Original Fiction From All Around The World
This Archive from 1999-2008 - Now there is also Dreamscapes 2 for 2008/9
2008

Getting Out Of Bed Vanessa Telaro Deep down Andie wanted to see how her life would end. In her reverie, Andie was about seventeen years old. A Matter of Great Importance Des Daly A pale wintering sun was rising over a sharp ridge-backed mountain range that trailed off far into the hazy distance as Tang Shi rattled and bumped his bicycle along a narrow potholed road running through neat rowed rice fields Requiem for a hat Ryan Sirmons The greatest mark of individuality in my father’s family was their baseball caps. Everyone had one: my aunt, my father, my grandfather, my uncles. Whenever the family was together, they always wore them, indoors, outdoors, and everywhere except church. Cyber Cynic Tom Nation A full moon adorned the night sky above the city, ducking and diving silently behind grey clouds of pollution. Her gaze penetrated the steel and concrete lattice of streets below and illuminated the body of a male who identified himself only as "Archos" A Brother's Regrets Patrick Wilson "Right here!" David said.  It was a few minutes after midnight when they pulled into the gas station parking lot.  The station was closed for the night, but David's thoughts were still open. How Lucky Was That? Ian Smith A man tapped an unlit cigarette alongside me, and rattled his empty glass on the bar. I stretched forward. I was sick of having to compete for a beer. Dunkin Dreams J Brooke Dead Drunk in Dublin, set 'em up Joe, a drink, the pause that refreshes, you know, something, anything to keep my hands from shaking... Sips Piper Davenport I didn't know at the time that I met her, that she would change my life forever. When I first met her, all I could think to myself, was Huh? Where did this person come from? Mill of Passing Warmth Lakunle Jaiyesimi As if the body grows to length overnight, I roused myself from sleep one auspicious morn and discovered a startling old image of self before the mirror. Have I slept all my life? Heart Break Pass Joeseph Brooke Heart break pass, broken dreams and nightmare screams, visions of some corporate monkey drilling deep into your soul with carbide eyeballs Mother Amber C Wisniewski There are those of us who often repress the haunting memories of our childhood because our mother has violently crushed something as sacred as youth into a thousand abandoned teardrops. Goodbye Ouma Colin Harris Dear Ouma - Seven days ago I was at your cremation, and I lost two things. New Year's Eve D. A. Warren It was less than an hour away from the New Year and Morna sat alone in the darkness The Pledge Matt Alison New Year’s Eve was the night with his resolution being to quit drinking for his all around health, and he felt an uncertainty about this change. Setting up the Aquarium G David Schwartz We cleared the cobwebs from the aquarium, which sat dormant for five years. Great names like Xiphophorous maculate and Helvstoma temmincki swam through my head The Gig Alex Hay Kevin strapped on the guitar and searched around for the jack-plug socket in the amp. A voice from the back of the pub shouted something about Oasis and Wonderwall. He thought to himself -' You’re gonny hear what I want to play. Nane o’ yur Oasis shite’. Road Block Mark Cunliffe As Guy Block walked briskly across the windswept concrete square that was optimistically called a ‘piazza’ at an incredibly early hour of the day he knew that what lay ahead for him did not bode well. Block-Age Mark Cunliffe Guy Block strode through the dull corrugated roofed, glass and brick walled tube that Hopemouth University entitled a corridor with a sense of purpose. Nothing would get him down today... Abracadabra Alibash Chandran Shibu was stuck dumb when he saw Mohan standing on the doorway with that strange puppy. Its nose was glowing and moist. It was strikingly cherry-like. Canned Martin Green It was a spring evening in San Francisco in the 1960’s.   Paul Weiss had gone back to his guesthouse room after dinner, intending to work on his resume, but the sight of his cramped room seemed to drain all his energy Dora and her Mother Gabriela Davies The day that Dora was born was the happiest day in her mother’s life. Everyone; family, friends, neighbours, and even the birds that lived in the trees had come to see the birth of the new baby girl. Love Story: A Narrative Amber C Wisniewski It is 5:30 a.m. and my husband lies alone in our bedroom unaware of my absence. I cannot sleep. How could I possibly think about closing my eyes when every image I see is so disturbing that I am driven to nightmares? Handis George Sparling The next day made a grand jump cut for Ralph and Kathy. We usually swallowed our medications at night, and then the sleep of the dead. The following day either faded in or made a transition to the next. But we never knew for certain. That