Denis Camden
Bio
Hi. I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I work outdoors doing environmental restoration. My work was initially my inspiration for writing until it turned into this out-of-control monster.
Stories (23/0)
Overkill 2
(Also published on Royal Road) The prison cell was comfortable. Clean, quiet, soothing pastels, calming curves, no sharp edges. Western European prisons were luxurious compared to the rest of the world. Even maximum-security prisons housing the worst of criminals recognised the right to a reasonable standard of living. The International Criminal Court held its detainees in the Scheveningen prison, close to the ocean, in a pleasant seaside district of The Hague. At night, if the wind blew in the right direction, Raymond thought he could hear waves on the shore. It may have been a dream, a hopeful aural hallucination, he had been in here long enough to suspect his mind may be playing tricks on him. If the sound of the ocean was indeed conjured from his allergic imagination, it was a comforting distraction.
By Denis Camden11 months ago in Fiction
Overkill - a short story
Raymond gazed across the dusty plains at the towering mountain range in the distance. Mirages played with his perception as the first rays of the sun stroked the dry desert floor. He could just make out the snow-capped peaks stretching across the horizon in the early morning light.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Fiction
The Sturgeon
Dariya looked down into the murky depths as the water lapped the hull. When she was younger, she was terrified of this ocean. Impossibly vast, deep, and dangerous. An unfathomable mystery they would never get to the bottom of. That hadn’t changed but as she grew older, the fear had dissipated, and turned into something closer to respect. This ocean was big and alien, but nothing much ever happened. This was only her second day at sea and the initial trepidation had turned into tedium. There wasn’t much difference above water than below she thought as she stared down into the darkness. They still needed breathers and coolskins everywhere they went, oxygen was in short supply here on the Hycean planet Epic42.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Fiction
Football terminology
The Beautiful game The origins of this phrase are not exactly known but Brazilian legend Pele popularized the term, calling football 'O Jogo Bonito'. When translated from Portuguese it means the beautiful game. The game itself has many beautiful characteristics, especially when played by the best players in the world. Off the pitch, the vast amounts of money involved instigates greed, corruption and sports washing on a massive scale. A host of unsavoury characters make the administrative overlords anything but beautiful.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Cleats
Old dudes playing soccer
Sport never lies. It can bring out the best and worst in all of us. Our courage, our guile, our resilience, communication, fitness and instinct. Games are a controlled experiment, they exist as a kind of laboratory, designed to test the speed and efficiency of turning thought into action. Or bypassing our laboriously slow consciousness altogether and acting purely on instinct, muscle memory, and adrenal impulses. Football, with its precision, its coordination of individual and collective, operates as an intimate little x-ray of everyone who plays it. The game is played in the moment but sometimes the game can be more than just winning and losing. The Scottie Mitchell cup is a reminder that life can be unpredictable and sometimes cut short with unfathomable cruelty. The Go Feet vs Fencibles Legends fixture is a fantastic way to remember Scottie, to pay respect, emphasise the rivalry and empathise with each other. Two evenly matched teams who know each other so well.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Cleats
Old dudes playing soccer
The upstart revolution was crushed by the mightily imperious ruling powers of Go Feet on Saturday. The stage was set on the carpet turf of Seddon #2 although we should have been on the main pitch instead of the first team because it was great entertainment for the Go Feet fans. All three mallard ducks and one lonely seagull in attendance were in full voice and seemed to enjoy seeing their heroes put on a show.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Cleats
The game
(Also published on Royal Road) I love that moment of unconscious oblivion just before you wake up, when your brain drags itself out of slumber. That moment when you can't remember who you are, where you are, or what you are. It only lasts for a second, but in that second the possibilities are endless. You could be anything, anywhere, anytime. It’s a fleeting, forgotten moment before consciousness comes crashing home and your daily reality takes shape.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Fiction
Old dudes playing soccer
2022. The year society peered out from behind the curtains of pandemic, wondering if life would ever be the same. As the lockdowns were lifted, the people of Earth began to stalk the streets again. A brave new world, a chance for reform, a chance to do things different. But humans are generally a nostalgic bunch that are scared of change and we all soon fell back into the familiar patterns of conformity. Working, watching, talking, eating, drinking and playing football. Recognition and repetition of life's simple pleasures.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Cleats
Old dudes playing soccer
I am tempted to jump straight to the shower scene, but we better start at the start. Go Feet made the journey all the way to Stanmore Bay and had a good warmup on a perfect grass pitch despite all the rain. We talked about starting strong, taking the game to Coasters and from the kick-off we did exactly that. Pressing high and dominating possession. Before long we were 1-0 up when the keeper could only parry a blistering shot from Ged into Dazzas path. Go Feet continued to create chances hitting the woodwork twice in five minutes before the game started to turn with the inclement weather. As it started to rain Coasters clawed a goal back, I can't remember how, it's not important but it did give them a big boost. Up until then, the game had been played in a good spirit, but Coasters realized the only way they could compete with us was to try and intimidate us. Continuous fouling was not picked up by the incompetent Coasters referee. Off the ball shithousery, elbows to the ribs and general anti-football asshole behaviour became the Coasters modus operandi. That combined with the now torrential rain blunted Go Feet's good start. 1-1 at half time.
By Denis Camdenabout a year ago in Cleats
Old dudes playing soccer
McFetridge park #4, late Saturday afternoon, mid-winter. Go Feet were in enemy territory. We were greeted with ominous dark clouds, horizontal rain and a sloping cow paddock complete with dog turds, crushed cans of monster juice and old cigarette butts. It was freezing and there was nowhere to get changed or warm up properly. Welcome to Glenfield, white trash capital of the North Shore.
By Denis Camden2 years ago in Cleats
