Strange Life Tales

A collection of short stories, some funny, some quirky, some a bit dark, some just plain bonkers! This is also where I try out different ideas. Some work, some don't.
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"A job on the tills."

Jim Dawson's dream job comes at last.
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"That nice old couple who live down the Banjo"

Ted and Florence Philips lived down the Banjo. Yep, that’s where they lived. Down the Banjo. Now some of you won’t know what a banjo is. Let me...

A Different Super Hero ( Part 1).

His life had become a comic book, but he was no super hero.
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A Different Super Hero ( Part 2)

Hamsterman faces the streets of Hackney...

A Strange Conversation

Two hit men having a drink in a pub...
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Alice

Mmmmm not sure about this one...
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Alice ( Cont )

Part two, the story unfolds.
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Alice ( Part 3)

Decided to continue with this and see where it goes.
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Alice ( Part 4)

Alice is on the loose, not good...

Chunk Of Change

A short story in 400 words.

Clint Eastwood Playing Football

I saw Clint Eastwood yesterday, on Hackney Marshes playing five a side football.

Craigs Big Surprise

Craigs surprise doesn't quite go according to plan. A short story in 700 words.
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Dads Tool Box

My dads last wishes.
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Death of the Carol Singers

Short story in under 300 words.
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DOCKER TOWN

Just something.
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English Rose ( Final)

All is revealed. The reason Jim kept his promise.
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English Rose ( Part 1)

A three or four part story about a curious woman.
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English Rose ( Part 2)

The story continues.
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English Rose ( Part 3)

Getting there. One more to go and all will be revealed.
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Farewell Docker Town

The follow up and final part of "Docker Town"

His Little Blue Friend ( I.P. )

He was only supposed to take one, but thought heh, why not four!
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Infinite Sky

Job or the band?
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Jacks Last Day.

“I don’t remember the exact date that I died. But I do remember the day itself. I remember it being cold. A grey day as my old mum used to say. It...

Last Minute Present

He's so smart, he's got the card and present. But...
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Let's get into Character.

Time to get into character.

Memories Of The Blitz. ( The nightclub ). Part One.

Part One of a memory from 1979 about the famous Blitz Clun in London.
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Missing Years ( Part 32)

The demons descend but will they succeed?
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My Dad's Birthday

August 12th. It’s my Dad’s birthday today. He’s dead by the way, so I suppose it can’t really be his birthday, can it? Anyway, if he was alive today...
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My Fathers Adventure ( Part One)

Part One of a string of quirky adventures of a young man in the 1920,s and 1930,s!

My Johnny Seven

How I got my Johnny Seven in 1967.

My Mate Bruce

Tribute to a great guy who passed two years ago.
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No More Cold Reading!

The worlds best medium...

No one knows his name.

Juat when he thought it was all over. A short in 600 words.

Out of His Depth

Stay in or get out?

Playing Dead Like Rex.

Something I wrote for a competition some time ago. A story starter in under 500 words. I might carry on with it?
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Teds Cottage

Teddy Bates ordered his usual pint and took a seat at the bar of the Old Feathers pub. The landlord, Jim Best, called over from behind the bar. “...
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The Automaton

A couple find a strange mechanical toy. Sorry this start is a bit long...
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The Automaton ( Part 2)

Dianne finds keys and books and has a weird dream, does it all mean something?

The Automaton ( Part 3)

All's well, then Dianne finds out some disturbing information.
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The Automaton ( Part 4)

Dianne does some research and finds some disturbing information.
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The Automaton ( Part 5)

Some strange things are happening and about to get worse.
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The Automaton ( Part 6)

They make a discovery and of course there's a reasonable expanation, or is there?

The Case of the Black Crows ( Part 1)

Detective Bluebird gets a case at last.

The Case of the Black Crows ( Part 2)

He does it. Sorts out the crow situation, but...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis ( Part 2).

He heard a noise outside the room. A shuffling noise. Someone was coming , but moving very slowly. He took no notice. Closed his eyes and regained...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis ( Part 3).

He raised his head from the blood-stained pillow and listened. The shuffling noise began to fade. They’d moved on. He closed his eyes and remembered...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis ( Part 4).

Marshall was dead. There was nothing he could do about that. But there were others. Others that knew what was going on. But did nothing. He put that...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis ( Part 5).

He remembered the conversation he had with George about Pat Dougherty. Sean set up a meet in a pub in Hertfordshire. Just the two of them. “You...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis ( Part 6).

