Author: Walton Merritt

Emily was fifteen when her parents told her they were expecting another child. She stomped her feet and shouted.

**Whom to Trust If Not Your Own Mother** Emily remembered her happy childhood, though at twenty-five

**Diary Entry – 12th June** I stood by the window today, watching that woman hang laundry in the garden

Life’s too short to overthink things. It’s complicated and unfair sometimes, but every now and then

Waiting for Something Emily sat on the bench in her garden, nibbling on a Bounty bar—her favourite chocolate

**Diary Entry: The Lady from Flat Twenty-Three** Sometimes, sitting here in this care home, I find myself

“Oh, my dear ones, listen to an old soul, for I’ve a tale to tell—one so strange even I scarcely

Returning from her daughter’s house, Emily stopped by the supermarket on her way home. She was nearing

Oh, my dears, gather round and let me tell you a story that lives in my heart like an old melody.

**Diary Entry – 12th October** Bloody hell, listen to an old man’s tale, will you? They say retirement