Books

The Old Man on the Bench

Jack's elderly neighbour is missing and the whole street is out searching. Jack uses the commotion as an excuse to slip away to the school field for the evening, only to discover the old man sitting on the bench, waiting for him in the fading light.

The Old Man on the Bench is a contemplative novella about truth, listening, and connection across generations. Set over the course of a single evening, it follows an unexpected meeting between two people at very different points in life, and explores the way openness and compassion can reshape how we understand ourselves and others.

The story unfolds gently and leaves space for reflection, inviting the reader to sit with uncertainty rather than rushing toward neat answers.

It is D. M. Green's fourth novella.

D. M. Green's books are quietly hopeful stories in which ordinary people—children, teens, and the broken‑hearted—learn to tell the truth, choose love over fear, and find that attention and compassion can turn everyday life luminous.

Earlier works

D.M. Green's first novella, Jim and the Universe was self-published on Amazon in 2017. He followed this with two further stories set in the same world, Eva and the Universe and Ron and the Big Gone. All three stories explore his thoughts on faith and spirituality. Their protagonists are children and young people, but in truth these stories are for adults as much as anyone else.

The first story, Jim, follows an 11 year old boy as he starts high school; it explores how an old lady's wisdom helps him to manage his fears. The second, Eva, tells the story of that same old lady as a young girl. The third, Ron, tells the story of one of Jim's friends as he navigates the challenges of entering adulthood.