By Ros Armstrong
Extending his arm, he saw the raw flesh glisten. He twisted his arm over and back. Quite cheery looking, he thought, as the red shimmered, pearly sinews stretched, veins crosshatched ruby and mauve.
'Work of art this,' he said. 'Prize-winning art. Look at the indentations, nobbles, crevices; they're all there.'
Leaning closer, he discerned a stringy sinew's progress from the line of skin at the crook of his elbow to his wrist, where the skin on his hand recommenced. He saw the serrated edges ooze and watched a purplish vein's elongated length throb like a shunting tomato sauce production line, the condiment pulsing through. Lying back against the hospital pillow, he smiled.
Suddenly, he caught a whiff of raw meat, like steak left unattended or mincemeat ruined on the counter. He pictured raw flesh, vivid as a splattered ripe tomato, and the stink caught at the back of his throat. He gagged.
Turning away from his skinless arm, he looked at a doctor standing next to his bed, her surgical instruments glinting on a tray under the halogen light.
'Next,' the doctor muffled to her assistant. Next person, next stage, next skin transfer, he mused.
Lowering his arm, the nurse tied his wrist, secured his elbow with a bandage and swabbed the raw surface. The jelly-like material quivered. As he watched, the doctor dipped a brush and daubed his arm, coating veins, blood vessels, muscle and fat, fully detailing the area. The black liquid settled onto the exposed surface and coagulated.
'Upper left arm tomorrow,' the doctor said as she moved towards the next acquirer.
Bit of a process, he knew, but worth it to stay safe from global warming's deadly exposure to the sun's life-threatening rays.
'Be a dark-skinned man in no time,' the doctor said, her black eyes smiling in carob brown skin above her mask.
About the Author
Meandering through life, Ros Armstrong’s writing life can be discovered in ‘It’s Enough,’ Simply Symi Island, Greece, embracing a six-month sojourn.
Amazing Aunt Dolly, illustrated, quirky poems.
Crazy Carousel Life, a relationship novella -sex, religion, and mothers! Daddy, Laddie, Rufus, and Spook, a children’s perilous cat rescue novel.
The Balloon is a Moon, a book of poems reflecting Ros’ eclectic view of life – affection & rejection, paradise & hades, R-rated & children’s.
A short story collection and a social history keep creativity to the fore, plus celebrating life in this wonderful country.
Tara Campbell is an award-winning writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing.
Emma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.
Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Brian Biswas lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
Ed lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.