Max’s watch pinged, and the screen of his phone lit up. He groggily reached over and held up the phone to look at the screen. MAIL: 1m ago Government Social Media Team Dear Max, It is our sad duty to report that this month your grade has dropped one level to grade D. This is […]
Trees Looking At Me
“The trees are looking at me again,” Kyra said, playing with her hair. “They do that, mummy, when they think you’re not looking.” “Don’t be silly,” her mother said. “If I hear you say that again, I’ll have to be cross with you. Now go and play with your dolls.” “I can’t,” she sighed, still […]
She And Him
I looked down at the chopping board. There was a cucumber half sliced, and I was holding the knife in my hand. Not that it looked like my hand. I think. “Shaun?” someone behind me said. “Are you all right? Did you get an electric shock off that?” I turned round. She was a middle-aged, […]
The Quick Brown Fox
The paper jutted halfway out of the typewriter, four words black in the moon light: THE QUICK BROWN FOX At least this time, Daniel thought, he had managed four of his own words. He sat there, in the gloom, looking at it. The sleek grey metal body looked darker in the moonlight, and the white […]
Behind The Scenes: Penny Drops
This is the “Behind the Scenes” post for this week’s story, “Penny Drops”, which you can read here if you haven’t already This one didn’t really come together in the same way as the others. Penny’s a character that I’ve had in my mind for quite a while, although I’ve never had a surname for […]
Penny Drops
It was near closing time in the castle. If they weren’t the last visitors, they at least weren’t far off. Penny was standing at the wall, looking out of one of the small cross-shaped windows. She’d had enough of imagining herself as a twelfth-century archer, and was now simply savouring the warm afterglow of Earl […]
The Onyx Ring
“Don’t move, and you won’t get hurt.” The sawn-off barrel of the shotgun waves an inch from the bald man’s face. “I’m sure we can come to some arrangement,” he says, smiling. “Just give me the money,” the man shouts. “I just want the money.” “How much money do you want?” the bald man asks. […]
Next Time, Be More Careful
The moon is full; I can feel it. I can feel the change in my legs, feel the skin ripping and tearing, the transformation beginning. The pain is almost unbearable for a few minutes as my legs change shape, my chest changes, the hair changes. My family won’t recognise me any more. Even my thoughts […]
Leo’s Last Show
The old man scratched at his beard as he walked. He looked through the bars of the cage, past the old lion, watching the sun going down on the horizon. “Hey there, Leo old lad,” he said, softly. He billed himself as the gipsy lion tamer, of vaguely eastern European extraction, from a town no […]
The Killer, Unmasked (If, Never part 3)
This is the third part in a trilogy. If you haven’t read them yet, then I recommend reading “If, Never” and “Jenkins Is The Problem” first… “What’s this?” Eric asked, looking through the recent photos. Lusha looked away from her canvas and back at the screen. “Hmm?” she pondered. “Looks like the building over the […]