Easter 2016 by The Cavendish Chronicle

the cavendish

CHRONICLE Easter 2016

Tuppence a Bag Ellen Gage

This term, first-year English undergraduate Ellen Gage won Lucy Cavendish’s Art & Photography Competition, which featured works of art on the theme of community. Here she explains the story behind h‘Feeding Pigeons in Dam Square, Amsterdam’. In my pursuit of community, I found that the word itself is communal in that it has diverse meanings. Is it merely a group of people? The collective “body” as opposed to the individual? A social category that distinguishes the hoi polloi from the “privileged classes” – the commons from the lords? A question of national, “cultural” and/or “religious” identity? So the process of capturing community raised more questions than it could, at first, answer. And this was before I had even stepped out of the house. I stepped a bit further than out of the house to visit a friend in Amsterdam where, walking around the city, I took, again, to questioning. Did my Ukrainian friend and her Italian partner belong to any type of community in the Netherlands? And would it be a grouping of ex-pats, the non-Dutch,with community paradoxically becoming a form of segregation? We reached Dam Square, overrun by pigeons

but even more animated by their willing feeders. People of all ages and cultures were enjoying this timeless pleasure and I saw that community can be built around such simple, universal and natural recreations. The photograph portrays a cross-species community, exposing the interdependence of groups not only on each other but also on those from the outside. The location captured is a popular tourist spot, signaling that whilst community suggests stability, it is also built around transience. The visitors come, go and possibly leave their mark on the place, though it is more likely that the place will leave its mark on them. Which raises the question of whether community is tied to the place or the people? ‘Feeding pigeons in Dam Square, Amsterdam’ depicts an activity that brings people together, which is surely the essence of the elusive ‘community.’ ◆

ART

Letter from the Editor

Mara González Souto

t suddenly struck me: We work with the intangible. To create the tangible. In materializing the Cavendish Chronicle, we are sculpting ideas and thoughts into a palpable product: a fresh, contemporary, “live” Lucy Cavendish experience. Along the journey, the Cavendish Chronicle has become a medium of expression and a source of knowledge for all members of the College. Returning in October of 2015, the Cavendish Chronicle set itself to be an informative and creative initiative for the College community. With one returning member and little idea of where to beto fasten ideas gin, a few of us gathered over and thoughts biscuits to reinstate the college journal. Still in our metaphoronto paper, and ical diapers, we set a deadline to immortalize for a Michaelmas Issue. But our presence at this ambition was inevitably Lucy Cavendish intertwined with doubt and inexperience. For some, the roles were untrodden grounds: our layout designer Charlotte Airey was new to the job, as was I as editor-in-chief. Further, the endeavour was compounded by the pressure of establishing guidelines and appropriate timeframes for meeting our deadline. The ultimate success of delivering our promise rested on two valuable assets: the faith of students who had the courage to invest time and effort into a new initiative, as well as their confidence to share their thoughts. From there, the Cavendish Chronicle prospered from the dedicated work of the editorial team: a team determined to produce and edit submissions, creative in its efforts and flexible enough to respond to all range of unexpected de-

velopments. The same team consistently wore many hats at once, creating pieces to share their insights, and also encouraging and inspiring others to dare communicate theirs. Jointly, these assets made the endeavour a reality and source of pride for Lucy Cavendish. Following the anticipated obstacles of the first issue, we evaluated the process and long-term mission, and dared push higher than before. Sub-editors Tanya Brown and Adela Ryle energized our contact with Andrew Marr and Jackie Ashley, first to repeat a previous opportunity to convene students and professional journalists, and later by engaging Andrew Marr in the creation of a Lucy Cavendish cartoon. We also directly engaged with our readers through a reception where students met our editorial team. To further exceed our expectations, we were pleased to be connected with Patricia Wright, a member of the first Lucy Cavendish newspaper in the 1970s, (famously Lucely Speaking), as well as with Judith Roberts, a coordinator of the alumni newsletter, Nautilus. These developments allowed us to forge connections with the College staff, ultimately enabling us to collaborate to share the College’s archived newspapers. The opportunity to tie the past with the present, in a common goal of sharing ideas, was enriching for our editorial team and the wider community. The Cavendish Chronicle has encouraged students and staff to pick up the pen, to dare get splattered with ink, to fasten ideas and thoughts onto paper, and to immortalize our presence at Lucy Cavendish. We are, precisely, where pen meets paper.◆

News

Climate Change: Capitalism’s Nemesis?

