| About the author: | Emma Lee's short stories have been widely published in the UK, USA and on-line. Her story, "Restoration" was runner-up in Writing Magazine's Annual Ghost Story Competition. Emma's collection of poems "Yellow Torchlight and the Blues" was published by Original Plus in 2004 and two of the included poems have been nominated for the Forward Prize for Best Poem. |
I wish I'd kept my bike, a 1974 Norton Commando Roadster, but Matt had got so weak that I very, very reluctantly traded the bike for a car. That's if you can call an ageing Fiesta with a frustratingly small engine that struggles to 90 miles per hour, even wind-assisted and downhill, a car. Currently stuck here in a lousy lay-by with boarded up Snacks Caravan. Nine Inch Nails screeched on the car's tape deck. I flicked the switch to radio: some station playing Vivaldi. I leaned back in the driver's seat, the sound of violin relaxing my shoulders against my leather jacket. I let my eyes close as my dark hair fell across my face. Previously I'd kept it short, but since let it grow: it contrasted nicely with the pale skin. Icy, Matt had said, and that suited me. I pick up a coin and flip it. It's as light as a World Championship Gold Medal. Matt used to be so competitive: the right diet, a training programme that meant he'd peak at the right time, strictly no alcohol and the right sleep patterns. Even had to have the right hair cream: claimed it reduced friction. And me, well, I ate when I felt hungry, slept when I was tired and trained when I felt like it. Luckily that was most of the time, when not doing the day job. Hmm, the day job: well, one of us had to. You can't enter the British Nationals, let alone the Worlds, from no fixed abode. | 
