by: Ed Walker.

Robert sat by his daughter at the breakfast table, suppressing a shudder of disgust. He poured himself a cup of coffee, remembering a time in his youth when he had turned up at home sporting a nose ring.

His father had grunted and looked away, but said nothing about the piercing. Instead he kept his eyes on his own tattoos, speaking of the day he had come home with the logo of a football team emblazoned on his calf. The first of many.

Robert wondered if he would ever get used to those new tentacle fingers squirming around her spoon.

© 2026. Ed Walker

After decades of nattering on about moving abroad, Ed Walker finally retired and is currently living in Catalunya, Spain. His work can be found in 50-Word Stories, The Arcanist, Blink-Ink, and elsewhere.