was the tao of handis, a portmanteau word for craziness. Can't Wait Charles Mulberry One morning in mid-April when a heinous cold front from the northern United States finally finished a week long refrigeration campaign on the South, the sun shone brighter and hotter than anyone in Murfreesboro, Tn could have ever hoped. Wingmen John Whalen We were approaching the coast just below Vinh only twenty minutes after leaving the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) on duty in Yankee Station. For weeks we had been hitting the docks of Haiphong and the other ports of North Vietnam and there was scarcely a target left. The Perils of Illiteracy Shobha Nagendran The brown cow was either suicidal or grossly illiterate. How else to explain why she did not take heed of the name calligraphically etched upon the granite slab affixed to the gate post? Bubble of my Heart Lalita Kakanadan My Thursdays are colourful… Coz I see you on all Thursdays… Coz I see you only on Thursdays I Died Lakunle Jaiyesimi I died! Pitifully sprawled. She warned me! Resting breathless at the crossroad. It was a familiar spot I had passed much too often, when I still had my body. The Sepulcher Lakunle Jaiyesimi Are words thrown up, like mines, from relegated sepulchers in the manner of whispers heavier than the songs of heroes? Vinegar In The Salad Mark Cunliffe Nina Bale stood by the window in the office and looked out across London’s docklands. It was 1987 and it was her year. She could feel it in her bones, Uncle Pringle and the Mob Martin Green “I hear you talk about your Uncle Pringle,” he said.   “He has many connections. I wonder if he can help me?" An Honourable Act Mark Cunliff's spook story Harry trudged bitterly up the marble steps of the imposing house and pressed the buzzer. It was gone eleven at night, he was tired and his feet hurt. Our Man in Africa Mark Cunliffe The jeep bounced along the dirt road sending Harry up from his seat and back down again with a crash. His stomach was not happy about this. Frit Linda Regan ‘Don’t Put Your Daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington!’ Isn’t a phrase that resounded around our house, in the year when I reached five. Nina’s Near Miss Diana Bretherick Nina sat back on her heels and surveyed her handiwork. In all of her eight years she did not think that she had seen a finer example of a sandcastle. Pictures Andrea Ledbury It started with a tiny spark and within minutes proliferated into gigantic, roaring flames Seeds of December Karen Maxwell Seeds of winter are alive in Montauk.  You can hear them under your boots; easy to confuse with small tree branches or bones rising from the deceased. The Tennis Match Martin Green Little did I know that the mixed doubles tennis match I was a part of would signal the end of an era for our suburban tennis club Heatwave Carolyn Hughes Sirens were blaring, red and orange and yellow flames soared into the sky, and thick black smoke was turning day into dusk. Bulldozers were demolishing trees in the path of the fire No Honesty In Death Mark Cunliffe There was a dead body waiting for Harry in Prague. All in all he’d had better welcome parties. Fragments by Diana Bretherwick Diary entries prior to predicted extinction level event circa 2008. - April 20th Still Life Mark Robinson - survivor And the skies above the City bleed down upon the earth its overcast haze. Quiet below, sinking beneath the mist, a stale darkness pervades. With streets aloof, atom-bomb atonic. Red flashing twelve o’clocks light a humming wave of out-of-order signs and sequential blinking green men below the anodised phosphorescent burn of street lighting. Seeing Nothing Linda Regan Most nights Albert was distracted from his television or radio listening because of the outbursts of fighting in the grounds below. Southsea Sundays 1907 Laura Patrica Every Sunday, after lunch, Donald Wickens called at 211 Albert Road for Miss Hattie. The Perrita, The Darkest Man J Alan Billstrom The Yuma did not bring a guitar with him to Cuba because he wanted to buy a Cuban guitar Bakery Story Mark Swann Where the hell did those bastards come from? Other people? Dead people? Lost animal souls looking for a new burrow? Combinations of these perhaps. Oh well. How deep is the well? Deep, not deep enough for some people. Ambulance Chaser Greg Jacob   “DOA.”  Jim stated flatly.  “No need to rush.  We have to wait for CSU to finish up before we can go in.” Lactose Intolerance Ross Merriam Mitch is always going on about how much he hates his job and how much he wants to leave. In the Lift Tara L Clark 'This is no big deal.' Jerry mumbled to himself while clutching his briefcase Celebrity - Anonymous Mark Robinson ' Hello. My name’s Gemira and I’m a celebrity.’ A chorus of hellos droned up from the circular continuum of equi-distant set plastic chairs; the voices all rhinestones, hoop earrings, tight-fitting, size-zero clothes, foundation, fake breasts and designer stubble. Ashes of Old Fires Thomas Healy Sabonis relit the stub of a cigar he had started smoking this afternoon then followed his Irish setter around the corner to Raphael Park Life's Little Annoyances Martin Green The car that zipped in front of you to take the last space in the parking lot;  the lady at the supermarket check-out who had to write a check for her purchases