He remembered smiling as he took the call from Seamus. At last, someone was more powerful than the mighty George Kelly. Make no mistake; George had...
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The Confessions of Paul Davis.

Through the small square window, Paul Davis saw daylight creep into the room. He figured it was around five thirty. He didn’t have a watch and there...

The Crew's Last Meal

A short in under 500 words. Topical.
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The Cufflinks

A gentle tale of a meeting all due to a pair of cufflinks. Sorry its a bit long!
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The Dream Maker

Ever wondered what happens to dreams once you’ve woken up? They continue. Impossible? That’s what I said and then… Start at the beginning. That’s...

The Eulogy

Tom Wilkins dies, his best friend has to read the Eulogy. No one expects what happens next.........

The Getaway.

He must get away, he must...
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The Jousting King Of London

“Well, how many today?” “You say first.” “No Paul, we said we’d be honest. So go on. How many?” “Three!” “You bastard. I only did one!” “That’s cos I...
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The Judas Calf

Sorry if the subject matter is a bit dark.

The Lady I Love

He loves her, but who is she?
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The Last Text

Short story in under 600 words about a text message.
Story of the week

The Letter

Short story in 400 words about a man on a mission!
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The Little Stranger

Steve Roberts was a “face”. Six feet three inches of solid muscle with a voice that sounded as though he’d smoked a hundred hard core cigarettes...

The Lovely Daisy

He's going to meet her family for the first time.

The Lovely Hilda

A strange love story between a man and his "Lovely Hilda". She's a bit different, but then so is he! You'll laugh out loud!
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The New Nipple

A strange tale about a newly grown nipple.
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The Nosh.

Retribution in the form of words...

The Premonition?

A short in under 700 words.
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The Promise ( Part 2 )

Some news about Stella.

The Promise ( Part 3 )

Paul finds out some sad news, but still won't give up..
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The Promise ( Part 4 )

Tom finds out what Stellas trying to tell him!

The Promise, Part One

The start of a short story in four parts.
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The Saxophone ( Part 1)

My love for the Saxophone, Part one of three.
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The Saxophone ( Part 2)

It keeps coming back, this dream of playing the Sax
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The Story That Must be Told

A true story in two parts about a strange occurence that happened when i was growing up.
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The Story That Must be Told ( End)

It's been with me all my life. Like an old friend.
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The Tree Story

“I remember trees. Only just, but I can remember them.” Jake looked at his granddad in wonder. “Really? You can remember trees? You saw them?” “Not...
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Tony,The Voice In His Head.

A piece I put in the Pentathlon. I woke up in the middle of the night with the idea and had to get up and write it!

Uncontrollable Tears

Crying again, just like all the other times...
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Welcome to the Twirlies Mr Cook ( I.P.)

Short and apt story for Mister cooks birthday...
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What's Wrong With Mike Litt?

Paige Turner worked in the submissions section of the Italian publishing company Nota Opinell. It was a small department. Just her, the young chinese...

Where Is She?

She's gone and he has to find her.

You Know When It's Right

You just know when its right....
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You Were Gone.

Thoughts on death.
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Please Don't Go.

“No, no, I’ll change. I promise.” She screamed the words at him. Pleading. Tears streaming down her face. “You can’t fucking change. It’s just the...
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Vince's 50th Birthday Party

A collaboration from myself and Vera Clark. I did the Graham part and she did the Sue bit... Pretty much the same scene is from two different view...
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Vince's 50th Birthday Party ( Part 2)

The story continues... Graham and Sue are at the party. Sue Graham knows Vince because they both played for Notts Under 11’s. They still tell...
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Vince's 50th Birthday Party ( Part 3)

The party's in full flow and Vince is beginning to enjoy himself... Sue The wine’s gone to my head. I keep seeing multiple Cindys, it makes her look...
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Vince's 50th Birthday Party ( Part 4). The End

Last part. Graham is not a happy man.... Sue Vince’s leg pins the toilet door open as soon as I unlock it. He squeezes inside, all Salem’s Lot blood-...

The Night The Vipers Bite

No moon, no stars, no street lamps to guide you home down this lane. You've taken this shortcut many times before but never on a night like this. A...

The Puppet ( Part 1)

"Mister Merriman, why did you call Denise, The Puppet?" Paul Merriman's face showed no emotion. His dark green eyes slowly looked up at his...
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The Puppet ( Part 2)

Steve Miller poured himself another whiskey and stared at the photo in front of him. His beloved Linda and him on holiday in Greece in 2012. She...
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The Walthamstow Bird

She was from Walthamstow and had the longest legs I’d ever seen. Someone told me she was seventeen which made her two years older than me and...
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Tony, The Voice In His Head.