Gemma Maitland

ccasionally, a book lingers in the mind many months after reading. Magdoff and Foster’s (2011) What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know about Capitalism is such a book. Environmental destruction, the authors argue, is inherent in the prevailing capitalist economic framework, where short-term accumulation of profit obscures the longer term effects on the planet. They point out that capitalist businesses have to work to short-term scales – usually a maximum of five years – due to the unpredictable nature of business conditions. As such, resources are exploited as quickly as possible, with social and environmental consequences such as air, water, and soil pollution, and inequalities in wealth, being labelled as unfortunate ‘externalities’ of an otherwise ‘benign system.’ Of course, many companies now market themselves as utilising ‘green technology,’ appealing to the growing number of people’s concern for the future. Being ‘green’ has itself become a selling point, but is often little more than window dressing. Societies governed by capitalism are incapable of addressing climate change in any tangible way, because these economies are based solely on growth: growth means pollution, and the terminal exploitation of finite resources. Nuclear power, lauded by many Western politicians as a way to meet the imminent energy gap, is unfeasible. Aside from the obvious risk of devastating accidents - to meet the current demand for electricity, a new nuclear plant needs to be built every day for the next 43 years.

Anthropogenic climate change is destroying our habitat, as well as that of many other species. The human consequences are real, and not only for the ‘Global South.’ Prolonged periods of drought across countries, including the US, has led to water scarcity. In Canada, months with no rainfall recently created ideal conditions for wildfire, leading to the evacuation of 80,000 people from Fort McMurray. In the Solomon Islands, rising sea levels have just submerged five uninhabited islands, with erosion on other islands forcing entire villages to migrate. The authors conclude that nothing short of an ‘ecological revolution against capitalist society’ can rescue humanity from catastrophic climate change. They advocate a ‘transformation in social relations,’ through radically altered lifestyles, to engender a significant reduction in energy demands. This is a depressing conclusion. Pollution and environmental exploitation is so interwoven into Western societies that changing it seems insurmountable. I fear that humanity will carry on with business as usual. This is understandable. On an individual level, daily life is full of stresses and challenges, which capitalist societies offer an alluring escape from, through seemingly benevolent activities and technologies. Yet these are inescapably dependent on extremely damaging ‘externalities’ to exist at all. This is unsustainable. But who wants to give up their laptop, their car, their electricity, or their binge-watching of Netflix during times of stress?! Altering social relations in the ways the authors identify may indeed be what is necessary, but can it happen? ◆

News

7 Things to do in Cambridge Steph Reikine There’s more to Cambridge than punting and pubs! If you want a different kind of distraction during your studies then consider the following half-day adventures, all within cycling, bus, or train distance from Lucy.

3| Anglesey Abbey

1| Ely

Ely Cathedral

The city of Ely is just a short train ride away, and definitely worth a visit. A tour of the cathedral and its stained glass museum is not to be missed. While you’re in the area you can also stop by the Saturday market, take a stroll through the Jubilee Gardens, and treat yourself at Samovar Tea House or the Peacock Tearooms. For something creative, check out Crackpots, a ceramic arts café.

2| Wimpole Estate: A walk through the gardens alone is worth the trip but you can also tour the house, which is the largest country home in Cambridgeshire. If city life has been bringing you down, try your hand at milking on Home Farm, or just coo over the baby animals. £16.25 for the whole property. Cycle (10 mi) or take the 75 bus.

Explore the house or just take a stroll around the beautiful garden. Also check out the historic Lode Mill watermill and try your hand at geocaching around the grounds. £12.45 for the whole property or £7.15 for just the garden and mill. Cycle (7.6 mi) or take the 10 bus.

4| Linton Zoo This great little zoo just south of Cambridge has a substantial collection of birds, and last October their lions had two cubs! Come and be surprised by what you find (the giant rabbits are always a favourite). £9. Take the 13 or 13A bus towards Haverhill and ask for the Linton Police Station stop.

5| IWM Duxford The Imperial War Museum in Duxford has an astonishing collection of aircraft. Check out the Concorde in the AirSpace exhibit, the newly renovated American Air Museum, and the historic planes being restored in the Flying Aircraft hangar. £14.40 for students. On Sundays, catch the Myalls 132 bus.

6| Centre for

Computing History

An easy bike ride from city centre, this museum is tucked away just around the corner from the Beehive Centre. Stop by with your mates for a nostalgic break and die from dysentery on the Oregon Trail or Duke Nukem it out. They have a huge collection of classic games and visitors can play any of them. Learn about the history of computation in hands-on exhibits from punch cards to virtual reality. £6 for students.

