It’s just after 10am when I’m standing at the head of the road. Behind me and to the left are golden paddocks with fat cows and dams sparkling with reflected sunlight. In front and to the right is the forest. The pine trees stand like soldiers in their state assigned grids. Tall, regimented, plain. Yet […]
The Quarry Journal
A journal of creative writing by students at Macquarie University
The Artist, Ashley Ward
1. INT. CLASSROOM – AFTERNOON An American HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM occupies rows of small, vacant desks. A groomed TEACHER with a striped tie enters with two teenagers and a magazine under his arm. SIMON, a teenage lanky thing with large round glasses, heads to a desk at the back of the room. He sits, […]
SCARS, Jacob Harrison
There is a documentary series called History Cold Case; a team of forensic anthropologists adapt techniques used for identifying murder victims to examine the bones of the long dead – Celtic bog sacrifices, Elizabethan pikemen, that sort of thing. They determine the cause of death and offer a glimpse into how these ordinary people lived […]
A Deeper Shade of Baby Blue, Monique Burns
I could hear every beat, every laugh every foul, drunken, slurred word through the paper thin walls of the bedroom. All I wanted was sleep and to be any where but here, my head was pounding and the feeling of nausea was overwhelming. I was stuck in a dank horrible caravan park for the annual […]
Identity, Fractured, Anna Van
It’s been almost eleven years since Ruth Tulloch was treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital following a suicide attempt. Earlier in the year, Ruth had experienced a nervous breakdown and was treated at her local hospital for depression and chronic fatigue. She was discharged after two weeks in hospital, and started seeing a psychologist who […]
Fault Lines & Other Poetry, Charlie Bridger
Fault Lines Among the clouds lie A collection of Titans Waiting watching… us – Shifting and Changing Dictating the creation Separating all – Imperfection mars Such is a beautiful face Mother Nature’s work – Cracks on a rock face Revealing the ages past Take note for present – Innocence stands still Disaster lies from beneath […]
Fault Lines Behind Fashion, Laura Somerville
Like many women in the Western world obsession with body image is part of my life. It began with puberty and will probably follow me, in some way, for the rest of my life. I am young, healthy and exercise regularly. I am an Australian size 8-10 and understand on a rational level that I […]
Please Leave a Message, Eva Lo
Hey, this is Oliver. I’m not here right now but leave a message and I’ll get back to you. BEEP Guess what? The product launch went really well last night. Vivian was really happy with it. Isn’t that great? Love you. Jazz gripped her earpiece, making sure that those connected could hear her voice. […]
Clarke’s Third Law, Hannah McNicholas
It started with a crack in the wall. Avril noticed it when she moved in, a fine, hairline fissure in the plasterwork. It started high in the corner of the room, above the bookshelves she’d spent the past two hours assembling. The crack crept down from the ceiling and split into infinitesimal threads like tiny […]
Bad Blood, Nicola Moriarty
19th May 2007 This isn’t what I thought I’d be doing for my 21st birthday. But then I guess there were no plans to fuck up anyway. I don’t have friends. But that’s okay, I’ll wear that, I know that’s my deal. Still though, a visit to the hospital? Fuck. I’ve never liked hospitals. It’s […]