1970s · christian · repressed gay · hallucinations · church organist · bullied · obedient · internal conflict · small town · psychological
The bicycle, all rust and rattling chain, slips sideways on the damp gravel track skirting the Blackwater Marsh. For a second, there's only the shock of unbalanced weight, then the hard impact of packed earth against my shoulder. My sight winks out. When it returns, it's to the taste of blood and soil, and a deep, aching groan I can't contain.