Browsing category: Stories

31 Mar 2017

Looking Out for a Hero

By Cal McDonnell / No Comment

A friend of mine has recently endured an arduous breakup. It’s a devastating story of major deceit and the misuse of kindness and love that left her a shadow of her former self. Her anticipation and joy at the burgeoning future she pictured in front of them as a couple was annihilated when she discovered some facts that changed everything about their relationship. She was determined not to allow this to destroy her and immersed her life into her work until one day that stopped helping. There was this niggling issue that was

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23 Feb 2017

Imaginary Friends

By Cal McDonnell / 2 Comments

Yesterday, in the city, I encountered a couple of individuals who were ‘out of their minds’. One was a middle-aged woman who had shorn off all her hair and had harnessed across her belly a plastic, life-like doll that she coddled as if her very own living child. She cooed and clucked and stroked its bald head with maternal love, meandering through the city streets quite in love with her doll. She also carried with her a heavy load of sadness, loneliness and loss, her pampering of the doll speaking of a lost child or

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14 Jan 2017

Staying Inside the Boundaries

By Cal McDonnell / 01 Comment

Border security is managed carefully by most countries. What is let through and out of borders – materials and people - is of utmost importance to the economic and political efficacy of counties that see themselves as separate from and in competition with other countries. Some borders are vigilant at protecting its citizens and the economy from the spectre of dark possibilities. Other borders are more laissez faire allowing the free market to flourish and human traffic, both legal and illegal, to flow without too many

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11 Dec 2016

Go to Your Happy Place

By Cal McDonnell / No Comment

Any parent will have experienced that moment when you are leaving your young child at kindergarten or a play date, the child sees you departing and their face folds into utter angst and they bellow in emotional pain. Separation anxiety is a huge wallop of emotion for both the parent and the child. Both suffer – the parent feels guilt and the child feels a sense of complete annihilation! Over time, children will typically learn that that the object of their desire (the soft toy or blankie) or the person who brings them succour

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20 Nov 2016

The Shame of It

By Cal McDonnell / 2 Comments

In Ancient Greek mythology there is the story of Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Bestowed upon her by Apollo was the gift of prophecy, and in payment for this talent, Apollo wanted the pleasure of their sexual union, which Cassandra refused. In retaliation for this rebuff, Apollo sanctioned the fine print in the contract of this prophetic gift, which was that no one would believe her prophecies. Cassandra was cursed to go through life seeing the future, casting forth warnings and being listened to

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