Short Stories
By marandina
A collection of fantasy shorts.
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- 1796 reads
Haunted
It had been 18 months. The world had moved on. Life was engulfed by a pandemic; individual tragedies subsumed by a crisis. The searchlight of...
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- 1299 reads
The Hotel at the Edge of the World
John and Ali were star-crossed. They had met as teenagers at a night club. John had spotted Ali and Tina looking over a balcony at the dance floor...
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- 1410 reads
Lockdown Walkees
Today was a great day to be alive, it was Tuesday, after all. Not just any Tuesday…well…yes just another Tuesday. Skye woofer was lying in the hall...
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- 2131 reads
Mr Clean
Eddie Sinclair had loved lockdown. He revelled in the lack of contact, the isolation, the chance to be free from other people’s germs. Microbes were...
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- 1505 reads
Empire State (Part One)
Halloween, Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve is an important date in the Christian calendar. Probably based on Pagan tradition, it a time of remembrance...
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- 2015 reads
Empire State (Part Two)
Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Traditionally held on 1st November, celebrations...
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Invisible
At between 50 and 200 nanometres it was easy to miss. In fact, everyone failed to notice as it stalked the pavement at the corner of Isambard and New...
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- 3881 reads
Empire State (Part Three) - The Devil in Tintagel
Beltane is a Greater Sabbat celebrated on May Eve. It is one of the four Sabbats that are cross-quarter days. These form the Wheel of the Year. Only...
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- 2846 reads
Empire State (Part Four): The Initiate
Modern day Wiccans eschew the notion of left and right hand paths – left associated with malevolence, right linked with good intentions. Not everyone...
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- 1283 reads
Empire State (Part Five) - The House in the Woods
Wicca celebrations can be based on the cycles of both the moon and the Sun. The former are known as Esbats and associated with the Goddess. Black...
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- 1127 reads
It's (Still) a Wonderful Life
It had been difficult times for Jerry O’Halloran of late. Friends knew him as Down on his luck Jerry . It hadn’t always been this way. Jerry’s mother...
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- 5558 reads
The Horses of Wooldale Road (Part 1 of 3)
The Horses of Wooldale Road (Part 1 of 3) In Norse mythology, it is said that the Norns spin the threads of fate at the foot of the tree of the world...
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- 2919 reads
A Bridge of Lies
It was the year of our Lord 1850 when my first sentence was given. My poor Mina had been transported this twelve months past. It was at the quarter...
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- 1557 reads
The Dead Cat
Steve “Stevo” Mason never did like school. At 14 years of age, the rest of his life looked a very long way away. Particularly bright at junior level...
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- 2965 reads
The Haunted Fort of Bhangarh
Audio version at: https://soundcloud.com/user-62051685/the-haunted-fort-of-bhangahr The Haunted Fort of Bhangahr I stare out of the tinted window for...
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- 9659 reads
The Existential Fate of Original Thought
Every day had been the same for so long now. Epicurus sat in his leather backed chair, cradling a glass of scotch, ruminating about life and the arts...
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- 2632 reads
Happy Valentines
I always did love Sadie. We were your typical childhood sweethearts who grew up and eventually got married. It was aged 12 when we shared a naive...
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- 1909 reads
The Banquet (Competition entry max 1,000 words)
I live in a mansion in the country. This is no ordinary mansion; it’s an M&S mansion. Well, it’s not actually but it does house a library of...
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- 2275 reads
Most Vial
This is a sequel to “Invisible” at https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/invisible The walls looked as dull today as they had yesterday. Paint...
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- 5789 reads
The Star-Crossed Swans of Newport Pagnell
An urban adaptation of the fairy-tale that the ballet “Swan Lake” is based on. The Star-Crossed Swans of Newport Pagnell It is a grey, overcast day...
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- 1923 reads
The Miracle of Maldon (Part One of Three)
Draft for a 3-part story. The Miracle of Maldon (Part One of Three) The moon hung low in a blue sky, an intruder on a twilight horizon. The day was...
