The Stories

The Tall-Tale-Teller's Tale

by Paul Blaney

I was already old the day I met Hercules and he wasn't yet Hercules then. Old and poor and blind to boot... (more)

shirageshi

by Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone

Hirunobu still had the hair of a schoolboy. Soft, like the fluff of a baby chicken... (more)

What We Know

by Liz Rosen

Richard is telling his snake story again. He waves his bourbon and water through the air as if he were conducting... (more)

Service Station

by Kate Ansell

The snow fell, and the world pulled over. At Junction 12, they were lucky enough to find a service station... (more)

Shelly Finds A Film

by Sally Foote

On the way home, Shelly found a film. A yellow cased, Kodak, Elite Chrome 36 exposure, colour slide... (more)

The Beginning

by Imogen Salt

I have an idea that I want to start something. I take a walk then. Take a walk along the canal.... (more)

Witching Hour

by Sally Hinchcliffe

Somewhere in the spiritual, if not the geographical, heart of Middle England there is a small honey-hued town... (more)

Lantirn

by Tracy Maylath

The nature of the death list changed after the Queen Mother kicked the bucket.... (more)

Plain Useless

by Kit Whitfield

When she was sixteen, my mother saw a freak show for the first time. She wandered the dust... (more)

The Miracle Of Breasts

by Linda James

Miss Adam-Jones' breasts always walked into the room first. Enormous and conical like embroidered... (more)

It's Your Call

by Frank Goodman

I hate it when the phone begins to ring. I hate the sound of it. I hate the idea of it.... (more)

Irene

by Helen Bailey

She's walking down the slip. Coat buttoned up to the neck. It's windy. Her lipstick flies scarlet... (more)

Loose Thread

by Mickey Feather

"Saw your muchacha yesterday, you ole dog," said Ralf's senior colleague Pete the Poke on Monday morning... (more)

Trash

by Lewis Hall

Nosferatu shadow fingers scuttled across the skirting board and onto the skinny carpet... (more)

The Beginning of the End of the Pier

by Katy Darby

Stage fright is a funny thing: it's not fear of the stage, of course, but fear of what you might do... (more)

Kites

by Alex Fleetwood

Cold tears hang on the rear windscreen of the car as I arch my back and turn my head to see... (more)

Out Of Ten

by Alex North

I moved into my flat on the Saturday. Started work on the Monday. Woke up with him Wednesday... (more)

War Games

by Hedva Anbar

George introduced me to some of the others, all British as far as I could tell, but as usual... (more)

Stigmata

by Henderson Downing

Whenever I went around to Cooper's we downed a lot of cider and talked a lot of crap. I can still ... (more)

Flight

by Margot Watts

In the dream I can fly, eagle steady as I circle and plummet and then ascend again on updrafts ... (more)

Tomorrow May Rain

by Frank Goodman

I leave Rhys lying in his own puke because I am too out of it to do anything else... (more)

All The Hairdressers I Have Ever Been To

by Sarah Hiorns

Called 'Mr Spaghetti' by my enlightened grandmother, Mr Guiseppe was typically ebullient... (more)

Madame Malabar

by Fiona Ritchie Walker

Madame Malabar, Lindisfarne Court. The first time I read it, I knew it didn't sound right... (more)

MI ARGENTINA QUERIDA (My Beloved Argentina)

by Amanda Schiff

His shoes were what I noticed first. They were still beautiful, made of oxblood leather and... (more)

The Cardboard Woman

by Heather Williams

Gina's invading my personal space: her shoulder brushes mine, a staticky strand of hair tickles... (more)

Neighbourhood Watch

by Jules Gibson

I'm truly sorry I stabbed you in the eye, Mrs Stephens. I swear, I thought you was a big dog... (more)

Tale Ends

by Diana Mitchener

Death.... (more)

Out Of Dukinfield

by James Aden

I thought I'd treat myself, have a short day out. Well a big afternoon really. I'd finished my... (more)

Swallowed

by Katherine May

Let me describe the scene to you. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, letting my supper go cold... (more)

Valediction

by Julie Tomasz

Mother has left the window open, just a crack, just as always --- enough to let the room air out... (more)

That's Death

by Paul Blaney

Slicing and then peeling back the wall of Barry Barton's stomach, the coroner was met by... (more)

The Occasional Table

by Sara Hiorns

The thing that Louise wanted more than anything else was an occasional table made to look like... (more)

One Too Many Geoffreys

by Andrew Newsham

The boss had whittled down the applicants to just two suitable people from a field of over... (more)

Satellite

by Alessandra Sartore

Stephen sat alone in the restaurant with a drink. He didn't bring a book, partly because... (more)

Home Sweet Home

by Sasha Smith

That neighbor, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I knew it all yesterday after... (more)

Post-Leading Man

by Ashley Stokes

'Old Johnny Swanson stood on the corner in his semi-cowboy clothes, staring gloomily... (more)

Electricity

by Christian Walsh

Paul knew all about plumbers, electricians and roofers. Estate agents and carpet layers... (more)

November

by Patricia Denby

She is standing there next to the fence, her hands deep in her pockets. She has a secret... (more)

The Terrible History of Two Dachshunds Belonging to Mrs Jemima Green

by Kate Ansell

Jemima had a Persian cat called Syphilis, she’d inherited it from her only son, who’d emigrated to Australia... (more)

Kwik Save

by Tracy Maylath

The statistical possibilities of all the beverage combinations make you as jittery as a caffeine buzz... (more)

Beanie

by Nina Robertson

The days are unexpectedly warm though the leaves are already turning. An indian summer and a miracle... (more)

puppybunny

by Mark O'Neil

It wasn't that I didn't like coming home, just that it felt like part of me had never left... (more)

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