AustLit

'In the afternoon, after Superhero Squad and Young Justice are finished, Quinn goes out into the back yard. Once, when he was younger, he used to come out here all the time to play with his plastic fort. The fort is still here, standing near the barbecue, but it is ruined now, its bright blues and reds faded and streaked. Last summer his mum's boyfriend, Dean, decided to tidy up out here, but soon lost interest, leaving the rubbish he collected lying in plastic bags next to Quinn's old bike by the garage. In the six months since then they have perished and split, allowing the leaves and sticks inside to spill out and rot beside them. Crossing to them, Quinn kicks one of them gently then, seeing a stick, reaches down and pulls it free...' (Publication abstract)