Sophia Ashton-Hooker
Bio
Oxford based writer
Imagination is the key to a magical life
Stories (3/0)
Days gone by
I wake up hazy, consumed by the remnants of deeply invested dreams. Feelings of warmth and pleasure start to fade subtly and slowly, but far faster than I would wish. I was with Martin last night, as I so often am in my sleeping hours. I shut my eyes tightly now and will myself back there, to a time when he was still with me. We are walking on the promenade near Brighton beach, where we would spend our time together before he was called up to serve. We were so young then, full of energy and laughter. Somehow the dreams are always sweet memories, only happy times that feel so intense it’s as if they are my true reality, richer and more colourful than the life I find myself experiencing in the present.
By Sophia Ashton-Hooker3 years ago in Fiction
- Top Story - July 2021
Chocolate HeavenTop Story - July 2021
Lottie’s twitching nose dragged her slowly from her afternoon slumber. She had been enjoying an active dream of rabbit chasing and at first was reluctant to rise from her incredibly comfortable position on the sofa. Warm patches of sunlight coated her furry body and she felt deliciously relaxed. Rising into a graceful downward dog, she took her time with the stretch and added a pink-tipped yawn for good measure. She plopped herself down onto the carpet, landing just beside the brownish stain that she vaguely remembered being responsible for some time ago. She bent her head and sniffed at it. Yep, that one had definitely been hers.
By Sophia Ashton-Hooker3 years ago in Petlife
Lockets and Lizard Skins
Aabha stared at the dark water with a resigned sense of apprehension. From her hiding place at the entrance of the derelict building, she remembered how the sea used to thrill her. In the old times, her younger self had loved to bathe and swim in the cool salty waters of the ocean. Now, the waves were all but stilled and its kaleidoscope of colours; blues, greens, lilacs and pinks, had all turned to ashen blacks and sickly greys. The stifling heat of the day was beginning to fade and she knew that now was the time. It was strange. She had travelled for so long to reach this place, yet now that she was here, she found herself lacking in courage. Stalling for time, Aabha reached into her bag and took out the last remaining items. A large plastic bottle with a few inches of orange brown liquid inside, a chocolate protein bar and a small hunting knife wrapped in plastic. She stowed the knife carefully in her waistband and laid the bottle down on the earth at her feet. As soon as the objects were exposed to the air around them, a fine green film began to appear on the surface of the plastics. Aabha worked fast. In a few well practised movements, she tore the wrapper from the power bar, cupped both gloves hands around the exposed end and used her thumbs to pull her face shield away from her mouth and nose. She crammed half the bar in and swiftly covered her face again and pushed the remaining half of the bar back inside the bag. She moved her jaw around the chocolate flavoured lump, mashing her gums and working saliva into the food until it broke down enough to swallow. The cavities where her teeth had once been were no longer sore and she had become used to eating in this way. She finished the rest of the bar and the orange drink and left the empty bag. She would no longer need it. Aabha heard sounds in the distance and knew it was time to move. She judged the shore to be a few minutes’ run from her location, and though the shouts and animalistic noises drew closer, she knew there was time. She covered the ground well, despite her bulky layers of clothing, and reached the water quickly. She was afraid now. Dark had come in the last few moments and the echoes of running feet beat against her ears. It had to be now. As her shoes touched the water she already felt the fabric begin to weaken. Aabha pressed her goggles tighter over her eyes and submerged herself completely in the thick dark heat of the ocean.
By Sophia Ashton-Hooker3 years ago in Futurism