She storms into your existence and sets it ablaze. You meet her at your brother’s housewarming. She’s a friend of a friend of a friend, she tells you, features taut and lips pursed, mouth set into a straight line. She’s a friend of a friend of a friend who met them in Alaska, and would...

By Niki Cheong I almost got expelled from secondary school once. My classmates had “decorated” our classroom with flags from the various political parties campaigning the 1995 general elections. Our discipline master stormed into our class threatening to invoke some law preventing students from engaging in political activity. At 16, and with very little knowledge...

If land and countries could be compared to girls, this country would be the one girl you fell hopelessly in love with the second you looked at her face; her every gesture and lilting laugh was an expression of stunning radiance. He remembered the air being thick with almost painful beauty, every breath a cocktail...

  I’ve got a trench coat now. It was something I found in a sale in Australia, and the conditions were favourable – it is a good respectable coat, the price was right, the material isn’t too thick, and the colour it came in was comforting – so I bought it. Granted, I can’t wear...

  He stood on the ledge, watching the happy couple walk away with their lost child safely in their arms again. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered. Yeah, helping the helpless and saving the innocents from the clutches of evil started off fun, rewarding even, when some of the girls he rescued willingly leapt into...

One night in Melbourne, as I was minding my own business waiting for my girlfriend, I was approached by a friendly-looking guy. He looked like a bit of a tourist, so I assumed he wanted to ask for directions. After all, Melbourne is a pretty big city and getting around is confusing for some. His...