Nearing retirement, feeling jaded by life, Karl is in France to sell his aunt's rapidly dilapidating house. Caught up in a snowstorm, he finds himself engulfed by a memory of an encounter with a local woman during an earlier visit to the country.

Vivid short story by Jane Rogers.

Story series in which writers consider themes of age and ageing. The series title, Above Ground, is inspired by a quote from Carol Shields's novel The Stone Diaries: "Here's to another year and let's hope it's above ground."

The story first appeared in Jane Rogers' story collection Hitting Trees With Sticks, published by Comma Press in 2012.

Read by David Acton
Written by Jane Rogers
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron Show less