The night watch
With his hands on Juliet’s bra clasp,Romeo was,at long last,about to unlock the mysteries of the universe. Then his parents’ bedroom door creaked open. With Juliet’s hot breath in his ear,Romeo froze as someone traversed the upstairs hallway,opened the bathroom door and,momentarily,flushed the toilet. Pausing on the landing,the rambler then coughed performatively as if to say,Not on my watch,kids. “My mum,” Romeo groaned. He then watched,dismayed,as Juliet rose from the couch and smoothed out her top,thus thwarting his burning desire to understand all that is known and unknown. Words by Paul Connolly. Illustration by Jim Pavlidis.