Not entirely inanimate: three short stories

The power of an inanimate object to take over our lives is too easily scoffed at. Yet we stamp our feet and automatically curse the lawn mower or chainsaw when it won’t start. We think nothing of talking to our cars, stroking their steering wheels and patting their bonnets – without actually going as far as mechaphilia, we know the men love cars and will sometimes go to great lengths to drive their dream vehicle. If we really want to make our dreams come true we will often focus on some thing that we believe can help us reach our goal, and breathe life into it so that object becomes an integral part of our quest for achievement. Objects catch our eye in shops and are irresistible – we literally loose our ability to turn our backs and get out of the shop without buying. And sometimes the object’s powerful appeal forces us to buy the craziest things. These short stories are inspired by three such situations. While “Pin Up” is a new twist on the me-chanic’s poster girl and a chance encounter with a skeptical shop assistant was the spark for “Danc-ing a Jig”, “Shimmering” is only partially a work of fiction. Although all the names have been changed, the essential events of this story did happen: plump middle-aged woman dreams of living in Italy, loses job, becomes vacuum cleaner demonstrator, is inspired by trainer’s enthusiasm and mo-tivating technique, realizes her dream, writes a book about it. Enjoy.

About the Author

Carolyn McKenzie is a New Zealander. She has lived in various parts of Italy over the last 35 years and now divides her time between her homes in Auckland (NZ) and in Ventimiglia Alta on the Ligurian coast in northwest Italy. She is an experienced English language teacher, proofreader and editor, translator (from Italian to English) and a published author. Her books include "Portraits of the Riviera" published by Penguin NZ and a number of non-fiction and faction ebooks inspired by her Italian experiences. Her hobbies and interests include sustainable tourism, environmental issues, local politics, organic gardening and writing. Go to her blog www.ventimigliaaltawords.com to find out more, or contact [email protected]

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