7| Cambridge Model

Engineering Society

Cycle over to the miniature railway in Grantchester, behind the Cambridge Rugby grounds, and ride one of their model trains. They have steam, electric, and occasionally gas turbine trains for just £1. Public running days are every second Sunday. ◆

IWM Duxford

DISCOVERIES

Cambridge Thoughts 1973 This is a clipping from ‘Lucely Speaking’, the original college newspaper published during the 1970s

POETRY

The Fourth Time the Night Smiled Marie Ducrepin

’ve always considered myself a citizen of the world, and as such, toured as many galleries, museums, ballet and opera performances I could squeeze into my tight schedule. Yet, for some unfathomable reason, I never attended a musical. My cringe-worthy attempts at singing – a slaughtered pig sounds better – forced me to shy from this universe where actors sing like angels. I was both curious and a little apprehensive about attending the ADC Theatre’s latest musical, “A Little Night Music.” After some preliminary research, I got ready to assist the premiere.

when the countess informs her of Fredrik’s whereabouts. Forced to show up uninvited with her husband for a weekend at the Armfeldt’s estate, lady Malcom devises a plan to get her spouse back.

Madame Armfeldt, Desiree’s mother and a former courtesan favoured by royalty, assists to a tense dinner, where the plot unravels and ends. The audience is reminded of her wise words at the beginning: the summer night smiles thrice once for the young in the runaway couple formed by Anne and Henrik, once for Desiree and Fredrik, the fools, “At exactly a quarter and lastly, for the old.

At exactly a quarter to to eight,the lights I was hooked. The plot eight, the lights dimmed, dimmed, and the had been designed wonderand the Quintet came in fully. I dreaded the ominous Quintet came in tuning up. Egerman, a midpresence of the Quartet, adtuning up.” dle-aged lawyer, has married mired Madame Armfeldt’s naïve, eighteen-year-old cynicism, praised Fredrika’s Anne, who despite her love for her huswisdom and laughed at the antics of Deband, seems too immature to fully grasp siree and Fredrik when fooling Carl-Magthe concept of matrimony. Meanwhile, nus. I felt sorry for Henrik, and pitied the Fredrik’s son Henrik, desperately in love countess. The actors gave a good rendition with Anne, laments that he is never takof the musical. Even the inconvenience of en seriously. His step-mother mercilessa few sound glitches - a mouthpiece mally teases him about his studies, while her functioned – could not have deterred me. maid tries to seduce him. After seeing his I found the play fresh, funny, and enticing. former mistress, Desiree Armfeldt, perIn particular, I favoured Desiree’s mother; form in the town, Fredrik is forced to leave there was something particularly fascinatwith his wife, only to return for a visit lating about a woman that had outlived her er in the night. The two reminisce about youth and carried a disillusion about life, their liaison, where Desiree learns that to the point of latent rudeness when refusFredrik has yet to take his wife to bed. In ing to give her guests her best champagne, comes Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, Deas she opted to reserve it for funerals. siree’s current paramour. The two manage I walked home smiling and humming to spin a story explaining their dishevelled appearance, but the count remains sus- to myself, glad to have watched such picious, so much that he ends up confid- promising talents sing what will remain in ing in his wife. The secret reaches Anne my memory as “the fourth smile”. ◆

THEATRE REVIEW

Five Weeks in Makeni: Managing the Ebola Crisis Sophie Lyddon

r Jane Greatorex, witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of Ebola and the fight to combat it in Sierra Leone, one of the most heavily affected countries. According to the CDC, Sierra Leone suffered 14,124 total cases and 3,956 deaths. Cavendish Chronicle reporter Sophie Lyddon spoke to the Lucy Cavendish Fellow and Senior Research Scientist in Clinical Microbiology and Public Health about her experience and the work which was recognized with the Ebola Medal for Service. Having responded to Public Health England’s calls for volunteers, in June 2015 Dr Greatorex took part in a week of training before spending five weeks leading a team of scientists in a laboratory in Makeni. “The training at Porton Down really did prepare us for working safely in an environment like that: what to do if you break down in the deepest jungle and what to do if a situation breaks down”, she explained. “Before we were there, there was some trouble in Guinea and some aid workers were killed because there was still a mistrust about the Ebola treatment centres”.

