“Hey, Ceri—” “What’s wrong? You sound sad,” she immediately blurted down the phone. “I was just wondering if I could come over for a little while; a week?” “Why? What’s happened?” “I think Yuni and I need some time apart,” Aaron admitted in a downcast tone. For the past three months, Yuni had been taking… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt. 9 by Heather Taylor
Yesterday I saw a hare. I had removed my clothes for the task I had set myself, ready to let the weeds pull me down like Ophelia, but when she appeared, I paused. I felt the draw of her blood. From a distance, she was a speck only, a dust ball, and then, as she… Continue reading The Hare and the Otter by Liz Chadwick Pywell | Pride Month
SCENE 1, SCHOOL TOILETS, DAY, INT Set in 2020, in an all girls high school in the south of Ireland. Cian (13 years old, slim build, short hair and in the process of transitioning into a boy) sits in his school uniform (including skirt) in a toilet cubicle, watching a tiny spider crawl over his… Continue reading Shona by Connor Brennan | Pride Month
Saturday morning. The 25-year-old Dominican did what she knew best. She got into uniform and cleaned rooms. In room 31 there was a lot of mess. She wore black curls in a bun. A big grey shirt, black leggings, sneakers. She dressed this way six days a week. On Wednesdays she wore grey sweats and… Continue reading Hormigas No Piensan by Daniel Barrios
“What are you up to for New Year’s?” Ceri asked Tasmin. The year was coming to an end and almost everyone was locked up in their houses without a will for much else, munching their way through mountains of leftover roast turkey and wallowing in wintery confusion. All offices and small companies were closed until… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt.8 by Heather Taylor
A couple walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, through the miserable British weather. Typical. August was the month of sun, beach trips and burnt skin – not drizzling rain and grey clouds, which were crowding overhead. Yuni held a decorative umbrella above them both, absent-mindedly twisting the pink shaft in her free hand. The… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt. 7 by Heather Taylor
After listening to his words, I felt the ground slipping away from under my feet. It felt like history was repeating itself by playing its sick games with me, again. I knew that he was waiting for my reaction while the others waited for my reply but I was so consumed by the sense of… Continue reading Past Striked The Present by Nermeen Naveed
“Careful.” “Of course I’m being fucking careful. I’m disarming a bomb. How can you have the audacity to tell me to be careful.” I lean in closer to the bomb in front of me. Normally we blow up bombs where they are but this is a little more difficult. It’s attached to a person. The… Continue reading Audacity by Luke Adcock
“Oof!” Neither of them truly knew who had grunted – him, her or his guitar? “I am so sorry!” The young man exclaimed, eyes widening as he saw the damage he and his guitar had just caused. Ceri had been smacked flush against the wall by the neck of his black electric guitar. Her ticket,… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt. 6 by Heather Taylor
“Five minutes remaining, everyone. Fi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ive…minutes.” Half of the students in the sports hall frantically flicked through their physics paper while the other half, those who had already given up within the first thirty minutes of the exam, mentally groaned with the great effort of staying awake even longer. Bella was among the second half. She… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt. 5 by Heather Taylor
