MORNING SERIAL

Pigeon by Alys Conran

“ONCE upon a time,” she says, and she smiles. Pigeon closes the book.

But he never gets a science book, a book about facts, instead he takes the story book, leaves by the back door, and goes over the gardens and hedges and walls until he gets to his house.

From the side wall, he can see that there’s a man standing on the front doorstep.

Pigeon stands back, and watches the man knock on his door, he skirts around the side of the house to the front, and, as he walks up to the man, the door opens, and his mam stands there. She’s not wearing proper clothes. She’s wearing a nightie. She shouldn’t be opening the door to a man in just that. She’s too pretty. He watches from the gate. But his mam sees Pigeon, and, just when the man’s leaning down to her in a way that turns his stomach, she says quickly “I can’t do this now. Come back tomorrow.”

The man leans towards her still, as if he’s going to kiss her but then he doesn’t. He touches her on her hip, and walks away. That touch, as if he owned her.

“Who’re you?” asks Pigeon, but the man only looks at him briefly and walks away. He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even answer. The man looks familiar. How does Pigeon know him? How?

“Is that your boyfriend?” Pigeon asks her as she shuts the door after him. But when she turns round she’s pale, and she looks full of upset and tears.

“No,” she says, shaking her head.

“But he touched you.” “Yes,” she said, “he did.” She faces him. “Pigeon, with Him gone and Cher to look after and all. I needed the money.”

He stares at her. What does she mean?

“I needed his money,” she says. Then she sits down hard. “And the others,” she says, looking down.

Pigeon stares at her. The others? Money? Then it’s as if the whole room is suddenly swimming in a queasy green light. His mam, sat there, in her nightie. His mam now, standing, saying “Pigeon!” the lipstick around her mouth making the shape of his name. Then he pushes past her and out of the house again.

> Pigeon is the winner of the Wales Book of the Year and the Rhys Davies Fiction Prize. Published by Parthian

CONTINUES TOMORROW