Tales From the Marsh

Two short stories, Tales of the Marsh and Made in America, reflects living on the margins of modern society through the closed world of small and neglected fishing harbours - one in southern England, the other on the western coast of America.

" 'Look, how many people are there in jail?'
'Here?'
'Right here in the land of the righteous and free'
He turned and studied her looking at him, her legs crossed and her dress hanging down so low he could see no tantalising flesh. He wished he could and she wished he'd stop trying.
'About two million – give or take'
'So how many people does that employ?'
'You mean police, judges, lawyers, prison staff and all that?'
'And the rest!'
'That's a very big number'
They were both beaming big smiles, her white teeth showing like faint pearls from the glimmer of the clear night sky, and his eyes speaking a mischief which she just loved to hate.
'So what would happen if crime stopped?'
'They'd be an awful lot of people out of work – they'd have to make a whole heap of new stupid laws just so people couldn't help but break them'
'Just to keep their jobs, pay the rent, have a holiday – holidays dependent on crimes being committed, now that's a weird idea'
'So, this place needs crime – right?'
'Sure seems that way to me' "