John-J Anderson

ORGAN Chapter Fourteen The sound of rain often calmed Oscar, that morning it sounded like nails being driven into a tin coffin, the porch canopy bounced the noise across the house, and it had woken him from the now regular lifeless nightmares that infest his dreams. The smell downstairs was toast and strong coffee, the way Mum liked it he thought rolling over, for a moment Oscar even forgot what had caused him to feel so shitty in the first place, but then the ache found him to greet him good morning, it let out the stab of awareness that kept him locked into the ongoing saga. He rolled out of bed and pawed around for his phone, forgetting of course that it was still sitting dead in his bag downstairs, the realisation did not bother him all that much, who was he going to call him anyway, Katie did not have his number after all, and she was the only other person aware he was alive. After brushing his teeth and making his way downstairs, he saw his mother in her pyjamas working away at s...

ORGAN Chapter Thirteen Gazing down, attempting to be inconspicuous, Oscar noted the minutes that had passed since he had cross the street from the hospital car park that appeared seemingly impassable before that sweat producing day, not from the weather mind you, from the sudden expulsion of movement and activity to get him to that spot. That bus stop curb side stood erect beside a white detailed piece of metal detailing the timetables for various public bus routes, it broke up the miles of stretching rock and blackened tarmac that otherwise gave him a headache of similar environmental anxiety.  But the minutes continued to crawl with agonising gradualness that would send a brown hair, white and a white hair shedding to the floor with age. It had been gloomy the days before but today felt different above his hooded head, the air was dense enough to bite with static, perhaps a pending storm he thought to himself as the sky flittered from dark heavy cloud to breaking of sunshine whit...

After 22 long painful years, Arsenal are premier league champions. We are the best of the best in England and nobody can take that away from us, as much as many seem intent on trying to do, we are the champions of England. It has been 22 years, I was 10 years old when Arsenal last won a league title and since then have been subjected to the horrors this agonisingly beautiful game can create. I saw Arsenal beaten in a champions league final under suspect circumstances, I worked at the BBC for Match of the Day when Arsenal lost 8-2 to Man United, I cried when Birmingham beat us to the league cup and I stared helplessly at the screen as Aaron Ramsey and Eduardo suffered bone breaking horror injuries from tackles intended to physically harm them. I lived through years of ridicule from other fans, decades of agony as we became nearly men and finally.....finally.....after 22 years, I will see my team lift the trophy they so rightfully deserve.  I cried when the final whistle blew at Bour...

ORGAN Chapter Twelve Boothe lifted the receiver preparing himself for the conversation with Mrs Boothe, he considered it more appropriate to address this impending verbal undressing in a formal matter. Save himself the aggravation of explaining they are not friends or family, that his duty is to be the chief of medicine for the largest hospital in the county, but he knew that Mary did not care about this role that was heavy on the shoulders of the king of the white coats. Heavy is the head, he thought to himself playing up the victimhood he nestled into for these events of his own making, either directly or indirectly, he was on the line for a runaway patient and now, in his mind, it was only a matter of time until Oscar was found dead. He doubted the boys strength and preservation skills; he was sure in himself that they would return his body devoid of breath. The walls around his office felt like a prison that evening, the warden was a patience mother, as ridiculous as the notion mad...