My neighbours think my wife accompanies me on my walks. We stroll, my hand firmly supporting her figure, and together we bob our heads in cordial greeting.

“Not ones for chatter.”

At home, I dismantle the puppet and pop it in my cupboard, whilst Jemima screams incessantly in the basement.

Estelle Bardot is the pen name of a teen music student studying piano and composition. When she’s not composing, Estelle can be found lost in the pages of a book or writing poetry. She loves long walks on the beach (or anywhere, really), travelling, and is a sucker for anything dark academia aesthetic. Her work has been published in Under the Madness Magazine, Flora Fiction, Alternate Route, and Skipping Stones.