Short Stories
By marandina
A collection of fantasy shorts.
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- 1019 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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- 454 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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- 493 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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- 732 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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- 746 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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- 683 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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- 1193 reads
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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- 1644 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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- 902 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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- 455 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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- 353 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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- 2289 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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- 1159 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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- 575 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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- 1099 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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- 3430 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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- 883 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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- 752 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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- 810 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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- 2591 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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- 551 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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- 597 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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- 1085 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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- 773 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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- 450 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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- 405 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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- 384 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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- 404 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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- 511 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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- 492 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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- 243 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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- 356 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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- 377 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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- 346 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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- 456 reads