Series The Life Impossible

Please Stay Away from Mr. Ribas

This entry is part 25 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

The Guardia Civil officer, a man of indeterminate age, sat behind his desk in his immaculately ironed short-sleeved military-green shirt, staring at Christina’s letter to me. He chewed gum as he read it. There was a soft glitter of sweat…

Anhedonia

This entry is part 26 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

I tried my best to put all this detective stuff behind me, to give up being Miss Marple for a while. So I did what most British people do on a Mediterranean island. I went out and had a holiday.…

Hippy Market

This entry is part 27 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

Head to the Las Dalias hippy market … and say hello to my friend Sabine. That is what her letter had said. So, having nothing else to do, I did this. The market was very busy. It was how I…

The Snake and the Goat

This entry is part 28 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

An hour later, I was on the beach. A short arc-shaped stretch of busy sand. There was a restaurant—a fresh-fish and paella place. A rustic-looking straw-roofed boutique selling summer dresses and swimwear. The beach itself was full of people and…

Alberto

This entry is part 29 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

He had the look not so much of a pirate but a castaway, with unkempt hair and a beard escaping his face in every direction, and youthful eyes that shone like a sunrise through an ancient ruin. His eyes aside,…

Tomorrow at Midnight

This entry is part 30 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

I pictured the photograph on the website, the one with the St. Christopher necklace. A strange feeling washed over me, reminiscent of leaving a door or gate ajar. But that door or gate was me. “It was one of the…

Broken Radios

This entry is part 32 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

Now, I have a theory about life, and I am going to be very grand and share it with you here. My theory is an old one, but it is one I have recently found to be true. The point…

Glow

This entry is part 33 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

It was well after one when I got distracted by a soft glow coming in through the doorway. I must have left a light on somewhere. But that was confusing because I was pretty sure it had been dark everywhere.…

A Boat Called No

This entry is part 34 of 34 in the series The Life Impossible

It was a rickety, creaky old wooden dive boat with an even more rickety engine that stopped and started like a dog growling at a mischievous squirrel. Even in the deep, moonless dark, it was clear the paint was peeling…