This is a re-write of something I posted last year. I decided to make it a bit darker. He met her in a therapy session. She was tiny. He thought she...
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Welcome To England

She stood there. Hands by her side. Back straight. Trying to look taller than her five feet seven inches. She’d been told to impress. A tall bearded...
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The Morning After

His eyes opened and for a brief moment he thought he’d died in the night and gone to hell. He sat bolt upright. Big mistake, his head started to...
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George And Mildred ( Part 1)

George Baker was in the kitchen making offal sandwiches ( his wife’s favourite tea time snack) when he heard a stream of obscenities coming from the...
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George And Mildred ( Part 2)

George was up early the next day. He was feeling good about himself. Argos had a sale on and the swing was only £19.99. By 09.00 the swing was...

The Street

November morning 6.00am. There’s a dampness in the air that causes the milkman to cough and spit something green onto the pavement. The long narrow...
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When The Boxes Open

A short in under 250 words. He’s seven and his young brain soaks up everything like a heavy duty j cloth. He sees things. Things he doesn’t...

Bar Stool Preacher

A short in three parts. I tended bar at Jimmy’s. Corner of Washington and Cedar. Couple of blocks away from the big money places. Not that any of...
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Bar Stool Preacher ( Part 2)

A fresh approach is needed to get more information about Mike. But does it work... We had our fair share of tourists visit Jimmys. Mostly British and...
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Bar Stool Preacher ( Part 3, Final)

The final part, everything is revealed... Can I remember the last day I saw Mike? You kiddin me? How the fuck could I forget it? But let’s not get...
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Aunts and Uncles ( Part 1)

Aunts and Uncles. Once so full of life, so full of character, so full of wonder. Now, sadly, most are gone. We were a big family. Dad was one of six...
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She Cut Her Hair!

“Woke up this morning and just thought, hey why not?” “Well I think you’re very brave Sue. It looks great. When did you last have it cut?” “2008...
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Even Stephen.

Stephen Roberts was awake but kept his eyes closed. He began counting numbers in his head. Waiting for the right time to start his day. He stopped...
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The Magic Of The Pearl

I’m sitting in an old armchair in the front room of 246 Bromley Street with a cup of tea in one hand and a rich tea biscuit in the other. It’s my dad...
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The Keepers Of Secrets

I must stress that this is a work of fiction.... Roger Fairbrass is dead. He died three days ago. Discovered in the armchair of his Mayfair flat by...
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THAT Feeling!

You know that feeling? That feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach, that cold tingling feeling that makes you shiver even when it’s a...
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My London Eye Experience

I’d always been a fan of the London Eye. I watched it being built during 1999. I was working in Lots Road, Chelsea, and everyday had to drive along...
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Chalk And Cheese

We were alike, him and I, but very different people. He was a hoper, a dreamer, a romancer. He saw the world through a pair of glasses that I could...
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The Day It Arrived ( IP)

We had a word for it in our family. Not a particularly nice word. It was a word associated with laughter and piss taking. Up until the summer of 1972...

Parachute

2086 A.D. Wade Jackson was Head of Entertainment for Earths biggest TV company. Channel One. He was the brains behind the worldwide phenomenon...
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Seven Miles For Doris

Seven miles to go. He was making good time. The road was empty and the car was behaving itself. The radio was playing “Happy” by Pharrell Williams...
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Bobby and Jenny

Bobby was in his favourite navy blue tee shirt, making muscles. Jenny was standing by the phone box pretending not to notice. A blue Cortina drove...
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An Unexpected Reunion.

He only had one photo of her. It was taken last year, in Trafalgar Square. She looked miserable. But then again, she always looked miserable. Even...
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When Frankie Knuckles Plays.

“Tears” by Frankie Knuckles plays and my feet start to dance on their own. Gradually the rhythm snakes up my body and people start to stare thinking...
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The Homecoming.

I hear something that shocks me. It sounds like someone has blown up a crisp bag then crushed it between their hands. I fall. My eyes close and the...
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Never Give Up. ( Part 1)

There’s a neon sign above the Pharmacy across the street. It’s flashing the number thirty- two. That’s the temperature. Even though I’m sitting in...
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Never Give Up. ( Part 2)

My mind is racing. I’m on my fourth beer. I look at my watch. It’s ten past three. The watch always reminds me of Terry. Same make and model as his...
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Top Of The Tree.

In 1994 I changed profession. I decided to become a Financial Advisor. Two of my mates were doing it and earning some serious money. I had to sit a...