Secrets From The Dust Warren Hamilton The pang pang gooks all laughed as their several tiny fingers raced over the bushes, plucking at the wild riberries, which were fat with juice. The girl that they sometimes called Snake-woman-child, darted in and out of the scrub with an athletic ease It isn’t Going to Rain Tessa Foley Seventies furniture. It's always an issue for me. I'm appalled by it. I never understood the idea of a room in brown slash beige oblique orange that might impress the neighbours Five get me into Trouble Claire Holland Four days after my ninth birthday, my parents moved house and so did I. And my little world fell apart. Lost in the Clouds Des Daly Alvaro Lorca was conceived in the silence of the Osier woods that run along the undulating valleys of the Sierra Albarracin. His father boasted that he was sure to follow his footsteps and become a master Osier cutter Mene's Song Dike Okoro Port Harcourt had been restless for weeks. Reporters from Europe and the U.S. thronged the international airport at Alu, just a few miles from the notorious Catch-Fire prison yard where the renowned environmentalist and fiction writer, Mene, languished in detention Conversations With the Trees Karen Maxwell We pushed off from the side of the lake with Jonathan’s strong arms and his paddle extended onto the shore line. We paddled into the center on our way, to cross over, to the other side. I sat straight with the paddle in my hands grasp. In the Redwoods Mike Blake on the Californian Road The moon was out that night – if not full, then close to it – and it shed a silver-white light down over the trees and the bank of the river. It was a wide, rushing river that we had crossed by a long wooden bridge to the flat, open bank (if you could call it that) where we settled for the night. The Coconut Tree Kiran It must have been less than a year since Uncle passed away. Oil Slick Richard Corwin Whatever it was that popped up into Lake Wanautta, like a bubble, Terry was startled, mesmerized and watched from his kitchen window as the mysterious thing floated and bobbed, Love Games Mark Cunliffe It was a crisp September morning with the summer sun still hanging in the air, abetted with the nice breeze that signified that autumn was round the corner. It was 1974, and Wendy Lampkin stepped off the train at Hopemouth station Love Games Chapters Three & Four Chasing Wendy - She was a phantom of delight Chopping Block Marc Cunliffe "That was fantastic," she said, pleasing Guy. "Much better than last time." Homecoming Elizabeth di Grazia The bedroom is shadowy. The bundle, a snail swaddled in yellow flannel, curls into my chest. We rock. A homemade quilt lies at the edge of the crib, its outline visible through the slats. Against one wall the silhouette of not yet opened infant toys propped on white shelving. Life and Death Kiran Kannappan Suma was looking gorgeous in her new white Kanchivaram saree with dark green border, as she was being slowly led to the mane (Dais) by her sister-in-law. A Brush with the Law James Matthews The burly youth waved a piece of broken stick at Ana. They were down a side street of La Boca, a touristy enclave of Buenos Aires in the middle of a run-down neighbourhood. She was cornered. Horse Business Marc George Summer was coming and for the first time I wasn't looking forward to it. I thought I was still being punished but mam said not to be silly. I was to be sent to Jacks The Dagger by Subimal Misra Translated from Bengali by V Ramaswamy Someone called out from behind: Hooeey Sudas! Where’re you goin pal? He didn’t look back. The dead body still hung from that tree branch, feet bound, head downwards. The Vampire's Garden Natalie Tehrani The garden was silent and still. Moonlight seeped across the grass, a dark velvet sea, soft and seductive to my bare touch. Each blade of grass caressing my skin gently as I walked. Chinese Syndrome Joseph Guderian is drilling for oil Hank Croix walked out of the pharmacy mumbling to himself when he couldn’t get a refill on his prescription for sleeping pills. He was told he’d have to wait until the doctor returned to the drilling camp next week. Red Saturday Josh Bensen It’s one of those Saturday mornings where I am perfectly content on be woken up by the white hot light of the sun blasting through my cracked window shades. Sleep is great but I am roused by the sun itself. L'hymne national d'Elodie (Elodie’s national anthem) Graham Stull