The Black Flower

<p>When Nick and Ashlea first meet they’re just two drunk seventeen year olds at a house party. He’s a binge-drinking redneck; she’s a wild party girl. And every weekend in a country town like Geraldton is an alcoholic’s dream.<br /><br />It’s a perfect match – until it isn’t.<br /><br />When tragedy strikes Ashlea grows up fast. But Nick can’t pull himself away from the booze – or the ghosts of his childhood that echo through every part of his life.<br /><br />With Nick’s addiction threatening to destroy their young love Ashlea delivers an ultimatum – but it has deadly consequences.<br /><br />THE BLACK FLOWER is a raw emotional portrait of two teenagers trapped in the chaos of anger vulnerability and trauma. This story was originally published in the Melbourne-based anthology Page Seventeen.</p>