Today I Will Write.

As soon as I opened my eyes this morning, I promised myself one thing. Today I would write. No excuses. All I had to do was figure out where. The...
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When Your Numbers Up.

He was late for work. Again . His boss would give him a bollocking. Oh well, didn’t matter, fuck him! He stood in the bathroom in just his grey (...
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Lucky Black Brogues.

His double espresso hit him hard like a shot of vodka. It made him close his eyes and shake his head. A sensation he still remembered from his old...
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The Sunday School Teacher.

Patricia Lambert stared at a photo on the mantelpiece. Taken six years ago in Weymouth. She was surrounded by children. All hers. Not biologically of...
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The Sin Of Father Jacobs.

Father Jacobs loved his position within the Church. It gave him the opportunity to indulge his one and only vice. He called it his “release.” He no...
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The Promise.

The 30 stories in 30 Days Challenge continues. Jenny Walters had lived alone for the past six years. She’d become a bit of a recluse since her split...
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Billy Greaves Secret.

My best friend, Billy Greaves, wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. People used to joke that his shoes had “L” and “R” written on them, just in case...

The Lights In The Sky.

There had been strange lights in the sky before. But never like this. This was more like Morse code for Aliens. A short burst of two lights, then a...
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The Granada Scorpio Mystery.

I have no idea what happened to him. I told the Police exactly that. One day he was there and the next day he was gone. There were lots of theories...

Brians Gift.

Brian Reynolds had a gift. A rare gift that only special people have. A gift that doesn’t even have a name. Some might call it charisma or...
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Something's Wrong!

She’d woken at 2am feeling scared and apprehensive. She lay there just staring at the ceiling almost too terrified to move. An hour later and she...
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Play Dead

From the moment he entered the room and closed the door behind him his life, as he knew it, was over. There was no going back. Not now. He surveyed...
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A Fathers Advice.

A fathers letter to his son, giving words of wisdom. Dear Son, Congratulations on your forthcoming marriage. Sorry I can’t be there, but thought I...
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Saturday Night /Sunday Morning.

Number 15 of 30 for November... It’s Saturday night and everyone’s on my case. Tanya wants nine hundred quid to get the car fixed. I wanted a Ford...
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The Takeover.

It was Steve Wilson’s first day with the Flowfast Corporation. His small, but successful company Watershoot ,had been taken over by the American...

WASTE.

It’s difficult to say how it happens. It just does. You work hard, have a successful business, earn good money and suddenly you get a reputation. I...

Seven Years.

I pleaded not guilty. Said it was a crime of passion. But the judge and jury were having none of it and I got life. That was ten years ago and I’m...
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BIG JOHN.

“You...are…having…a…fucking…laugh.” That’s how Big John started every sentence. He would wait for you to speak then with a roar that only Brian...

Holding Hands.

My mind wanders. Is that the right word? I don’t know, perhaps I’ll ask Mary when she gets home from work. It’s sunny outside but cold. I’m guessing...
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The Away Fan.

I’ve got an itch that I can’t scratch. You know what I mean. Something that just won’t go away. It could be nothing or it might just be something. It...
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Last Train To Memphis.

There was something about the old guy sitting at the corner table of Max’s Diner. Something that the owner couldn’t quite put his finger on. He’d...
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Rules Are Rules.

A short extract from something much, much longer that i've been working on. Our family have rules. And they’re simple rules. You hurt us and we’ll...
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He Draws Birds.

John Patten wasn’t long out of Police Training College at Hendon. He’d been assigned a beat that took him through an affluent part of Paddington,...
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Lost In Acton

I’m an old man now. I’ll be Eighty One in two weeks time. Still fit and healthy though. Walk to the shops everyday to get my shopping. Shoes polished...
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Rules Are Rules. ( 2)

Another extract from something that's evolving... So, a new family has moved into the street, just four doors up. The Donovans. I know them for two...
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The Old Lady At Number 58 ( Part 1)

“I see dead people.” I know what you’re thinking. It’s a good line from a good film. You’d be right. But the exact same words were said to me by an...
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The Old Lady At Number 58 ( Part 2)

I sat there trying to make sense of what she’d just said. How could she know? It was impossible. Or was it? My rational mind took over. Rushbridge...
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The Dodgy Invitation.

