The Random Plant

By Duncan Darby

‘He turned on his back. The sleet belted down on him from the black cynical sky above. He watched it mournfully, as his eyelids began their close. Something else was watching. It would be watching all night. It stood patiently, but like its master, it was almost dead.’

In the idyllic city of Belle Vue an unemployed millionaire is slowly killing himself. But he’s not on his own. Something else is with him. It’s always with him. Following his every move and feeling his every pain. Looking on in absolute silence as its master takes them ever closer to oblivion.

Meet Dave, a redundant stockbroker who once had everything. Meet Ashley, a homeless alcoholic and Dave’s new best friend. Meet the plant, stuck in-between and dying to be heard. As the winter worsens and their conditions deteriorate, each must make difficult decisions on their future existence.

This engrossing debut novella by Duncan Darby is a compelling story of one man’s lost love, ferocious addiction, and an odd partnership that may offer the faintest glimpse of hope. Blink and you’ll miss it. The Random Plant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mirador Publishing
• Release date: Jun 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781911044857

Book preview

The Random Plant

Duncan Darby

First Published by Mirador Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 by Duncan Darby

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission of the publishers or author. Excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

First edition: 2016

Any reference to real names and places are purely fictional and are constructs of the author. Any offence the references produce is unintentional and in no way reflect the reality of any locations involved.

A copy of this work is available though the British Library.

IBSN : 978-1-911044-85-7

For Cassamo

Hot and Cold: A Soldier’s Rhyme

Locked in-between twisted sheets

Bleeding eyes stay awake for weeks

In valium, prolonged-Prozac dreams

Dare not speak; dare not sleep

Forever feeling hot and cold

Obligatory sweating as dreams unfold

Into nightmares, his body has sold

Forget-me-not; cannot be told

Special mirrors in mind of minds

Looking at self through blistered cries

And itching, for your soul to mime

Time is sleep; but not a lie

Locked in-between twisted sheets

Bleeding eyes stay asleep for weeks

PROLOGUE

Striking beams of brilliant yellow light burst through the kitchen window sending welcome heat across the icy cold room. It felt like summer as she stood still in the prism of warmth enjoying the temporary bliss. It was only on these very early, and extremely cold mornings that the strength of the sun could really be appreciated. But she had to step back into winter again, because otherwise she’d be late for work.

Brian was busy getting ready to leave when she called out, ‘Bri, can you take that bloody plant with you and drop it by the bin?’

‘Yeah, okay’, replied Brian between his two gulps that finished off the strong black coffee his wife had just made him. He came back into the kitchen to join her. ‘Didn’t your mum get us that?’ he asked while packing his packed lunch (also prepared by his wife) into his man bag alongside his laptop and iPad among other things. He hoped the tuna mayonnaise sandwiches were tightly sealed this time.

‘It’s hideous, Bri.’ She pulled a funny face to show her disgust. She went to finish her own coffee. It was still pretty boiling, even with milk in, and she regretted trying to down it. How does he drink it so hot? She thought.

‘It’s not dead yet, look. Just needs a bit of TLC I think.’

‘Well it makes me feel sick. Bri, just bin it please.’

‘I will, don’t worry,’ he said as he licked the wafer-thin paper and finished his hasty roll. It would do. A smoke’s a smoke he thought – or didn’t. She went to hug him, and the plant.

‘We’ll just say it died… yeah?’

Brian nodded and leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek.

‘I’ll see you tonight.’

‘Bye.’

‘Are you sure?!’ he called back when he reached the gate to their massive front garden.

‘One hundred per cent!’

He smiled and shook his head, as he stepped out onto the front lane. A quick glance at his watch told him he was running late. He hastily dropped the plant next to the bin as instructed, and started into a jog towards his work.

CHAPTER ONE

DELIRIUM TREMENS

He stirred.

*

The faintest of sounds from a neighbouring room had lit something inside his dark space. But it was short lived, and so followed the tiny flame it had just created. He was asleep again and dreaming of Nancy. Sleep was his only real bliss. More sounds, and this time some noises were now flooding into his tired thoughts. The world was awakening when he didn’t want it to. But he was far too wet now to sleep, and so he reluctantly forced his sticky eyes to open.

Although it was quite bright outside the bareness of windows in his doss house cell made everything appear very black. He moaned sadly as he remembered who he was: An alcoholic who was hurting bad. A skeletal presence of a man whose stomach felt as though it had been tied up by its own intestines. A human being who had difficulty opening up his shattered lungs enough to breathe.

Dave sat up and coughed up a mixture of blood and brown stuff into his hands. He wiped them on his filthy rags, and then habitually reached out into the darkness in the direction of the bed side table. He snatched messily at what was visible of a small white and blue cylinder. He was much slower, almost docile, as he clawed the tub of pills from the sticky surface where they had fallen. This time he found the medicine in his shaking hands. The shaking had started. Soon it would become ferocious. He knew this as he attempted with all his strength to open the lid, but he tried too hard and the lid flew off while his holding hand shook circular tablets everywhere. Before all of them had escaped he managed to grab his holding hand with his other and direct the tiny tube of painkillers towards his chapped lips.

Dave took a mouthful, probably got more than two, and began to chew and crunch desperately on his breakfast. He swallowed hard on the white chalk and gagged immediately. The only thing to wash them down with was a thimble full of larger with a fag end in. He took a swig from it and felt the