Building Block Mark Cunliffe Eddie Cochran once sang of love as being a journey built on ‘Three Steps To Heaven’; 'Step one - you find a girl to love Step two - she falls in love with you...' Round The Block Mark Cunliffe "Wouldn’t you agree Prof. Block?" How would he know. Guy Block hadn’t been listening. Parental Block Mark Cunliffe There comes a time for everyone when you have to meet someone you used to know. The very fact that there are billions and trillions of people in this world and that you do not meet them all yet continue to meet the same people, the blasts from the pasts is an odd one. But that is what we do. Kids on the Block Marc Cunliffe Guy Block groaned in despair at another start to another week. He leant out from his slumber and hit the snooze button The Thief of Bottles Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra Once my father owned an auto-body shop in a wooded area in the district of Agdal, Rabat, Morocco. The shop had two dusty windows and a little light, grayed by this dust At Gun Point Maryann Webb Natasha Grant swooped into her 1999 Ford Fiesta, slammed the door, and started the engine all in one fluid motion. Block and Tackle Mark Cunliffe It is often said that two is company Three however leads you into deep trouble. Anniversary Block Mark Cunliffe If marriage is an institution, then it must be the only one that celebrates its incarceration each year. It was Guy Block’s wedding anniversary. The Passion of Nino De Jesus Dean Borok (extract) Niño de Jesus frequently had marveled at the fork lift truck on his way to work and one day, when the proprietor had left the gate unlocked, he snuck in for a closer look. Climbing up the ladder on the side and peering into the control booth, he noticed that they had left the key in the ignition. After all, one might reason, who would steal such a monster? Only a crazy man! Andrew on the Bus Julia Gordon Andrew was taking a test. He chewed his pen anxiously and looked over his shoulder. Trial by remorse Carolyn Hughes ‘Until the boy or girl who did this owns up,’ said Mrs Hill, ‘the whole class will stay in and miss playtime School Dinners Emma Callan I feel like a pigeon, tottering tentatively into the dining room. Nothing prepares you for this. De Rode Molen Diana Goss Waiting in front of the big red Windmill at the Piet Mondrian exhibition at the National Gallery I failed to realise how much power that magical motherly shape still held over me. The Pleasures of Life Julia Gordon It was midday and I was sitting around my house in my underwear reading John Updike. This experience gave me an incredible sense of pleasure. Here’s The Hitch Max Slachter Some people hitchhike because they have to. Real hitchhikers. They can’t afford a Greyhound bus or they don’t have a license, they have no friends or family who will give them a lift Oceans Rose Richard Corwin The tropic night air was heavy with humidity that hung like thick motor oil in every breath. When combined with the stillness and eerie darkness, it gave the river a mood as if it were the end of the world. Mayor Keynes In Punta del Este Excerpt from novel in progress "A Symphony of Fear" by Dean Borok No smoking gun was ever discovered with the mayor’s fingerprints on it, and as the flood of nebulous accusations and innuendo cascaded daily in the newspaper and media reports, he ceaselessly insisted that he was the victim of a right-wing smear job The Suitcase Claire Holland Charlotte’s birthday dawned warm and sunny: the sky an innocent early autumn blue, the day she packed the suitcase The Virus Lisa Timmermann Kit got out of her car and immediately felt like killing someone when she saw Jonathan sitting on the stairs with her nemesis Hidden Lisa Timmerman Stories. I used to think they are a part of this world, of reality. Now I realize they are only a means to make you feel better about yourself Hysteria Tessa Foley You won’t feel a thing. Not a thing. I was one of the first to have the operation. Streets Linda Waltenberger Kelly's stomach was in jumbles. The knots and gnarls hurt, twisted and pulled. Her insides were about to jump through her skin and there would be nothing she could to prevent it A Long Night in the Old Town. Robert Hillum She would be there on the stage singing a slow 30’s croon in a harsh rasping voice that aches with sexual desire. A red dress maybe, tight and close to the skin, The Son Is Crying Max Slachter I have some happy memories of train journeys. They are of slow trips into the city during school break with my mother, Ghostal Regions Dean Borok (Extract from Symphony of Fear) The world of dreams is an eternal infinite universe inside each person... driven by the unformed expression of neurotic impulses and sexual repressions of the dreamer Havelock Gets His Fortune Told Dean Borok Still holding the dregs of his drink in his hand, Havelock Jones waded through the