Archive stories

Edinburgh, 2029. In a student flat on Dalkeith Road, Ned and Isla watch an election everyone says is already decided. Ned has found proof of who is really running the campaign. His parents helped to build it.

Between Nicolson Street and Downing Street, a country is handing itself to a voice that promises to keep everyone safe. Within two winters, a Prime Minister will be shown the door like a porter at the end of a dinner party, and no one in the building will come to the window.

Cambridge, 2030. Owen can’t afford anywhere to live, so when Julian Vale offers him a room for nothing, it feels like rescue. The house is warm. The suppers are long. Before every meal, Vale’s wife gives thanks for those who keep watch while we sleep.

Nobody says who is watching.

Housemates who ask the wrong questions are moved on, kindly, with good wishes. Then Tess finds a list with Owen’s name on it, and a week later she is gone. When she finally calls him, her voice is perfect. So is everything she says, right down to the one thing he said in a room where nothing was listening.