The Death Bell (Short Story)

In 'The Death Bell', the Thames is the setting for an ancient form of child sacrifice. This piece was informed by research into a true case, that of ‘Adam’ the child whose torso was discovered in the Thames in 2001. ‘Adam’ was transmuted into the character of Bea, a toddler murdered by her terminally ill aunt, Grainne, who has a hereditary condition that results in extreme insomnia and mental instability. The story is intertwined with a subplot that relates a Tinder date between a young woman and a city banker. The City is made strange, and capitalism is invoked as a dangerous infection, indistinct from the violence of Grainne towards Bea.