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On the pale stained wall hung a framed print of Picasso's "Girl in Mirror", its contorted figure a sole beacon of colour in the gloomy shadows. Celia closed the door and walked back to the car. It was obvious Josh had not spent last night here; she wondered where he might be. Submitted by Matthew Magain

As Celia opened her car door, she thought she glimpsed Josh's Monaro rounding a nearby corner. Hurriedly she clambered inside her early model Laser and fumbled with the immobiliser key. "Why do keys never go in when you are in a hurry?" she pondered.

She soon realised the futility of chasing Josh - after all, he was a speed demon in his favourite set of wheels. That was one of the points that most attracted Celia to Josh in the first place - his flash car coupled with his love of living fast and loose. Submitted by Mark Ham

Realising she had lost Josh during her pursuit, she slowed down and came to a stop outside a 7/11 convenience store. She took her keys out of the ignition and sighed deeply. The day was humid and oppressive, the sun bright and relentless overhead. With one hand, she flicked the switch of the air-conditioner to "High", and with the other, reached up to pull the sun visor down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flutter downward, across her field of vision. She looked down at her left arm and saw that a hastily written note had landed on her wrist. The edges of the note were singed, as if someone had held the paper over a naked flame. With a beating heart she reached down, plucked the note from her skin and read... Submitted by Kimberley Fielding

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