Bob Jenkins retired early at just fifty five. He and his wife Linda were financially secure. His thirty five years with the Post Office had earned...
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Ginny. ( Part 1)

My mother and father were married for almost sixty years. He’s been gone now since 2006 and Mum in 2010. Here’s the strange part. Though they were...
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Ginny. ( Part 2)

She held my arm as we walked to the pub. For some reason it didn’t feel strange. It felt natural. I sat her at a table by the window and went to get...
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Ginny. ( Part 3)

I heard her say the words but I found it difficult to comprehend them. For some reason I took my hand away from hers. “Sorry Ginny. Did you say you...

Dipping Toes.

We looked at each other and smiled. It was time to take the plunge. The shy girl who whispers secrets in seashells and the lonely boy who hides from...
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Ginny. ( Part 4)

It was 2.30pm, and on a Friday I knew exactly where Uncle Ted would be. The Stanley Arms in Bermondsey. It was a tradition. The pub put on food and...
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That Morning

A re-write of something I did years ago. I got up late that morning, too late. My head was pounding like cannon balls being fired from an old galleon...
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The Sherbet Lemon Conversation.

I’m on a flight from London Gatwick to Faro Portugal. Easyjet. No frills, no time. Just two and a half hours of boredom. I’m sipping a vodka and...
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Jimmy "Kid" Taylor.

Jimmy has just lost only the second fight of his entire professional career. He sits alone in his dressing room contemplating his future. His Manager...

Drinks and Nibbles

“It’s nearly eight o’clock love. They’ll be here in a minute!” John shouted up the stairs to his wife Sarah. She’d been getting ready for over an...
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Story of the week

Swimming In The Rain

That summer. How can I describe that summer? The word “Perfect” seems appropriate. I was thirteen and on holiday with my parents in a beat up old...
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Room 7. ( Anita)

Working on a series of stories all centred around one room in a certain Hotel. Room 7. ( Yes I know its been done before, but what the hell...) The...
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Room 7. ( Alan and Gerald)

“You’re on the ground floor madam. Room 7. Straight along the corridor and it’s the third room on the right. Welcome to The Wentworth.” The young...
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Room 7. ( Kiss Chase)

When I was seven years old I played “Kiss Chase”. I chased the girls and when I caught them we kissed. They were easy to catch because they wanted to...
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Gabby

In December 1976, me and my best mate Ray were squatting in a disused terraced house in Hanbury Street just behind Brick Lane in East London. The...
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Uncle Frank Swam The Channel

Uncle Frank swam the channel. That’s what I was told when I was a kid. Not by him, but by his wife, my Aunty Flo. She’d be in the kitchen cooking...
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Life In Ties

I stare at the back of the wardrobe door and admire my DIY skills. Two cup hooks, twenty inches apart and joined together with taut string. Hanging...
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Monroe (6)

After a short break, Monroe is back trying to solve the case of Thomas Sago. Frank was on his way to 62 Claremont Road, Forest Gate, the home address...
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Monroe ( 7)

The Traffic Warden was still there when Frank and Mark reappeared from Doctor Jeremiah's luxury house. Frank pressed a five-pound note into his hand...
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Monroe (8)

After just four hours sleep, Frank was back at his desk in Limehouse by 7 am. One of the guys from the Special Firearms Unit brought him a bacon...
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Monroe ( 9)

The team weren’t best pleased about handing over the case to Anti Terrorism, but Frank explained there was nothing they could do about it. Thomas...
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Monroe ( 10)

Frank returned to his bottle of wine and poured another glass. As much as he wanted to go to the scene of the fire and speak with the Officer In...

Security At A Price.

It started last summer. Young Jimmy Parker was attacked while doing his paper round early one Friday morning. Two teenagers knocked him off his bike...
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Story of the week

Chances ( 1)

A SHORT STORY IN TWO PARTS. I like to take chances. Some pay off and some don’t. But as my dear old dad used to say “You’ll never know, unless you...
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Chances ( 2)

It was time to tell Bobby Philips my story. “I work for a company called Bullen, Weisman and Stokes, three old gentlemen, all in their eighties. They...
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Chalk & Cheese

The car park is busy but eventually I find a vacant spot at the far end. I put the car into neutral, pull up the handbrake and turn off the ignition...
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The Pre - Wedding Chat

The room fell silent as Davey Russell opened up a bottle of 15-year-old malt and poured its golden contents into six large tumblers. The men in the...
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The Stranger In The Pub

I was on my second pint, it was only twenty past eleven in the morning and apart from me, the pub was empty. Don’t get me wrong I’m not the kind of...
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Pick of the Month

The Pub

It was the sort of pub that you wouldn’t take your wife into. Full of men with flat noses and either a pencil or a cigarette behind their ear. Some...
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