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- 3237 reads
The Artist of Swanage Downs
Audio version at: https://soundcloud.com/user-62051685/the-artist-of-swanage-downs-audio The Artist of Swanage Downs Torchlight flashes across dark...
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- 6113 reads
Charmed (Part One of Two)
Audio version at: https://soundcloud.com/user-62051685/charmed-part-one Charmed (Part One of Two) The sun doesn’t shine in the London Underground; a...
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- 5344 reads
In the Vale of the Shadow King (Part One of Six)
In the Vale of the Shadow King (Part One of Six) Billy Williams had always wondered what is was about his grandparents’ house. He had been visiting...
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- 2980 reads
The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part One of Two)
The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part One of Two) Jenny Jones believed in things. She believed in fairies and legends; she had faith in magic. With a love...
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- 2789 reads
The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part Two of Two)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/spirit-jenny-jones-part-one-two The Spirit of Jenny Jones (Part Two of Two) “Is that you, Jenny...
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- 2572 reads
A Tale from Dark Woods
A story for Halloween A Tale from Dark Woods It was on the darkest of nights in October that we got together. We had been gathering like this for...
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- 2508 reads
The Last Door
“One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.” Friedrich Nietzsche The Last Door The moon shone in a pitch-black sky, its...
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- 3356 reads
The Last Wish of Christmas
The Last Wish of Christmas Fate unwinds its own path. The truth is, I haven’t always been a dog. Appearances can be deceptive. The lights from the...
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- 3970 reads
The Last Christmas (Part One of Two)
The Last Christmas (Part One of Two) Ali sat stoically in his Toyota Prius, the engine ticking over as he waited. He would take a cigarette break at...
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- 1629 reads
The Last Christmas (Part Two of Two)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/last-christmas-part-one-two The Last Christmas - Part Two of Two It had just turned midnight...
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- 3803 reads
In-between Days
In-between Days Those days between Christmas and New Year are lost somewhere in the mists of time. Endless, with no apparent rhyme or reason, people...
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- 2374 reads
Why Does It Always Rain In Graveyards?
Some believe that love can transcend time Why does it always rain in graveyards? Why does it always rain in graveyards? Of course, the reality is...
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- 4899 reads
Eric the Viking
Well here it is, post 150. Never thought I would make it this far. This is a rewritten story. Hopefully, this is tighter. Based on a true story (but...
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- 3419 reads
Tommyknocker
Trauma can take a mind to the strangest places – real and imaginary Tommyknocker I was eight years old when I last saw Tommy. At first, I never knew...
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- 2717 reads
Song to the Siren: A Titan Story (Part One of Three)
Song to the Siren: A Titan Story (Part One of Three) Crows perch in a line along a telegraph poll. They seem to be either staring at me or peering...
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- 1854 reads
A Cat, A Leaf and Fresh Fish
Rewritten story A Cat, A Leaf and Fresh Fish The early hours are invariably punctuated by nocturnal sounds; rodent-like scurrying amongst bins,...
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- 7721 reads
Ley Lines
The truth is out there Ley Lines “Alfred Watkins was right, you know.” In hindsight, that’s how it started; my neighbour Joshua Smith and his crazy...
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- 5299 reads
Second Life
Rewritten story Second Life Snow fell like frozen tears from colourless skies; windows frosted over in the cold. A shadow shifted on the kitchen wall...
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- 3682 reads
Devil's Advocate
Devil's Advocate (Part One of Three) At the top of the world, most things look tiny although a diaphanous moon might look like a large silver coin to...
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- 4960 reads
Devil's Advocate (Part Two of Three)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/devils-advocate Devil’s Advocate (Part Two of Three) It had been a long day and nurse Abbott...
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- 2459 reads
The Other Side of Paradise
The Other Side of Paradise I can still remember standing at the side of a dirt track, a sodium-coloured sun high in the sky. The heat made the air...
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- 3688 reads
Diner
Diner Outside the diner at 385 Sixth Avenue, humanity ebbed and flowed. It would often take a brief pause to eat then continue on in its mysterious...