Notwithstanding these potential dangers, as well as those of the disease itself, Dr Greatorex was undeterred on her assignment. “Not nervous, but you are wary”, she said. “You can’t greet people in the way you’re used to. You go to a hospital and meet colleagues that you’ve been corresponding with by email and you can’t shake hands with them. When you say goodbye to people you can’t hug them, or say goodbye like you would ordinarily. You couldn’t pick up children”. Dr Greatorex did note her shock at the scale of the issue and greater challenges of the disease: “Everyone’s going to know someone. Everyone’s going to be affected. Entire families have got it and the lives of those people that have survived has changed forever. They’re still not very well”, she explained, “and in some communities there’s a stigma. It’s a little bit like being leper. Some of them their houses were burnt down, their houses and everything they owned – gone”. Despite the scale and social issues, Dr Greatorex explained that her social experiences in Sierra Leone were extremely positive: she described the sense of gratefulness from the community generally and that those working together in the team have maintained contact. Indeed, reflecting on her role, she said she has signed up to volunteer with any future crises of a similar nature, adding “it’s nice as a lab person to think you have a skill. Doctors and nurses it seems more obvious, they have always been able to respond to humanitarian relief ”.

Feature

“what to do if you break down in the deepest jungle and what to do if a situation breaks down”

In March this year, in recognition of her efforts in Sierra Leone, Dr Greatorex was awarded the Ebola Medal for Service by the UK Government. The medal is a first for recognising individuals who have responded to humanitarian crises. Speaking of the award, Dr Greatorex said “It was a big honour. I think everyone should be recognised that does that kind of work”. ◆ Images courtesy Dr Jane Greatorex

Feature

Lucy Speaks: Past and Present The Twists of Life

Patricia Wright

t school I had University in prospect but, aged 15, I sat a maths exam while suffering from ‘flu and failed. It was a real blow to find, aged 17, that maths was required to matriculate. The school wouldn’t let me resit maths, so I withdrew. For four years I worked in insurance, applying to the BBC every year for four years. They finally suggested I start through a secretarial route, so I began a course. However, when my father became ill, I secured employment in the Edinburgh British Council.

The idea for “Lucely Speaking” came from the Student President, Judith Ennew. I was the Treasurer, while Sally Cockburn and Rose Buckley, who came up in 1972, were elected to the Committee. We co-opted Margaret Hirst, who came up in 1973, to design the covers. Incorporating the nautilus shell with the College scarf was Margaret’s idea; the snail emerging from it being emblematic of late starters, slowly but surely staying the course!

We met in Judith’s house to put the magazine together, producing one magazine per term. I typed the Fortunately, in 1968 I moved contents onto a stencil, and “roto the Cambridge Office. There, “this was through work and my shared extended to civil neo-d” off copies by hand in the flat, I got to know academics. service staff, so College. Some of the articles were Stimulating conversation evoked i was a ground- signed “Lucasta”; an acronym of Lucy Cavendish Students’ Assothe urge to learn, prompting breaker” ciation. Gradually, the range of me to consider university even contributors widened, through though I was 30. I knew the BritJudith’s soliciting of articles from ish Council would allow no more than a 2-year break so, boldly, I put my case Fellows and Senior Members. to the Director General - an unusual one, After graduation, I returned to the Counas a mature university student was a rarity cil; a highlight being working with Malcolm – and he won me 3 years unpaid leave. This Bradbury on the annual English Studies was extended to Civil Service staff, so I was a Seminar. I then worked part-time with Emground-breaker. maus, studied an OU diploma, took French Wolfson College offered me a place to classes, and learned German. read English, but delayed admitting MaDo I regret interrupting my career, to ture Students until 1973. I approached New spend three years reading English? No. It Hall, who referred me to Lucy. I went for a provided me with the unique opportunity daunting interview, and admission essay. In Cambridge provides, through the stimulattotal panic, I answered “Self-realisation is ing people one can learn from, formally and not an Antisocial Principle” in relation to informally. This broadened my mind and Wordsworth which, at the subsequent intermade me an “enquirer.” Lucy Cavendish was view, was considered an intriguing response the catalyst in the opening of my mind. For to a philosophical question. this, I am forever grateful. ◆

feATURE

The Birth of Lucely Speaking

Judith Roberts

ucely Speaking was first produced in 1973. The magazine’s founders, Student President Judith Ennew, Tricia Wright and Margaret Hirst produced it in A5 format on a roneo machine. The device, a predecessor to photocopiers, worked by forcing ink through a stencil made by the editors on a typewriter, a time-consuming process. The general tone from the start was humorous and included personal accounts, poems and parodies. Christmas 1974 welcomed Lucy in Wonderland, a nice addition to the magazine’s entertainment section. The content continued to be varied and creative with pieces on Education, Dyslexia, book reviews, travel, poems and more. Advice, pithy with witty undertones, was always forthcoming, as with this offering from ‘Cassandra’ for those taking exams: ‘You are advised to be careful of becoming tearful.

