Strange Life Tales
By jolono
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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- 3259 reads
"A job on the tills."
Jim Dawson's dream job comes at last.
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- 27 comments
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- 8458 reads
"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...
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- 25 comments
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- 19588 reads
A Different Super Hero ( Part 1).
His life had become a comic book, but he was no super hero.
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- 19 comments
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- 6311 reads
A Different Super Hero ( Part 2)
Hamsterman faces the streets of Hackney...
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- 13 comments
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- 4132 reads
A Strange Conversation
Two hit men having a drink in a pub...
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- 8 comments
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- 2906 reads
Alice
Mmmmm not sure about this one...
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- 27 comments
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- 9206 reads
Alice ( Cont )
Part two, the story unfolds.
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- 16 comments
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- 5697 reads
Alice ( Part 3)
Decided to continue with this and see where it goes.
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- 5 comments
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- 1839 reads
Alice ( Part 4)
Alice is on the loose, not good...
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- 4 comments
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- 1599 reads
Chunk Of Change
A short story in 400 words.
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- 9 comments
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- 3151 reads
Clint Eastwood Playing Football
I saw Clint Eastwood yesterday, on Hackney Marshes playing five a side football.
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- 15 comments
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- 5142 reads
Craigs Big Surprise
Craigs surprise doesn't quite go according to plan. A short story in 700 words.
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- 9 comments
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- 3156 reads
Dads Tool Box
My dads last wishes.
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- 8 comments
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- 3001 reads
Death of the Carol Singers
Short story in under 300 words.
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- 19 comments
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- 5383 reads
DOCKER TOWN
Just something.
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- 10 comments
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- 3517 reads
English Rose ( Final)
All is revealed. The reason Jim kept his promise.
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- 18 comments
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- 5772 reads
English Rose ( Part 1)
A three or four part story about a curious woman.
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- 22 comments
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- 7612 reads
English Rose ( Part 2)
The story continues.
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- 16 comments
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- 5582 reads
English Rose ( Part 3)
Getting there. One more to go and all will be revealed.
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- 15 comments
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- 4367 reads
Farewell Docker Town
The follow up and final part of "Docker Town"
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- 11 comments
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- 3753 reads
His Little Blue Friend ( I.P. )
He was only supposed to take one, but thought heh, why not four!
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- 10 comments
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- 3100 reads
Infinite Sky
Job or the band?
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- 16 comments
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- 5272 reads
Its Just Not Working Anymore.
Sad, sad tale.......
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- 6 comments
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- 2162 reads
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...
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- 8 comments
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- 2863 reads
Last Minute Present
He's so smart, he's got the card and present. But...
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- 20 comments
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- 6648 reads
Let's get into Character.
Time to get into character.
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- 19 comments
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- 6839 reads
Margaret's Funeral Tomorrow
Tomorrows Funeral.
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- 15 comments
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- 4683 reads
Memories Of The Blitz ( The Nightclub) Part two.
The weirdest and coolest people on the planet.
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- 17 comments
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- 4556 reads
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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- 3871 reads
Missing Years ( Part 32)
The demons descend but will they succeed?
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- 6 comments
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- 2517 reads
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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- 17 comments
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- 6867 reads
My Fathers Adventure ( Part One)
Part One of a string of quirky adventures of a young man in the 1920,s and 1930,s!
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- 4 comments
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- 1999 reads
My Johnny Seven
How I got my Johnny Seven in 1967.
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- 23 comments
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- 6525 reads
My Mate Bruce
Tribute to a great guy who passed two years ago.
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- 17 comments
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- 5246 reads
No More Cold Reading!
The worlds best medium...
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- 1062 reads
No one knows his name.
Juat when he thought it was all over. A short in 600 words.
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- 1054 reads
Out of His Depth
Stay in or get out?
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- 4 comments
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- 1956 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1836 reads
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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- 14 comments
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- 4402 reads
The Automaton
A couple find a strange mechanical toy. Sorry this start is a bit long...
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- 16 comments
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- 4811 reads
The Automaton ( Part 2)
Dianne finds keys and books and has a weird dream, does it all mean something?
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- 10 comments
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- 2807 reads
The Automaton ( Part 3)
All's well, then Dianne finds out some disturbing information.
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- 11 comments
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- 3486 reads
The Automaton ( Part 4)
Dianne does some research and finds some disturbing information.