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- 6948 reads
Those We Leave Behind
Those We Leave Behind It feels like I have been standing in this field all my life. From here I can see the edge of town where trees and rivers...
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- 3539 reads
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the Night before Christmas The last rays of apricot-hued sunshine fade to dusk over Abington Street, an urban thoroughfare where disparate...
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- 2916 reads
Abyss
Abyss Night wind blows in from the sea covering those out on the Downs in a fine spray. A full moon hangs like a winter lantern lighting a trail...
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- 4612 reads
Enoshima (Part One of Two)
Enoshima (Part One of Two) Some marriages aren’t meant to last. People meet in circumstances that create a fairy-tale; a confluence of chance...
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- 3808 reads
Enoshima (Part Two of Two)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/enoshima-part-one-two Enoshima (Part Two of Two) On a fateful Friday afternoon, Kai was walking...
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- 3608 reads
The Golden Fleece (Part One of Two)
The Golden Fleece (Part One of Two) She who must be obeyed - that’s the phrase that sprang to mind as we meandered through Primark’s burnt offerings...
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- 4241 reads
Falling
Falling I am no one . White walls washed by sodium light was all I could see. There was a certain kind of claustrophobia that went with the room, a...
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- 2954 reads
Eclipse
Eclipse Clouds in a dawn sky seen through stoical eyes can sometimes seem like ethereal carriers of innermost angst. Maybe there is a silent...
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- 3097 reads
The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part One of Two)
The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part One of Two) Air shimmered in iridescent layers, desert heat smouldering under a cloudless Arizona sky. A diamondback...
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- 3245 reads
The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part Two of Two)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/1603-purgatory-part-one-two The 16:03 to Purgatory (Part Two of Two) With that the monk-like...
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- 3875 reads
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended.” Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sarsen stones stand...
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- 10796 reads
Tom Crean
It is said that Ireland is a haunted place full of spirits; a land where the dead are celebrated. Tom Crean The journey to the Emerald Isle had been...
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- 4102 reads
Leviathan
Leviathan I had been scrolling for what seemed like hours. Each post scanned seemed darker than the last. Reading wall-to-wall invective wasn’t good...
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- 3596 reads
Ghostbot (Part Two of Two)
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/ghostbot-part-one-two Ghostbot (Part Two of Two) Jake tried hard to demarcate a longing to be...
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- 6871 reads
Ghost Story
Ghost Story I don’t believe in ghosts. At least that’s what I’ve always said. Memories can be fragile. I should be lucid and know exactly what I’m...
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- 6330 reads
Who Wants to Live Forever?
For Halloween 2024 Who Wants to Live Forever? Fritz Erlinger was a name that came to haunt me, torture me as my life unfolded. Yet, in the beginning...
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- 7249 reads
Santa Pause
Santa Pause John Jones hated his name, its mundanity matched only by the inane notion of Christmas. In truth, it hadn’t always been this way. A...
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The Golden Fleece (Ghost Walk) Part One of Two
Leads on from: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/golden-fleece-part-two-two The Golden Fleece (Ghost Walk) Part One of Two I watched as Alice...
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The Golden Fleece (Ghost Walk) Part Two of Two
Part One at: https://www.abctales.com/story/marandina/golden-fleece-ghost-walk-part-o... The Golden Fleece (Ghost Walk) Part Two of Two For a split...
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- 2590 reads
The Body in the Library
Saturday 24th April 1976 The Body in the Library I always was a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Tales of his case-solving are legendary made even more...
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- 4229 reads
The Last Temptation of Kieran Murphy
The Last Temptation of Kieran Murphy It’s said that there is a Heaven on Earth. Maybe this is it. Uphill looks resplendent as I stare out over...
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- 1855 reads
The Boy with the Rubik’s Cube
The Boy with the Rubik’s Cube The Grand Marine Hotel stands imperiously looking out over the Bristol Channel as it has done for many dust-coated...
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- 1707 reads
Why does it always rain in graveyards?
Why does it always rain in graveyards? The procession of gravestones is staring at me. That’s how it seems with not a soul about. I scan the horizon...
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- 1092 reads