The Fear

El’s writing a book. She’s planned it for ages. Left uni, got a job in a record shop, assumed the position of starving artist and waited for something to happen.

However, there are signs that mental health problems El suffered as a teenager are returning. Instead of seeking help, she loses herself in rewriting the narratives of her life. In the revised story of El, she’s a supportive best friend to Maggie, respected by her peers and about to finish writing a critically acclaimed book. Her laptop is trying to kill her with a laser too but El isn’t one to let an inconvenient detail ruin an otherwise cracking yarn.

The comforting stories run out, though. El’s efforts to repair the damage are compromised by her increasing detachment and in crisis, she returns to the only comforting place she’s ever known. That's easy.

Now all she has to do is get back.