He stuck three candles into the giant cookie and started to light them. Holding the lighter over the first for a few seconds, he finally jerked back his hand and waved his thumb in the air.

"Try not to burn yourself," someone helpfully suggested.

Finally through the door, he closed it behind him. The blonde-haired girl in the dining room asked them how the exhibition had been.

"We're all cocked out," he called.

"They claim Michael Collins as the first Irishman in space," he said.

"Third-generation Irish," the young woman sitting across from him retorted. "I'm third-generation german, you don't see people going 'Oh, there's that German girl'".

The four of them pushed the rig onto the tail-lift, and flicked on the wheel-locks. The driver started the motor, and the two scientists walked their hands down the scaffolding poles as the rig rose up before them. When it reached the top, they carefully undid the locks, conscious that the rig might roll off onto them if they made a mistake ( Read more... )

He scanned the bins carefully. The first thing to catch his eye was a set of smiley-face balloons. Then he looked at the bin below. Dinosaurs!

The wind was behind him for a moment, and he found himself cycling faster. Then, in an instant, it changed direction, pushing his hood off his head and spitting rain onto his glasses. The bike wobbled as the crosswind attempted to blow him into the road, but he regained control.

A young Asian man held the door open for him, and he stepped in out of the street. Ahead of him he could see people milling around.

There aren't as many Raptors today, he thought to himself, heading for the cookie shop.

She looked through the station windows - and following her gaze he saw that (unusually) there were people sitting in there.

Suddenly the wind became too much for the big umbrella, and with a sudden jerk to the right it tugged at his hand and when it found itself unable to escape his gripped it flipped itself inside out in protest.

He turned the key back, and they looked at each other. He turned it again.

Click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click, went the starter motor.

"Battery?" She suggested.

The shuttlecock dropped to the floor in his opponent's side of the court, and he walked over to the net and shook hands.

"Well played."

They walked to the bench. His heart was pounding - the most exercise I've done in a month, he thought to himself.