The human frame consists all but a quarter of water.’

In 1975, Phyllis Giles provided an initial analysis of the Lucy Cavendish armorial bearings. A book review about the Pacific North West’s prehistoric rock-engravings, Gazpacho and May Week pudding recipes also filled the pages. Despite the change of editorial team in 1976, the content continued to be an eclectic mix of serious articles, humorous pieces, a cartoon strip and tributes to Marion Clegg, the first Founding Fellow to die. Cambridge University politics entered Lucely’s pages in the form of an animal rights plea by ‘C.C.’ and a response by ‘A.N.W.’ the founder-chairman of the Huntingdon Research Centre. The final magazine present in the archives is dated June 1976 and contains an updated food guide, a piece about taking

relatives around Cambridge, and an article about the University Library. ◆

FEATURE

Averting Never Events

Charlotte Fiehn

ucy Cavendish is home to great many talented women but Dr. Maryanne Mariyaselvam stands out as one of the most remarkable. A trained doctor, Maryanne is currently a Research Fellow at Cambridge University Hospitals and a pursuing her doctorate degree at Lucy with an emphasis on Patient Safety in the NHS.

to help prevent particular types of “never events” that happen in intensive care departments.

One of the devices she helped to develop, the Non-injectable arterial connector or (NIC), prevents issues such as contamination and the accidental injection of medication into an arterial line. As Maryanne explained, arterial lines are often used to Her current research focuses on why er- check patient blood pressure and to draw rors happen in the health care blood samples when a patient system, concentrating on sois in intensive care, but it can called “never events,” which be extremely dangerous if, by are the result of human error. accident, medications are adMARYANNE’S “Never events,” Maryanne ministered via this type of line RESEARCH IS SET explains, are rare occurrencor if there is any kind of cones but which pose a substan- TO IMPROVE PATIENT tamination. Using a one-ditial risk to both patients and SAFETY ON SEVERAL rectional valve, however, the health care professionals. Her NIC device prevents these FRONTS work investigates how people types of issues from occurring, at various stages of their caimproving the safety of arterial reer can make these types of lines on several fronts. errors, becoming distracted or Although it usually takes perhaps missing out on an important piece many years for new medical devices to be of information. She is also considering sointegrated across the NHS system, the NIC called second victim syndrome, which is device may also prove an exception. The what some health care professionals exdevice earned Maryanne a prestigious felperience when they make a mistake that lowship with NHS Innovation Accelerator has significant consequences for a patient’s (NIA), which, in collaboration with NHS health. England and several other health care orMaryanne’s research is set to improve ganizations, pushes to make innovative patient safety on several fronts, howev- technology available to patients in a much er, and it is not just her current academic faster than usual. pursuits that are likely to benefit the NHS Now one year in to her two-year resystem in the near future. search program (Maryanne is the first After completing her medical degree, Lucy student to pursue the two year MD and while she was completing a rotation degree), after completing her research, in an intensive care department, Mary- Maryanne says she plans to return to pracanne became involved in the development ticing medicine, maintaining a focus on of a number of medical devices designed public safety in the NHS. ◆

news

Dialogue Behind Bars

“I

Sarah Perry

t must be so exciting to be you”. These are the words of a prisoner at HMP Grendon, raised in reference to the latitude of avenues I could pursue, served as a reminder of the amazing opportunities I have had whilst at Cambridge. From learning to row to glamourous balls, Cambridge has opened up a host of possibilities to me. The most exciting, however, has been my weekly visits to HMP Grendon, a Category B men’s prison in Buckinghamshire. I was there as part of the Learning Together initiative, created and implemented by Drs Ruth Armstrong and Amy Ludlow. The programme enables Cambridge students and HMP Grendon to take a short course in criminology. We read academic literature and listened to a lecture on a criminological topic, before breaking into sub-groups to explore and discuss ideas. The collaborative nature of the course means that its lessons extend far beyond criminology. The course puts human faces to one of the most pressing problems in criminal justice. Some of our fellow students had been sentenced under the subsequently abolished ‘imprisonment for public protection’ rules and had served 10 years for 2-year tariffs. They were still considered ‘too risky’ to release, within a system that offered little transparency as to how to lower the perception of risk. Equally cruelly, other fellow students had been convicted under joint enterprise legislation of crimes committed by accomplices, which they had not planned or anticipated. In the face of injustice of such scale and

