The End of Everything
For years Phillip Tennent lived at the edge of the sea, where artefacts were washed up every day. Scavengers, professional and otherwise, came and went.
Phillip Tennent lives near the sea, where the tide washes up objects daily. This area, called the tideline, attracts scavengers known as beachcombers who collect these items. Most beachcombers quickly sell what they find, but Tennent and others like him wait for something more meaningful. Their presence is so consistent that their makeshift homes—built from driftwood, mirrors, and other debris—are visible from space at night. The tideline has developed its own social rules and superstitions, shaping how people interact with the objects and each other. Beyond the tideline lies the hinterland, a darker, more regulated area with streets, bars, and abandoned spaces where scavengers must navigate territorial boundaries to sell their finds.
On his way inland, Tennent meets a woman heading toward the sea. She examines an object he has wrapped in rags, roughly the size of a baby, and nods approvingly. They briefly discuss the sea’s condition before parting ways. Tennent offers her anything he owns, and she responds that he will return, though he insists he won’t. The encounter leaves Tennent with a fleeting sense that something large and fast is approaching over the water, though it never materializes. The woman walks away toward the tide, her footsteps reminiscent of walking on snow, and waves without looking back.
Tennent visits his aunt Marnie, a 70-year-old painter who lives in a terraced townhouse on the edge of a town called the Strip. The Strip is a transitional zone between the ocean and dry land, once a thriving arts community before a crashed airliner disrupted it. Marnie moved there from London decades ago and has lived through its changes. The house overlooks the sea and an estuary with mudbanks and an island. At night, the area is lit by fading neon signs or plunged into darkness. Marnie’s home holds sentimental value for Tennent, as it was where he spent holidays as a child, though their relationship has become strained over the years.
Tennent brings an object he found at the tideline to Marnie’s house, though he downplays its significance. He describes it as flotsam or jetsam—terms referring to items lost at sea. Flotsam is debris floating on the water’s surface, while jetsam is cargo or equipment deliberately thrown overboard to lighten a ship. Marnie reacts strongly to the artefact, insisting it should not be in her home. She reveals it has grown since Tennent arrived, unsettling her. Despite her discomfort, she serves him dinner and later reveals she has 'set it free,' though she refuses to explain what she means by this. Tennent later discovers a pistol missing from his belongings.
During their conversation, Marnie shares fragmented memories and observations, including a bird she describes as opportunistic and sharp-eyed, which she identifies as a robin. Her memory loss is inconsistent; sometimes she smiles as if inhabiting a different time, while other moments leave her impatient. She mentions the challenges of maintaining her home and the need to be tougher than she wanted. Tennent notices her fragility but also her determination to keep living independently. Her comments about flying and the bird suggest a longing for freedom or escape, though its meaning remains unclear.
After Marnie reveals she has 'set the artefact free,' Tennent grows alarmed and asks her to clarify. She refuses to explain further, only stating that she knows what he does at the tideline. Tennent returns to the basement of Marnie’s house, retrieves his car, and prepares to leave. He later discovers that someone has opened a tarpaulin bag containing one of his pistols, which is now missing. The article ends with Tennent driving away, leaving Marnie’s fate and the artefact’s purpose unresolved. The tension between them suggests deeper, unexplored conflicts tied to the artefact and their shared past.
