It all began with Marty’s pail of weed. And I mean pail – one of those galvanised steel pails your grandma had …
It all began with Marty’s pail of weed. And I mean pail – one of those galvanised steel pails your grandma had …
No no no no no no no no no no no no It’s not that big! It’s a trick, done with mirrors …
They say your life flashes before you when you die. They are wrong. It’s your future you see. Like when you lean …
The boy watched the old man crouched By the pool in the sun stirring the water With an even hand. He was …
Saint Valentine of Rome was a priest, In the 3rd century AD, But the specific day of his feast – The 14th …
‘You’ll need this, Inspector,’ said the officer manning the door to the freezer room. He handed the Inspector a heavy padded jacket, …
Dad’s firm had a Christmas picnic at a park in Canterbury where all the families came and ate sausages in bread and …
There was no answer. Geoffrey pulled open the fly screen door and ran inside. He was scared of what he might find. …
Shahezah the witch raised her hooked staff high, high above into the sky, unlatched the hasp of a cloud and, with an …
My immediate thought when I first set eyes on her was not ‘what a warm smile’ or ‘I love the dual pigtail …
Ten minutes along the freeway he came across the site of last night’s accident and pulled over. The rig stood battered and …
I remember when Rodney Fletcher first started coming for dinner. I was almost fifteen. My brother Joey was eighteen and a half. …
Geoffrey flinched as the sun cut into his eyelids. In his fatigue last night he hadn’t closed the curtains. He blocked the …
Poor old farmer Joe never stood a chance. Wiping the remnants of the morning’s fried egg from the corner of his mouth …
Draygon hated drone fighting. The Moon, Mars, Neptune, it was always the same despite climatic differences: the drones always got so covered …
Geoffrey sat inside the ambulance wrapped in a blanket, blandly watching the scene before him. Two other ambulances, two fire trucks and …
“More salmon, Jake!” The American launched a fat arm across the table to grab the only platter of fish, sending a 1980 …
Right or left? Both tracks from the junction taunt you. Both disappear into a heat that broils the earth. In both directions, …
Geoffrey’s phone rang. It was Lucy. “Hello, Mr Accountant,” she said. “Hello, Ms Bureaucrat.” “That’s Lady Bureaucrat to you, buster.” “I’ll call …
Geoffrey’s phone rang; its face said Lucy. “You’re up early,” he said when he answered it. “”Hello to you too,” said Lucy’s …
Andrew fingered the manuscript on the chipped formica table in front of him and looked out the cafe window for Vanya. St …
“Oombawa oombawa oombawa!” “Eeni teeni weeni ayo!” “Mmmmm whoopee! Whoopee! Higher higher higher hoo ha!” “Oombawa! Calamar! Oombawa! Calamar!” “Ooh aahh! Ooh …
The Mountain Climber’s Beginning Let me tell you a story. Just three nights ago I was in a public bar, in …
She had often thought of killing him. The reverend had joked about that once in a sermon on marriage. “I said to …
A blur of blue and white light. Voices. Electronic beeps. Geoffrey’s head pounded. He moved his arm. His limbs were lead. It …
There was grumbling at the station The news had reached the men That their favourite cook, Asian Jack, had received the DCM. …
When we stop, blind bodies collapse in a mound of sick, sweat and BO. I scramble to breathe. Someone kicks me. Yusef …
“Dennis, Dennis.” “What is it, darling?” said the elderly man behind the shopping trolley to his wife who was hovering about like …
Cindy leant her weight to push open the heavy glass door that bore the words “Jessica Mulgrave, Solicitor” in gold plate at …
Geoffrey stood on the roadside in the morning sun. Peak hour had just begun, and cars were starting to queue in the …
“Oi, Scrubs, do us a solid will ya?” shouted the man in the overcoat to another some way ahead of him in …
Bradley, a five year old boy with too much energy for the day, looked out of the vast window of his apartment …
Another curry then. He’d rung and said, “Sorry love, work’s all over the shop. I’ll be late in.” She knew what that …
Geoffrey sat on the blue vinyl chair in the waiting room beside a reception desk piled with mail and files. The receptionist’s …
