The billboard on Avenida 26 that had celebrated 50 years of the triumph of the revolution for as many years as Northwick could remember, now displayed a brightly coloured picture of a coral reef with the words: ‘Cuba Libre: restoring Cuba’s coral reefs.’ The Harley sang with two voices, an…

Dolores was transfixed. A religious fervour crackled in the air of the mouldy hall. She leaned forward in her seat, hands poised to clap. Elegant hands with a fresh manicure that she noticed even if others didn’t. Beneath a golden banner bearing the words ‘Libre Coin,’ a stocky man with…

Prologue Macao Village, Dominican Republic ‘Iye, iye, iye,’ they cried.        A skinny kid wore a YSL belt to hold up the trousers of his funeral suit and played a bamboo trumpet. The trumpet wailed above the revving scooters and tattoo of the drums. The sun flashed on his belt…

They were sitting without touching, side by side on the couch watching the latest AI Studios blockbuster on the wallscreen. It was a Tuesday. Or a Wednesday. Molly was wearing something blue that submerged her in the blue glow of the room. A headline scrolled along the foot of the…

Alec was thinking about skin. How was it formed? Was it just packaging for bones? He pinched the flesh on the back of his hand, watching it spring back. Even as Mr Parsons paced down the rows of desks in his brown leather brogues he couldn’t trust his thoughts not…