Hands shaking, tears spilling—the phone fell to the floor with a crash. Everything had just collapsed, ended, right before her eyes. Her happy, little world was changing again, and she didn’t know where to turn… “Hey, can we come—what have you done?!” Cherry, Bella, Tasmin and Jillian were all stood in the doorway of Ceri’s… Continue reading Biggest Fan, pt. 10 by Heather Taylor
What's the difference between a spider’s web and a cobweb? One’s a sticky trap to catch prey, the other abandoned to dust. Such clean creatures, spiders, their surroundings neat and tidy. Only when they’ve departed does their web degenerate. You can learn so much when you’ve only your computer for company. She’s gone. Everyone I’ve… Continue reading Cobwebs by Richard Hooton | Shortlisted Entry Short Story Competition 2020
My room is filled with a faint orange glow. I know it is not daylight due to it not being bright enough to make out the beams and thick velour curtains around my bed. Am I dreaming? It is perhaps four o’clock in the morning and our maid is rousing me, telling me of a… Continue reading The Great Fire by Milly Webster | Shortlisted Entry Short Story Competition 2020
I enjoy watching people die. I revel in the Moment as it approaches. No longer synchronised, Mind and Body are ensnared in chaos. I am fascinated as the realisation glimmers in a person’s eyes and panic engulfs him like millions of siafu ants swarming a helpless boar. Every person differs in how he grapples with… Continue reading The Exception by John Fenner | SECOND PLACE Short Story Competition 2020
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide The moment froze as the woman from above hit the concrete in front of him. The wind continued to blast, making his eyes water and face contort in its command. This gale was the only thing untouched by fate’s freezing influence, with the woman before him stuck in her exact second of… Continue reading A Dying Moment by Gavin Gardiner | THIRD PLACE Short Story Competition 2020
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery (Deuteronomy 18:9-14) Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. (Luke 10:17) Leslie’s Bubba was many things. The first thing that he was, was her Father. This meant that they had… Continue reading Bubba by Abi Silverthorne | FIRST PLACE Short Story Competition 2020
“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