Santa (real name Andrew Smith, employee name Ian Goldsworthy) beamed joy to the puddle of mums and prams and toddlers in his …
H – That was a good day, all things considered. W – Oh, I’m full. Just got this glass. (Holds up glass …
“Oh good grief,” whispered Jennifer to husband Jason, “it’s Uncle Frank.” The waft came first, steaming feather meal and river mud, followed …
Geoffrey woke. The room was still dark, although day was up, and shreds of light stained the rims of the blinds which …
A few days before Christmas we got a new puppy. We called her Ruby. She was very cute, with big floppy ears …
I steer the ute out along a dirt track for a while and stop only when I feel it is safe. I …
“You know this woman?” Judith shoved the dog-eared photograph at the barman. He studied it and launched a chubby finger to her …
Geoffrey prodded the white surgical tape that held the plastic cover over his right eye. By dodging his head one way and …
Paradiddle, flam, blam, now the side tom, boom boom boom, kick drum, snare, sticks in the air, roll it ‘n’ swing, shake …
The bar heaved with the heat of drinkers, talkers and hangers-on. At the far end of the space, beyond shadowed dancing hordes, …
“I’ll need you to drive,” said Dave when they arrived at his Audi. “I’ve got a couple of phone calls to make.” …
The old man turned the skiff homeward. It had not been a successful day. The sea had misled him. His pots were …
The crisp air assailed them as they stepped outside. Dawn had not yet appeared, and the sky was glass clear, the moon …
Back in his apartment, Geoffrey dialled the number of the only person he thought might understand his dilemma. “Dave, it’s Geoff.” “Geoffrey, …
“Show me where the diamonds are, Lehmann!” Lehmann’s face reddened under the throttle hold of the thug who held him over the …
As I approached my death I came upon a man seated On the stoop of the Doorway To the End of Life. …
Meredith and Toby sat in abject terror on the chaise longue where they had, until this moment, been enthusiastically making out, staring …
A million doubts flooded his mind. He had never really contemplated his own death before. Sure, he knew he was going to …
The assembled gods declared, “The Mortals mock us! We must combine our eternal fluids and make a god so awesome they will …
Geoffrey walked along a narrow lane of boutique shops up to the main road. Two lanes of night time traffic swirled past, …
Mum says being dead is like being asleep except you don’t wake up. Which is silly. I have a sleepover at Andy’s …
Hotel 25 – affectionately known as The Two and Five by its regular guests – was a squat boutique hotel hidden in …
The sound of the crash ripped apart the hubbub of the pub. Geoffrey and others at the bar paused momentarily to realise …
There is that one dazzling slo-mo moment, when the kick goes up and the ball ascends towards the heavens, and with it, …
The white flash, then the savage crack of thunder, the flash again and the rain attacked the night. The storm had come. …
“Julianne, look what the cat dragged in. Over at Chanel,” said Suzanne, a coiffured blonde in charge of Lancôme. In front of …
An estimated five thousand people amassed in the plaza that day, some said more. Jess was one, masked, arm in arm with …
Geoffrey was floating, high and joyous amidst the whirring fans and rafters of the pub, slowly revolving in his private heaven. The …
What to do. What a to do. First thing, get out of bed. This involves sitting upright on the edge, in the …
TWO STORIES EACH AT 500 WORDS FOR EASY READING, by Rob Wilcher The Slave Five bedraggled slaves made their sorry way up …
Mike strained as he planked, trying to resist the pull of gravity on his belly as it pulled on his tensed abdomen. …
Howard Hodgson paused at the entrance to the laneway to enjoy the busker who was belting out a blinding rendition of On …
We are a group of early writers who met at the Writer's Studio in Bronte, NSW (Australia) and want to showcase our creativity for the public to enjoy. Each of us has committed to producing a short story each month - that's roughly 4 or 5 stories each month.
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