Caldwell
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I have 156 stories published in
10 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 161243 times
and 158 of my stories have been cherry picked.
27 of my 246 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 28 votes
Christopher Caldwell
I grew up in England and have since made a home in France, on the banks of the Loire. My writing explores how family, place, and history leave their traces on us.
My collections
My stories
The girl on the platform
The girl on the platform, waiting for her train. She looks kind of pretty, Though booze has soaked her brain It’s gone 3:00 a.m. And it's starting to...
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- 3 comments
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- 58 reads
Your Case Has Been Referred to an External Agency for Further Processing
At Paddington Station he's lost in the crowd, the tannoy repeats itself steady and loud: “Take extra care as you cross the concourse" With cameras...
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- 4 comments
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- 92 reads
A Tapestry in Eighteen Panels
Panel I: The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers A shield quartered with dolphins and sea-lions, gold and azure, a trident piercing waves. Lions wear...
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- 6 comments
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- 123 reads
Sandwiches, Wittgenstein and a Log
In the summer of 1991, James and I decided to make the last Grand Tour. He called it that, of course — I was just along for the ride. James had been...
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- 14 comments
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- 541 reads
My first new beginning
As a young boy, I grew up in a small village in leafy suburban Surrey, where hedges were trimmed and cars taken for their Sunday wash. When my...
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- 9 comments
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- 556 reads
Reading your reply, I realise
Posted on Mon, 25 Aug 2025
Reading your reply, I realise I’d made light of something much weightier - apologies if my Richard Scarry detour seemed flippant. I suppose as a firstborn I’ve always felt I had enough hardship without taking on the bigger questions too. But you’...
Read full commentPosted in Lit
Appreciated
Posted on Thu, 28 Nov 2024
Thank you, feels strange to be bearing all and not hiding behind ideas and jokes and I appreciate this is not a therapy forum, but there's still some worth I think in remembering someone publicly, even if those you're sharing with had no idea of...
Read full commentPosted in Adam Hopkins September 1939 - November 2024
It was such an easy read.
Posted on Mon, 18 Nov 2024
It was such an easy read. From the first sentence, I was in your world and got quite upset with the forgiving nature of your narrator and her terrible but probably all-too-common situation. I have always been freaked out by Punch and Judy, never...
Read full commentPosted in Cricks Crocodile
Reminds me of the J G Ballard
Posted on Sun, 14 Sep 2025
Reminds me of the J G Ballard story Concrete Island. What a scary thought.
Read full commentPosted in The Last Train
Fair enough. Just to be
Posted on Sat, 13 Sep 2025
Fair enough. Just to be absolutely clear, my response wasn't intended to be critical, but curious, and you led me to make some discoveries for which I thank you. Happy Sunday to you
Read full commentPosted in Elephant.
Yes, sorry, a bit gloomy isn
Posted on Sat, 13 Sep 2025
Yes, sorry, a bit gloomy isn't it? I regret it a bit now. I'll have to write another, but more optimistic to balance the books
Read full commentPosted in Your Case Has Been Referred to an External Agency for Further Processing
This is great. It's something
Posted on Wed, 16 Jul 2025
This is great. It's something I've been wrestling with for over three years now. My therapist might think I had written it were they to read it, but then that's the beauty of something that speaks a universal truth in fresh and clever ways. Thank...
Read full commentPosted in The Obituary Reader
Honoured. Seems I score
Posted on Mon, 20 Jan 2025
Honoured. Seems I score better with comedy, which has always been the case, though I strive to be a serious intellectual. The other night, I had a dream that I was trying very hard to impress someone - could have been an attractive woman or...
Read full commentPosted in Jacques and Basil
absolutely
Posted on Tue, 07 Jan 2025
We have all done things that we shouldn't have, and if you disagree with that then you probably haven't got much of a conscience. I am bothered by the possibility that writing stuff like this comes across as too 'preachy' though. A little pious....
Read full commentPosted in Hard Pressed
The commercialisation of
Posted on Tue, 10 Dec 2024
The commercialisation of religious holidays often feels out of step with their origins. The Magi, brought gifts that symbolised more than material wealth: gold for kingship, frankincense for divinity, and myrrh for mortality. The gold might have...
Read full commentPosted in CHRISTmas is Cancelled. Part Four.
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