The Park Avenue War
Mathew King was the first casualty of war. He got shot in the back of the head. It was Uncle Robert’s fault. He was a favourite uncle, mainly because of…
Mathew King was the first casualty of war. He got shot in the back of the head. It was Uncle Robert’s fault. He was a favourite uncle, mainly because of…
The cow was reluctant to enter the darkness. The trees looked wrong and stretched so far into the sky that they disappeared into the clouds. No sunlight reached the forest…
I bet you haven’t heard of the Temple of the Seven Songs. That’s my doing. I’ve written hundreds of online reviews of the place and never given it more than…
Politics Live rarely had more than a million viewers and the latest programme was no exception even though it featured the Prime Minister. It covered all the usual subjects with…
I was grateful for the interruption. I’d been stuck for hours and was beginning to wonder if there really was better way to market tampons. I could see that there…
“What’s happening?” “It’s still not doing anything.” “Have you clicked on it?” “Course I have. It’s just whirling round. I think the wifi must be down.” “The egg is about…
Patches of sweat stuck Jon’s t-shirt to his chest. He swung the sledge hammer and knocked down a few more bricks. ‘God it’s hot. Maybe you should make the windows…
His phone beeped. The dishwasher had finished and wanted emptying. He marked the message as read and went back to his spreadsheet. He needed to complete it by four. His…
You shouldn’t have a door like that in a place like this. It should lead you into a gallery, selling colourful paintings of islands and sailing boats on a beautifully…
His casual confidence caused people to move out of his way even before they noticed his size or the bag slung over his back. He wasn’t aggressive, or threatening, but…
Tom was pleased to see the official rickshaw stand. He’d read about unlicensed rickshaws overcharging, or worse... You're going to have to work a little harder to read this story.…
“No. Honest. I’ve had such a shit day. Doing this will mean there’s been one good thing in it.” Before Mark had time to reply the man had tapped his…
I launch myself at the branch. My arms tightly embrace it and I feel the rough bark cutting into my forearms. My legs fall away from the trunk and pedal…
At the very last minute he saw the butterfly on the pavement and managed to divert his foot to the side. Unfortunately the butterfly saw his foot descending in a…
It’s not my birthday yet, and I’m not happy. It’s all Boris’s fault. He’s right that people should wash their hands but why did he have to choose that song.…
“But that’s not how I want to spend the bank holiday.” “It’ll be all right.” You looked at me with a slightly raised eyebrow. “It will. I bet there’ll be…
“He always lands on his feet.” “That’s not true. He always lands on someone else’s feet.” They laughed, but not as much as they would have, if it hadn’t been…
Calvin woke early and started plotting his way through the day ahead. He’d already planned it. Everything was ready but experience told him that things wouldn’t go exactly as written…
Dad almost crushed Batman beneath his size ten boot, but managed to divert his foot at the last moment. “Damn it. Not on the stairs Sammy. Why can’t you play…
Everything went dark. The television turned off, the lights blacked out. The only illumination was from Ruby’s mobile where it lit up her face. “Damn. Where’s a torch?” said mum.…
The bright sun reflected off the wet sand and dazzled him as he stood before the calm sea. He held his hand up, covering the sun, and allowing him to…
Paul was there almost every day. This decrepit oversized shed would become his inheritance and he wanted his parents to remember that. Scott didn’t come often but when he did…
“Checks” Rob held his hand up with five fingers extended. As Dave made each check he lowered one finger. “Helmet. Harness. Risers. Wind. Traffic.” With all the checks completed Rob…
She swore at the prime minister who had just announced a covid lockdown. Like many people she’d been obsessed with the covid data and knew that lockdown made sense, but…
It was all a blur. One minute she was surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, the next she was flying through the countryside in a tiny carriage alone with her baby daughter and…
“Do you actually love me?” He hesitated and she took that as an answer without waiting to hear what he had to say. It was raining, he was cold and…
The story-teller arrived by magic. At least that’s what she told everyone who came to listen. At first that was very few people. Her show wasn’t attractive. She had no…
Two angels watched the man as he trudged through the dark streets. “Tell me,” said the Elder. “What do you see?” The younger angel studied the man. “I see sadness.”…
Alice looked at the haul of presents spread across her desk. It didn’t seem much of a reward for another year of her life. She’d always imagined that at the…
George toasted himself with orange juice. “Happy Birthday.” He derived a huge amount of childish pleasure in picking out two of his favourite mini cereal boxes from the selection pack.…
“Betty, they’ve done it again. Look, over in that corner.” In front of the fence was a riot of colour, dominated by the yellow of daffodils. Betty looked where Mark…
Once there was a black bear who had the best territory in the forest, and the best ideas too. Each day he would sit in a clearing under a giant…
Jack didn’t know what to paint. He’d applied the magic white undercoat like the man in the video suggested. Ideas usually flowed with the paint but not this time. The…
Charles Dickens had one. It’s made of mahogany. That’s about the only carpentry detail they tell you. I couldn’t believe the drivel in the museum, “The back shelf was adorned…
The sculpture tumbled to the wooden floor. One leg snapped at the knee and pinged against the skirting board. The neck severed and the horse’s head flew across the hallway…
“They can’t do that?” “What?” “They’re pulling the church down.” “Yeah. Right.” Liam opened the curtains and looked out at the Fenny Church of our Lady. “Don’t worry Bridgette. It’s…
“I’ve been selected. Tommy. Tommy. Look.” Alison held out her phone. Tommy saw the distinctive orange lettering on a teal background marching across the screen and displaying one of the…
Owen met Serena over a potter’s wheel. It wasn’t like the film Ghost. Although it was equally messy there was no romantic spark and Owen stayed well back from the…
Meeting typescript: recorded by Archangel Pravuil, grand scribe and record-keeper for the AlmightyLanguage: many concepts cannot accurately, or even remotely, be translated from Angelic to English, for example English has…
Hummingbirds don’t fly. Not as kite’s anyway. It seems that flapping wings are essential. I saw a video on the internet of a remote control flapping bird. I’d love to…
There was nothing special about Tuesday morning but Tom was seeing the world like he’d never seen it before. Everything looked and felt different, ever since he’d survived the incident…
Six months ago the old school was knocked down. Carla smiled every day at the sun that now reached her windows. Her house was a back-to-back. Dense terrace housing with…
And then he saw the swing. It looked like an ordinary swing. One kids hung from trees. The ropes were the kind of ropes kids would use, and the seat…
Barry’s pants were wet, and he didn’t mean it in the American sense. The puddle had soaked right through his trousers and wet his underwear. Did American’s called it underwear?…
Brian sunk his head into his virtual reality headset and was instantly transported into his diggerbot. He quickly ran through the start-up checklist and used his VR-gloved hand to flick…
Simon isn’t really listening to the radio. It’s just a gentle babble easing him into wakefulness. He’s about to turn it off when he hears a familiar voice. It’s president…
There was a sound. A pure single note that somehow sounded as though it was in three-part harmony with full orchestral backing. Spinning-on-a-roundabout spoke to the angel who had just…
One minute to go. Andy took a deep, slow breath. The chill air felt fresh. He usually ran after work. Would a morning run slow him down? He hoped not.…
Adam’s hands were sweating, his throat was dry and he had no ideas. He’d expected to solve problems not set them...
Mum looked shocked. ‘Wh..What,’ she stammered. ‘Mrs Phillips,’ said the policewoman. ‘Can I talk to you about your daughter? She was caught shop-lifting.’ Mum led us into the front room.…