Making it Home

One novella, three short stories, and a cast of characters, all trying to make it home...An elderly stranger collapses in a Welsh Christingle service, with no recollection of where she is from. So begins this volume of four linked stories, woven together through serendipity, acts of kindness, fleeting prayers and an encompassing, greater benevolence.’Making it Home’: One small boudoir carriage clock, 7 ½ cm tall, to be precise, crafted in 1897 and linking a diverse band of characters from across the years. Follow this clock’s tale and its quest for home, as it brings to life the backstories and deeds of its fleeting owners.’Harriet Nethercott’s Tale’ tracks the plight of this usurped lady’s maid and the repercussions of the bold choices she makes. What are the implications of confronting her ’superiors? And after her long career in service, can she ever find a purpose again? ’As the Sky Catches Fire’ is the tale of selfless Anker Andersen, from his childhood misfortune in Skagen, Denmark to his life as a fireman in Cardiff during WWII. His desire is to help those around him, but also to belong. Can he ever fit in? Will home ever have a sense of permanence? Story inspired by the painting ’Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Skagen Beach’ by P.S. Krøyer.’I am ~ Dorothy’: Incarcerated in an asylum for decades like the Romantic poet John Clare, Dorothy finds herself liberated, which comes with its own challenges. Can she find a home and acceptance on the outside, or will she instead return to the strange ’comfort’ of institutional life? Is the past ever going to release her? What positivity can she bring to her reshaped world? 6