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- 11 comments
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- 3213 reads
The Automaton ( Part 5)
Some strange things are happening and about to get worse.
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- 10 comments
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- 2892 reads
The Automaton ( Part 6)
They make a discovery and of course there's a reasonable expanation, or is there?
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- 6 comments
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- 2226 reads
The Case of the Black Crows ( Part 1)
Detective Bluebird gets a case at last.
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- 4 comments
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- 1773 reads
The Case of the Black Crows ( Part 2)
He does it. Sorts out the crow situation, but...
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- 3 comments
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- 1498 reads
The Cold Call. ( I.P.)
Winding up the cold callers.
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- 6 comments
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- 2115 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 3684 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 3245 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 2956 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 3163 reads
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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- 1949 reads
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...
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- 22 comments
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- 7933 reads
The Crew's Last Meal
A short in under 500 words. Topical.
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- 5 comments
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- 2056 reads
The Cufflinks
A gentle tale of a meeting all due to a pair of cufflinks. Sorry its a bit long!
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- 14 comments
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- 4539 reads
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...
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- 14 comments
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- 5758 reads
The Eulogy
Tom Wilkins dies, his best friend has to read the Eulogy. No one expects what happens next.........
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- 2 comments
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- 1634 reads
The Getaway.
He must get away, he must...
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- 4 comments
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- 1950 reads
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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- 22 comments
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- 9071 reads
The Judas Calf
Sorry if the subject matter is a bit dark.
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- 25 comments
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- 8969 reads
The Lady I Love
He loves her, but who is she?
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- 5 comments
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- 2284 reads
The Last Text
Short story in under 600 words about a text message.
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- 22 comments
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- 7535 reads
The Letter
Short story in 400 words about a man on a mission!
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- 31 comments
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- 12309 reads
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...
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- 19 comments
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- 6976 reads
The Lovely Daisy
He's going to meet her family for the first time.
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- 9 comments
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- 2985 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 3089 reads
The New Nipple
A strange tale about a newly grown nipple.
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- 15 comments
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- 4693 reads
The Nosh.
Retribution in the form of words...
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- 14 comments
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- 4412 reads
The Premonition?
A short in under 700 words.
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- 6 comments
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- 1948 reads
The Promise ( Part 2 )
Some news about Stella.
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- 7 comments
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- 2477 reads
The Promise ( Part 3 )
Paul finds out some sad news, but still won't give up..
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- 1 comment
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- 1545 reads
The Promise ( Part 4 )
Tom finds out what Stellas trying to tell him!
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- 5 comments
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- 1880 reads
The Promise ( Part 5) Final
He meets Jennifer.
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- 9 comments
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- 3190 reads
The Promise, Part One
The start of a short story in four parts.
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- 11 comments
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- 3385 reads
The Saxophone ( Part 1)
My love for the Saxophone, Part one of three.
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- 18 comments
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- 5087 reads
The Saxophone ( Part 2)
It keeps coming back, this dream of playing the Sax
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- 10 comments
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- 2915 reads
The Saxophone ( Part 3, Final)
The end, or maybe not?
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- 18 comments
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- 5602 reads
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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- 24 comments
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- 7684 reads
The Story That Must be Told ( End)
It's been with me all my life. Like an old friend.
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- 34 comments
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- 11657 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2342 reads
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!
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- 23 comments
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- 7277 reads
Twitter Twatter Tales ( I.P.)
Silly bits and pieces!
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- 12 comments
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- 3907 reads
Uncontrollable Tears
Crying again, just like all the other times...
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- 7 comments
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- 2937 reads
Welcome to the Twirlies Mr Cook ( I.P.)
Short and apt story for Mister cooks birthday...
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- 3715 reads
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...
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- 18 comments
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- 5775 reads
Where Is She?
She's gone and he has to find her.
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- 5 comments
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- 2242 reads
You Know When It's Right
You just know when its right....
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- 2 comments
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- 1394 reads
You Were Gone.
Thoughts on death.
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- 26 comments
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- 8090 reads
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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- 14 comments
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- 4905 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 3237 reads
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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- 18 comments
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- 5799 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 3946 reads
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-...
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- 16 comments
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- 5733 reads
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...
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- 5 comments
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- 1854 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2407 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2389 reads
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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- 22 comments
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- 9019 reads
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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- 13 comments
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- 4369 reads
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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- 32 comments
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- 14237 reads
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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- 13 comments
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- 4373 reads
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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- 17 comments
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- 7375 reads
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...