intensity, I sometimes found it difficult to offer examples from my own life that spoke to the theories that we were discussing each week. I felt shameful for raising issues such as my removal from a certain college’s formal hall simply because the organiser had, through no fault of my own, neglected to add my name to a list. I thought that people facing decades behind bars would not welcome what I perceived as inconsequential and trivial experiences of injustice. I was wrong: the Grendon residents gladly offered principled reasons for the illegitimacy of the decision and lamented my receptive cooperation. The common I THOUGHT PEOPLE FACING ground between DECADES BEHIND BARS students from WOULD NOTWELCOME 11 Cambridge and WHAT I PERCEIVED AS Grendon built by INCONSEQUENTIAL AND Learning Together has challenged my TRIVIAL EXPERIENCES OF assumptions. Rather INJUSTICE than ‘us’ and ‘them’ learning together, it has grown to a ‘we’: a ‘we’ comprised of many inspirational individuals who come just as much from inside the prison walls as outside of it. The experience has given me a deeper, and more humanised, understanding of some of the most challenging issues facing the justice system. It is now impossible to be ambivalent towards the positions of people in prison. I hope that I will be able to use the lessons learned in Grendon to challenge my own and others’ perceptions and to contribute, even in a small way, to making the justice system more just. ◆

opinion

The Reed Jessica Lim Jessica Lim is a co-president of the new Lucy Cavendish Children’s Literature Society, alongside Jen Aggleton. The society will host events celebrating and exploring children’s literature. To get involved, contact her at jwhl2@cam.ac.uk

ot so many years ago, there lived a reed. She was a small reed with no name, but she loved her home, and observed as much as she could with insatiable curiosity.

Many a moment she spent watching life unfold, and many a time, thought, “How lucky I am to observe life, life in its all its cycles.” It was a warm and sunny day, and the brooks and birds were burbling, and the sky was clad with cotton tufts, when a sparrow landed by her. “Good morning, my friend! What thoughts cloud your face?” The reed started. She had indeed been lost in thought. She had heard, from the gossip of the grass, of a stranger in their midst: a person - a giant - who had come with the spring breezes; sat amongst them, picked flowers, deaf to their screams.

But the reed did not know what to think - only that the grasses often exaggerated. And anyway, how to explain this to a sparrow? So she said, “It’s a beautiful day. Hear the brook singing! She says they call her Water. Isn’t that a pretty name? Do you have a name?” The sparrow looked sad. “I have no name. People have no care for naming birds these days.” “People?” asked the reed. “I have never seen them. What are they like?” “Oh!” cried the sparrow. “People. They are explorers!” The reed wondered why this was a bad thing. “-They destroy what they see to discover what is new!” A cloud passed the sun. “Destroy?” the reed echoed faintly. The bird flapped ferociously.

fiction

“All is changed. But I must leave. The winds are changing.” Destruction, the reed thought. Was it possible to wipe something from existence, forever? The grass withered, but it grew, and she knew her time would come, too - and surely the brook and the birds would always burble, and a reed would stand in her place! The moon crept out - a silvery slip of a crescent. She couldn’t bear to look at it. That flower by the oak - it was so strange, and they were almost friends. How would destruction touch them? Would they even know? She shivered. Heavily, the sun began its ascent across the crimson sky. It was a warm, sunny day, and the sky was littered with white cotton tufts. Gossip spread through the green blades rising from the buried grain. Then the grasses parted, and the reed saw her first humans. They weren’t giants, and if they were, they were nothing as she had imagined. She could not find words to describe them. They moved strangely, like birds without wings, like walking trees.

Is this destruction? One lumbered toward her, bent down, uttered something sharp and strange. It leaned in. Curling, talon-like digits spread round her. Darkness. Intolerable heat. ◆

fiction

Artwork

Milena Tyler von Wrangel These are drawings of women I met in a women’s only group therapy. These women attest to the power of support that women can provide to each other - a power that is central to Lucy Cavendish. Cover | Pamela Page 10 | Maria

Editorial Team Editor-In-Chief: Mara González Souto; Sub Editors: Tanya Brown, Marie Ducrepin, Charlotte Fiehn, Trisha Hyder, Rainy Long, Sophie Lyddon, Gemma Maitland, Stephanie Reikine, Adela Ryle; Layout Designer: Charlotte Airey; Comic Artist: Adela Ryle. to join our team, contact us at cavendishchronicle@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/thecavendishchronicle