Halloween party in the direction of the fortune teller. Paulette's Reverie (excerpt from "A Symphony of Fear") Dean Borok Paulette regarded herself critically in the full-length mirror of her bedroom, still trying to decide if it was absolutely essential for her lingerie to match her street clothes. Tiger By the Tail Marc Cunliffe He ran as fast and as hard as he could but there was no escaping the fact that he was a dead man racing towards an early grave. Paradise Lost Des Daly We arrived a little early for Theo’s party and were shown into an ante-room that led off from the highly polished marbled floored hallway Uncle Pringle and the Stalker Martin Green The first inkling I had of the problem was when my friend Al Abrams called.  The Raving Zombie Killers David Tavernier Oh my God were these two dudes crazy. Two rednecks from southern Alabama who carried nothing but a pair of shotguns and a double bladed axe and a sword. Mrs Fletcher Eric V. Neagu "Can’t be," said the woman with that same confidence that had made the doctor question himself on previous visits. "Mrs. Fletcher, I, I," he stammered, a reaction to both her statement and to her new position, once again on the examining table. The doctor collected himself, smiled, and said, "I assure you, the tests are positive. We should just monitor this, and then..."

2007 Regrets Andrea Moser collects Bukowski reject slips Old Fighting Men Quentin Bates in the tearoom Over the hill Quentin Bates Icelandic mystery 'Thank you for driving carefully through our town...' Grace - A Texas girl remembered Martin Green The Decision Martin Green on life choices Street Spirit Ben Gerhardt Sometimes we regret Afrique - l'heure bleue Maja Hagborg It's a Mutt's World Nickolay Todorov When dogs love chickens People of the Ice and Snow Caitlin Metland When the white men come run Dying Wish Wesley Weyers - heaven on earth Echoes of a funeral drum Mary Opaluwa Baba and I were at the Lokongoma crossroads to perform the sacrifice which Noka’s life depended on Damien- an exorcism Tom Over - life in Amsterdam From The Horse's Mouth Welsey Weyers about a mugging The Camel Subimal Misra (translated by V Ramaswamy) - trying to have the perfect dream? Starfish Janel Atwork Trust him? Trains Doors Open Joanna Valevich - a missed opportunity? Crossing into Death Joanna Valevich on an icy road Emma's Dilemma Lalita Kakanadan goes on-line to find a man Friendship and College Days David Tavernier on finding girls Parents on Good & Bad David Tavernier Dating Kate Martin Green on relationships Brushstrokes with time Steven Bush Salvage Rights Richard Corwin in the Turk Islands Hedera Anna J G Smith on the ring that binds Conkers Quentin Bates The only time for a raid was a Sunday morning Dead Sheep Frances Lewis The grass makes my feet itch The Yellow Triangle Michael Internicola Hash and I cut through the fog coming into Barcelona Naggerbag Wendy Metcalfe - Kids go wild on Albert Street Sniff Duncan Dicks - I thought she was out of my league Under the Covers Ali Shaw - I had stopped sobbing now. Observation Jodie Corney Kimberley Morgan is laughing too loudly at a joke Fickle Finger Colin Harris on Gulf War One Shomoy Duhshomoy (Time, Bad Times) Subimal Misra – Translated by V Ramaswamy The Pringle Method Martin Green Crisis in the office Uncle Pringle and the Witch’s Curse Martin Green “Are you all right?” she asked. “Yeah, just another little accident.   They’ve been happening all this month.   It’s because I’ve been cursed.” Old in His Own Way Mike Blake To make the same mistake twice is failure... Firetrap David Francis You can’t be knocked into the middle of next week Frederick and Millie Alison Shaw - A date for the Matinee Y2K Paul Martin Everything had been prepared at the Hospital Records Library months ahead of the chaos... Making it Mark Cunliffe I’ll make it The man was running, fast and hard, his heart in his mouth and his lungs ablaze, he tore through the undergrowth ignoring the long stinging nettles that attacked his entire frame... Knowing Sheila Levin on marriage There are, as Laura would put it, moments in time which are remembered with scrupulous precision.  The millions of housewives who were washing dishes when they heard the news bulletin that President Kennedy was shot can tell you the dish they were holding. An Evening Out Gina Robertson Where does all the love go when someone dies? Mum said I was the best thing she ever did. I was loved with such a fierce burning love that sometimes I got scorched. Elin's Legacy Wendy Metcalfe Making contact with a class one alien After The Winter Mike Blake Clapton singing Have You Ever Loved a Woman in his head, a half pint of cheap vodka in his pocket; it’s all he needs to cap this hot Memorial Day weekend in his home town Sons Martin Green The first thing Paul's wife Sally said to him when he came through the door was, "Jack has another problem."

