Presently the widow saw the lights of Ballintober approaching. Mindfully, and with a neat satisfaction, she eased the boxy, ponderously responsive vehicle into the forecourt of the petrol station. She cut the engine and stepped down into the cool of the night and walked across the empty street, into the only building that appeared open. A few minutes later she emerged, followed by a heavyset man in black and an older man with a stagger in his walk and coloured fishhooks threading his angling jacket. The widow maintained a tactful distance ahead of the men as she led them across the road and opened the Hiace door. The man in black stood back while the man in the angler’s jacket ventured a look inside. He was in wellingtons, and shifted his feet on the loosely pebbled macadam and leaned frankly in. He drummed his fingers evenly against the metal of the door and after what seemed a long time turned to the widow and told her that she was absolutely right, that the poor creature inside in that van was dead.
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Copyright © Colin Barrett 2013
Calm With Horses Artwork © Altitude Film Entertainment & Element Pictures Limited 2019
Colin Barrett has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
‘Calm With Horses’ was first collected in the story collection ‘Young Skins’ published by Jonathan Cape in 2014
This e-short first published by Vintage in 2020
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781473587878
