'The Sideways House' by Judy Darley

We learnt to live in corners, bracing heels on ledges and cornicing. Windows became doors to scramble through, fingers gripping hinges. All our pictures hung askew, books domino-ed, and the showerhead swung like a perturbed cat’s tail whenever we dared turn it on.

I didn’t mind. We adapted, slinging hammocks from sideways shelves and reminding ourselves to upend bottles before opening. It was all a novelty, a shared experience we’d never anticipated. At night I crept across the kitchen ceiling and slid feet first from the skylight to greet the upside-down moon.

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First published in Twin Pies Literary, Volume 4 (April 2021)