What We Wrote
An anthology of poetry and prose from the students of the University of Derby
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The sandy beach house sits in our foreground as we loiter around at the edge of the water, hung-over; splashing each other's legs with our fingertips. We labour ourselves with this for five, ten, thirty minutes, before we scuttle back to the house; wide-mouthed and laughing. We slide open the tinted glass doors and drag sand inside. I look back out at the January grain, six-month forgotten sands, before sliding the door shut behind me. You disappear in search of fictional lemonade, while I look for rum. An empty bottle sits on the deck, and another at my feet. On the table seventeen parasoled glasses, empty coladas. You drank one more than me last night, yet it was you who carried me to sleep. I thank you for that. You come back out, lemonade-less, and I smile at you as your long hair provides you with a grizzled mane. We go back out on the deck for a while; you complain about your fella. And I complain about mine. We reminisce, and tell anecdotes, dreaming back forgotten nostalgia. I suck in the sea air and sigh with relief as you light a cigarette and blow it into the wind. I admire your top, and you compliment my shoes. I laugh as you laugh, and we laugh till it hurts. We've already been skinny dipping, it would have drove the men back home wild, you tell me, and I arrogantly agree.
It isn't long till the sun goes down, and leaves us with the stars. You point out constellations and get annoyed when I don't see them. "Back home tomorrow" I say, and you follow with a silence. You cling to my arm and snap a photo and we go back to laughing. You start telling me a joke that I’ve heard a thousand times, I lean in and listen, I cannot help but interrupt. "What's that buzzing noise?" I ask abruptly, panic setting in, breaking the laughter. You listen, but you hear nothing. It grows louder and I cling to you for help. I can feel it crippling me and taking me away. Taking me back to reality, back to the riptide, and the bitter taste of coconut and the sea. My eyes are torn open and I lie in salty sweat, clutching my pillow and our empty photo, and I hear you calling. I hear you always, screaming. Laughing, and screaming.
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About the Book
Death. Chance encounter. Lies. Secrets. Sex. A man with a strange relationship to the moon.
It’s all cracking off in What We Wrote, the exciting new project from the raw, untapped writing talent from the University of Derby and supported by Enterprise Inc.
Contributors include the winner of the East Midlands Free Read Scheme Nathan Fidler, Japanese-speaking Derby Radio Station DJ Wayne Arnold and Derby open-mic regular Simon Brace, as well as blogger and What We Wrote creator Laura Williams.
Enter the world of what they wrote, with What We Wrote.
About the Author
Editor Laura Williams has studied at the London School of Journalism, and is a Midlands-based features writer and blog-keeper - www.mynameislaurajanewilliams.blogspot.com. She thinks What We Wrote is the best collection of short stories and poetry since the invention of lying, and almost as much fun. She'd love to know what you think about it (the book, not telling porky-pies).