The Twins Richard Corwin The Church Benjamin Gerhardt A soldier's return Three Little Words Lauren Almey can't sleep My Own Eureka Moment Lauren Almey gets a grip The Paperclip Counter J Giles with insights into business efficiency Down to the Attic M. Joseph Hunt A Deadly Monday Richard Corwin Humiliation has it's own reward Homecoming Maggie Tiojakin Why come home now? What was her name? The Summer Job Martin Green on the best of times The Journey Mark Cunliffe some things in life remain with you for always Blueberry Hill Raymond K Clement goes picking berries My First Love Sidi Benzahra Bus boy's have feelings too The Money Tree by Subimal Misra Translated by V Ramaswamy Beggars come across a dead white donkey... The Winged Ones by Joginder Paul Translated from Urdu by V Ramaswamy All’s well here. Best wishes for your honour’s well being. Writing a letter to his old friend Fazaldin Writer's Block Mark Cunliffe in detention with Guy Block Head on the Block Mark Cunliffe - Guy Block is in big trouble Soviet Block - man without trousers Mark Cunliffe Chips off the Block Mark Cunliffe - Guy has his turn with the twins One in Eleven Mathew Kaufman - pick up in Soho Three Men and a Gob of Spit Peter Leonowitz a bet too far The Old Lady of San Pedro G David Schwatz on loss and madness Train Confessions Jeannie Mark lost in thought Summer of Sadness Colin Todhunter I couldn't hold on to her Booboola- the black dog Sidi Cherkawa Benzahra good dog-bad dog Memory Block Mark Cunliffe Philip Jodie Louise - contemplating suicide Girl in a hole Bex Wilks has a mean brother Crystal Moment Tanya Hannah on a lonely childhood Please Mummy Don't Eleanor Creed about a doll The Janitor and the Little Girl Chapters One to Four 1.12.2006 Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra The Purple Rose of Baffins Paul Martin The Mirror and the Ghostwriter John Whalen buys a mirror A Father's Promise David Francis misses his Pa The Long Weekend Ali Shaw - No one would suspect a thing Diane and the Doughnut John Demetriou F-Train - a literary journey Mathew C Allison Mind Block: Guy Block gets some libido therapy Mark Cunliffe Block Out Mark Cunliffe It was a crisp January morning at Trenton University. All was normal Block Party Mark Cunliffe Guy Block knew it was going to be a bad night out. Stumbling Block Mark Cunliffe Guy Block hated tutorials. Loving and Leaving Abi Davis The night you left... Appleby Fair Frances Lewis back to the family, he beams, and treads softly away Devastation in the Nineties: Take That Split Sara Richardson- My tale begins on the ominous day of Friday 13th February, 1996 The Solitary Hunter Jessica Schnieder "The sky is full of birds, and they are all dead..." Antoinetta's Rosebush Nickolay Todorov Antoinetta resolved to stop herself from sneaking into the crematorium furnace and joining her dead husband Myrt Dark-Eyed Sister Paul Martin She is gazing up at the night sky, her head cocked back at ninety degrees, watching the dark. It is eleven o’clock at night and she has gone out for a walk to clear her head The Funeral Reunion Quentin Bates A scrum of hard-faced women cradling extra-long Superkings between taloned fingers crowded around the flowers while husbands and dads in sharp suits passed a pouch of baccy from hand to hand in the summer sunshine. Uncle and the Kid Mike Blake When his nephew was younger, the uncle found it easy to do things with him. It wasn’t difficult to get the kid’s interest up in things, get him excited, and make him laugh. It seemed that the kid was game for just about anything with his favorite uncle. Whatever they did turned out to be fun

Congratulations - You Are a Winner! Thomas Healy Later than usual for work, Gus Chesney rushed out to his Subaru wagon and started to unlock the door when he noticed the left front tire... Research and the Novel Sam North - a paper on creative research Never Look Back Hawk Footsteps falling on the icy ground. Shallow breaths echo round the air. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had to run, had to hide, had to get away

