Setting

The short story “The Meaning of Clouds” by Natalie Cox takes place in a town in England, in July (l. 2). The story begins at “9 on a Tuesday morning” (l. 30). Mags can guess that it is around 9 even without checking a watch, due to “the echo of commuter anxiety” (l. 23) in her brain, caused by years of job-related routine. The main story only takes a few hours, although we also get some information about what happened in the time leading up to the story (Mags being fired, for example), and we hear a bit about Mags' thoughts in the following days at the end of the story. 

The story starts out in a peaceful setting, with Bella and Mags relaxing on a blanket under the “brightness of the young July sun” (l.2). Mags’ phone has died, which strengthens the impre...