07:00 – A wonderful start to the day, courtesy of the next story in Ox-Tales: Water – Crossing the River by David Park. A fantastic story!
Sticking wholly to the ‘script’ and producing a story which centres around the theme of water, Park plays on that ancient belief first implanted by the Greeks – that the journey to the afterlife is taken across the river Styx, accompanied by Charon the boatman. Charon is the narrator of this story, and even now, in the modern day, he is still busy transporting souls across the Styx. This is a day in his life, a day which ends on a real air of poignancy.
Tender, sympathetic and wholly engaging, Crossing the River is a model for exactly what a good short story should be. Mr. Park, you’re a genius! 5 out of 5
22:00 - Sadly the rest of today has been a bit of a washout for me reading-wise. Too many distractions (fuelled greatly by schools being on holiday right now). Tried to get to Sullivan’s Triple Cross several times today, but never managed it. I also set out this morning to tick off a couple of Chekhov shorts, together with a couple of Maupassant’s, but again it was ‘no go’. Thankfully the time at finishing this entry is coming up for 11pm so hopefully I’ll get a good hour or so with Triple Cross at least. Tomorrow, I hope, will be a different matter.
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