Clarke
Low life | 2 August 2018
Mosquitos feed on me as I read Painter’s biography of Proust in our rock-ledge garden
issue 04 August 2018
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