Date: 1 April It’s amazing how the rain can become a source of entertainment. For months we had none, so when it finally comes it brings excitement and joy. Now it is more mundane, yet still a pleasure. All of a sudden, a dripping gutter is a conversation starter. Our lives have been reduced yet at […]
The Quarry Journal
A journal of creative writing by students at Macquarie University
Hikikomori, Alice Maher
Haibun The title Hikikomori refers to a Japanese social phenomenon whereby adolescents (and some adults) withdraw from the outside world to seek extreme isolation and self-confinement. A Haibun is a Japanese form combining short prose with poetry; in this case, a haiku. I am not clover. My roots, if I have roots, run long and […]
#2020, Hiroki Kosuge
I wish Iwere a bird thatdoesn’t know acage. This Ark toowill sink, butwe will allsurvive. You willfloat if youhave a pair of healthylungs. Exhale,inhale,shout andhide. We aremere fugitives nomatter where wego. Let the onewho has never beensaddened throw thefirst stone at me. Give meanotherglass offire. The paradiseis alwaysdrawn inpointillism. See my sisterwho is still happilyin […]
Persecution, Swarna Pinto
The solitary diner at table 13 was Rosa’s last customer. He was a regular who wore Armani suits and left generous tips. As she placed his bill on the table, she noticed the red onion rings from the salad and the skin of the grilled salmon on the edge of his plate. His napkin was […]
Week, Jodie Ramodien
Monday This week I took a total of eighty-nine steps. My apartment, the first I ever owned, sat on the outskirts of the city and was surrounded by grungy streets, pubs, and gay bars. After the government ramped up social distancing rules, things took an atypical turn. The bars closed, the lights dimmed, the laughter […]
Yellow, Aylish Dowsett
You’re nervous. You’ve wiped the sweat from your palms three times now. Yet your hands still shake. A little tremor. Nothing too violent. You choose the powder blue shirt over the others, matched with silver cufflinks. They’re scratched, but they do just fine. They’re your lucky pair. You readjust your shirt as it sticks to […]