Renting by Jenni Mazaraki
The real estate agent didn’t bother wiping his feet. Repulsed by the stale air, he ensured the fabric of his suit did not touch any surface. He didn’t notice the height chart etched into the doorframe or the ghosts hovering in the rooms. Too busy to consider the space, made tender by others. Relieved that he could go home after work to his well-ordered home in a nice suburb. Through the front window, he saw a crowd arriving—desperation and hope on their faces. Pushed his own face into a smile, opened the door and let the people inside.
Jenni Mazaraki is a writer living on Wurundjeri land (Melbourne). Her short story collection I’ll Hold You was highly commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for an Unpublished Manuscript 2020. Her work has been published in the Australian Poetry Journal, The Suburban Review and Overland. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing.