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There was a time when my Mum still felt warm to me. When I was very young, still in primary school, I’d often get horrible migraines, and she’d pick me up and take me home. I’m vomit and cry, then she’d give me Junior Disprol to drink down, soluble paracetamol that tasted terrible, but which…

My favourite part about my stepdad Frank was his job in a meat processing factory, as I could say “my stepdad’s a boner”. Nobody seemed to find it as funny as I did though, probably ’cause I’d forget to tell them what his actual job was. He smelled bad, all the time. His feet stank…

I’ve done something wrong so I get sent to mum’s bedroom. First time I’ve been sent there, not sure why. I guess the punishment is boredom? Or maybe being punished itself is the punishment, with the cost of misbehaving being the shame of getting called out, and the frustration of having your freedom temporarily removed.…

My earliest memories were in Callington Road. I opened the curtains once at night time and there was a huge green bug on the window, bright like it was glowing, it seemed so alien and it scared me. Or maybe I dreamt it, and all I remember is the remembering of the dream. When my…

Granny’s driving me back from the funeral. We talk non-stop, it’s mostly me talking as she’s less of a speaker. She has the things inside her, just as I do, just like everyone does, but they don’t manifest in quite the same way. She asks lots of interesting questions, and I try to intuit what…

Granny was driving me down South for the funeral. I got the train down to hers first, and was delighted by the little house she has with her partner. She lives near a nursery school, and I said, I don’t think I could cope with that kind of noise. But to her, children playing is…

I was ready to let it go. I had, mostly. I’d already decided that having a bad upbringing wasn’t going to be part of me anymore, and to achieve that, I’d have to let go of the ugliness that had lived inside me for most of my life.