Ever felt observed in your garden or on your balcony?

It’s not your neighbours.

It’s them.

Waiting for you to turn away.

That’s when they do it.

At first, I thought it was the stress of moving. But I’ve been watching them, and I’m right.

Listen.

You know that feeling.

You go into your garden, or onto your balcony, and something’s wrong. No.

Different.

It all looks the same.

The house opposite? Check.

The sky above? Check.

The trees and flowers and somebody walking past talking on their phone?

Check.

Birds, trees, and your own legs down there below you?

Check, check, and check.

But you don’t check the pile of old plastic flower pots tucked away in a discreet corner. You never check them. You barely even think about them.

I hear you:

“Go on, Delaney. Blame the flower pots, you mad thing.”

Well, I spent the weekend – the whole weekend! – sorting flower pots to pick the ones we’re keeping, and I can tell you for an absolute fact that I’ve never seen most of them before in my entire life. Dozens and dozens of the little plastic sods.

They’re breeding!

As soon as you turn your back, pop, pop, pop.

More pots.

Go on. Check for yourself. How many do you have?

And how many do you remember buying?

See?

But be careful. If they don’t realise you’re onto them, you should be safe.

It’s too late for me.

They’re onto me.

And when I pulled the curtain this morning, there they were.

Lined up on the wall.

Staring in at me.

Twice as many as the day before…

If I never get to finish writing The Cat Wore Black, you’ll know what happened.

In the meantime, you can enjoy The Forgotten Creatures where a rain of fish has the local reverend paranoid whether his boss, God, is upset by the reverend’s night-time hobby…​

Chat soon!

Morgan

P.S. More Morgan? Get 2 of my books free here: morgandelaney.info/newsletter