Diamonds - The Rush of '72 by Sam North Buy this novel direct or Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk 'a terrific piece of storytelling' Historical Novel Society Review

2 0 0 6

Head Space: Green Fireplace J.A. Billstrom on edge in Vancouver Clarity after a Rainfall Lauren Almey As he headed in her direction... Melted Lauren Almey at the empty fairground Cold Dave Burton Night, Morning, Night Lauren Almey She had longed to believe in monsters... Ebb Away Lauren Almey on lovers torn apart Worth a Hug John Gorman Understanding Bill Alan Stokes Stubblefield's Joke Dan McClenaghan takes a ride First Speech Sam Barnes learns to talk Zelda the Witch Martin Green Nightmare - Iraq Dreams Gemma Williams The Death of an Immigrant Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra Life: A Hall of Mirrors David C Card in the playground Just Another Tourist Bruce Pohlman in Bali Allegory RRB on being a cricket Away for the weekend Alan Stokes with guitar solo Rythm of the Waves Jeffery Beyl - Malibu '72 An Interrupted Run Marja Hagborg in the snow Dem Bones Jeani Rector does a little digging That 'time' of year Mike Blake on old postcards Last Meeting Martin Green closes the books Japan (is Another Country) Brian Wright The Disaster Addict Spencer Dew waits for dark times ahead The Adventures of Foxman and Brodie Brodie Parker out late on the streets Travelling Mohan Anushka Rao in Bangalore Unobtrusive methods and inchoate designs Richard Grayson on identity The Rig Runner Tom Sheehan on the truckers highway A Cobbler's Tale Christine Churcher Out There Alan Stokes Sip the Night Away Caitlin Metland on the dance floor How will it end? Wendell R. Mangibin Harter Fell Graham Attenborough on a mountain Kate Webster: A good hanging Graham Attenborough I Love Kylie Chris Miller Getting Started Martin Green A Second Chance Raymond K. Clement is all at sea Delete Raymond k Clement on Monhegan Island The Man who got away Martin Green The Scavangers Raymond Clement The Oddballs Mike Knowles Family Pictures Debralynn Fein- about survival Letters from the Dead Joseph Grant keeping the peace The Little Things Xara Higgs -the importance of a crystal duck On a Plain far from here Lauren Almey Wedding Knot Joseph Grant Lost in Fiction Mark Cunliffe The Great Tennis Battle Martin Green Islander Clare Sager The Usher Woman Clare Sager In The Dark Lauren Almey is hiding The Kamping Fuhrer John Edwards The Old 88 Gerald Grant - a Sherlock Holmes adventure Angry Words James Ryder walks out Johhny Gets his car Jerry Billstrom The Hungerton Dungeon - A Sherlock Holmes adventure Gerald Grant Benches Mike Blake Watching and waiting

No Wonder Josh Flyr and one household animal The Dreaded Christmas Office Party Xara Higgs Flapper Xara Higgs got that razzamatazz Next Year Lauren Lifari White Sands Vincent Lowry Father and Son farewell The Human Spirit - is capable of anything Joshua Lineberry Stone Cold in the staffroom Alan Stokes Brandon Alan Stokes on happy families Diverged Timothy P Waldron - a story about identity Vodka, Wine, Milk Mary Wilson on couples The Real Heroes of the Pacific Judy Radano On Self Destruct Alan Stokes Take it or Leave it Alan Stokes Form Follows Function Dorothee Lang Rag Castle Kevin Schofield *warning an adult content ghost story A Vacant Lot Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra - a Moroccan story The Gourmet Chef H G Dowdell The Office Patsy Martin Green The Mother who chained up her son Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra on lost sheep Obey Thy Grandfather? Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra Faithful Jean S Brown on hero worship Cat's Paw Maja Hagborg A way to lose your Coat Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra Mustapha the Sheep Sidi Benzahra A Well Ordered Life Martin Green Sausalito Revisited Martin Green A travel story from the word go Tom Sheehan Driving on the Sausage Run Tom Sheehan In Order to Forget Diana Hurlbut 26th Avenue Diana Hurlbut finds a crack in the city First Day at School Chris Churcher Devil You know and the Devil you don't Ryan Moore The Tennis Season Martin Green in a doubles match Plague Tom Donoghue Hot Baby Blue: Something More one afternoon- Ryan J Moore Squat Party Graham Attenborough throws a party Happy? Graham Attenborough The Long Miles Ryan Moore is running Squirrel of Death - A true story? Evil Squirel v Man Life With the Bradstones Antonio Hernandez- robots have lives too... The Future Victor Manley in the dark Who's buying the rock? Alan Stokes Work Alan Stokes I sleep in a squat Punkerslut gets a job Gladys and Bruno Richard Corwin with circus follies Crowd Pleaser Richard Corwin Sorry it's like this Mark Cunliffe in the gangster café Alone Richard Corwin on the battlefield The Playing Field Gemma Roxy Williams is death The Collector Richard Corwin wonders if he should call in sick Nobody's Child Joseph Grant with a moral tale of abuse Traitor Mark Cunliffe Parmesan Elephants Mark Culiffe - a love story in four parts Sleep Jo Green - a memory from Malaysia A Deadly Monday Richard Corwin Humiliation has it's own reward The Journey Mark Cunliffe on growing up in Manchester Sexual Block: Guy Block gets some therapy Mark Cunliffe

2 0 0 4

The One Gemma Ayres The moment I saw him, I knew. He was the one I am Godfree Sidi Cherkawi Benzahra A Love Letter Suzanna Brooksbank Atomic Dream David Tavernier disintegrates Meeting Water Tolu Ogunlesi under fire in Lagos Bloodline Nick Walker The Ballad of the Lonely Cowboy Jennifer York The King of the Dustmites Mary Wilson - are you in my notebook? Whispering October David Tavenier You'll never see him coming Rosebush David Tavernier The Pig Hole William Starr Moake's adventure in the Everglades Ruby Moon The whore, the hitman and Hawaii Bill Moake The Adman & Olga Martin Green NY '63 The Lament of the Freelancer The horror of the blank page Brodie Parker Spire Brodie Parker - Kill the Monster A Very Darling Christmas Sarah Richardson My Mother Was A Sex-Crazed Pill Popper Alan M Danzis Flint - Bringing the Past to life Alex Hillman Lum Luc Hue -The Life of a Vietnam taxi driver Black Roots and A Red Heart Bonnie Nish Levitation Richard Meyer Torah,Torah, Torah Richard Meyer Purgatory Douglas N Kimball Missing Time Roger Duncan can't stand the white lights Rendered Roger Duncan on the streets at night Lost Jeanette Harris Murmurings of Return Richard Meyer on USA 1967 The Ark Mary Wilson down on the farm What I want to be when I grow up Tolu Ogunlesi on being a poet Symbols and Democracy Kane X Faucher All the same Will Carpenter is having an identity crisis Whiskey Walking M. Blake - about the man at your door Curve Erica J Thinesen - Going Bi-Polar Cigarettes Mary Wilson "Need some help there, little lady?" The Tennis Boom Martin Green and the swingers The Elevator Sam Barnes Shopping with temptation The Girl in the Baseball Cap John Ludlam Betrayal and the doorman Ice Cream David Tavernier - a tale of three parts Wild, Delicious, Dead Phil Mershon investigates a squeaky clean girl Part Two begins here Hot Gossip John Bradshaw down the pub Teacher's Power Trip Gemma Williams in the classroom Paying The Bills Martin Green Never enough Jack Ruby Jim Parks 'That guy Jack Ruby you used to talk about - he just shot Oswald'.

The Great Beyond Chapters 1 & 2 Brodie Parker in the afterlife... Great Beyond - Chapter Three Brodie Parker - picking up styx Great Beyond - Chapter Four Brodie Parker in the cold black dark Great Beyond - Chapter Five The Sword above my head Great Beyond - Chapter Six Confusion and a vision Great Beyond - Chapter Seven Shrugg is set a task. Find him or else The Great Beyond - Chapter Eight Learning to live or die by the sword The Great Beyond - Chapter Nine Mark Twain has some advice The Great Beyond Chapter Ten The Revenge begins The Great Beyond Chapter Eleven Battle Commences The Great Beyond Chapter Twelve Flee to safety The Great Beyond Chapter Thirteen The Gray Area The Great Beyond Chapter Fourteen Back to Reality Great Beyond - Chapter Fifteen Alive again Great Beyond - Chapter Sixteen Alaskan Storm Great Beyond - Chapter Seventeen<