The paint brushes only came out in winter. Caked in last years residue she would pull them from the box tucked into the stairwell cupboard and air out her smock like musty Christmas decorations. Stringing the half crumpled tubes out in the same order as she’d done the year before.
“I thought,” said her husband, arms crossed against his chest and shoulder resting against the door-frame of the open patio doors, “This time, that you had given up for good.”
Ankle deep in snow she shakes her head, the snowdrifts on her shoulders disintegrating into dust again.
“I couldn’t,” she tells him, paint poised above the canvas. White on white. “I haven’t captured it quite right yet.”
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
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