When you were little, did you ever spin round, and around?

Would you lie on the grass, arms outstretched, looking up at the sky, as if on the edge of the world, and cling to the ground for fear of falling off?

Did you watch a plane, cut a white gash through blue sky, and wonder: Who could be on that plane? Where are they going? Can any of the passengers see me? Is one of them my Uncle Terry?

Did you look forward to meeting Uncle Terry? Was he coming all the way from Australia; the first time home in 5 years?

Were there lemon trees and orange trees growing in his back garden?
Did that make you think of the term bittersweet, even then?
Did your grandmother teach you to say, "How do you do, Uncle Terry. I am very pleased to meet you." ?

Were you made to wear your best dress, the one your Aunt sent from America, the one the other kids said you looked fat in?

Did Uncle Terry tell you, "Hey doll, you ain't fat."
Did his breath taste of whisky, did his hands feel rough?
Did his nails snag your dress, like the wooden fence he had been mending?

Then, did you lie on the grass, looking up at the sky, as if on the edge of the world, clinging on to the ground for fear of falling off?

BIO: "Originally from Belfast, N. Ireland, I have lived most of my life in London. Having left school at 16, I returned to study as a mature student and gained my BA in Film and Media. I graduated in 2004, the same year as two of children, which was cool. In May, 2006, I was runner-up in the Big Pitch competition at the East End Film Festival. My film pitch was a thriller, set in London, about a detective who investigates his own murder. Currently I am writing a horror feature script, and am excited about that."