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- 15 comments
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- 5534 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 2125 reads
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...
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- 18 comments
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- 5988 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 4082 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 2988 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 4313 reads
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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- 24 comments
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- 8700 reads
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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- 35 comments
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- 22387 reads
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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- 22 comments
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- 9095 reads
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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- 6 comments
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- 2096 reads
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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- 8 comments
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- 2212 reads
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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- 21 comments
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- 7997 reads
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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- 12 comments
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- 4783 reads
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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- 20 comments
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- 8028 reads
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...
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- 17 comments
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- 5489 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2282 reads
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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- 13 comments
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- 4250 reads
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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- 13 comments
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- 4171 reads
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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- 11 comments
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- 3669 reads
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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- 27 comments
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- 9680 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2185 reads
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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- 15 comments
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- 4738 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1857 reads
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...
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- 18 comments
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- 5419 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 2215 reads
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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- 8 comments
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- 2369 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 1960 reads
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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- 3 comments
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- 1222 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 1275 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1956 reads
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...
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- 4 comments
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- 1720 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 1544 reads
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...
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- 2 comments
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- 1131 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 1506 reads
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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- 3 comments
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- 1307 reads
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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- 3 comments
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- 1155 reads
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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- 12 comments
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- 4260 reads
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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- 11 comments
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- 2979 reads
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...
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- 1 comment
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- 876 reads
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...
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- 1 comment
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- 786 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 1037 reads
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...
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- 10 comments
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- 4268 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 1034 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 1023 reads
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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- 6 comments
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- 1971 reads
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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- 23 comments
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- 5831 reads
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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- 11 comments
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- 2959 reads
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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- 7 comments
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- 3522 reads
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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- 6 comments
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- 1965 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1912 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 1485 reads
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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- 3 comments
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- 1425 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1817 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 1723 reads
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...
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- 3 comments
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- 1709 reads
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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- 1 comment
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- 845 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 2080 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 1739 reads
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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- 4 comments
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- 2289 reads
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...
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- 2 comments
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- 1200 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 1159 reads
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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- 23 comments
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- 8382 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 2899 reads
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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- 6 comments
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- 2362 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 3968 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 3379 reads
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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- 22 comments
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- 7621 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 3034 reads
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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- 3 comments
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- 1177 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 852 reads
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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- 2 comments
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- 827 reads
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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- 5 comments
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- 1520 reads
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...
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- 7 comments
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- 2626 reads
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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- 6 comments
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- 2161 reads
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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- 10 comments
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- 3830 reads
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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- 13 comments
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- 9980 reads
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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- 9 comments
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- 4275 reads
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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- 16 comments
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- 5235 reads
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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- 18 comments
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- 8018 reads
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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- 23 comments
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- 10230 reads
The Crowd Went Mild.
The crowd went mild. It’s a great line and it’s true. I’m a big boxing fan and go to a lot of the big, and not so big, fights. Back in the day, which...
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- 7 comments
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- 696 reads
The Speedy ( Part 2).
When the Astronauts returned to Earth they were greeted like conquering heros. They went on a world tour and hundreds of thousands of people turned...
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- 14 comments
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- 1385 reads
The Speedy ( Part 3 ) Final
The Omega Speedmaster watches worn by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldin and Michael Collins were sent back to Nasa to become part of The Smithsonian Museum...
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- 13 comments
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- 1102 reads
Lenny Knows Dogs
Four dog. The four dog will win the third race. Lenny Watkins tipped it up this morning, and Lenny knows dogs. Lenny once had a next-door neighbour...
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- 8 comments
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- 600 reads
Ladies Night At The Palace
It was a busy night at The Palace. The DJ turned up the bass, and the hen parties screamed their appreciation, hundreds of heads nodding in time with...
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- 6 comments
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- 393 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 1.
I’ve been on this earth for 66 years, and I can honestly say that I remember 62 of them. The first four are a blur, I think I can remember before I...
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- 12 comments
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- 749 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 2.
I loved school. I was bright and inquisitive, and things became easy for me. Don’t get me wrong, our school was known for churning out dunces and...
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- 11 comments
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- 621 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 4.
Dad kept Pigeons. At the bottom of our tiny garden was a Pigeon Loft. Dad raced them, as did my Grandad and my Uncle George. Pigeon racing was...
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- 12 comments
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- 712 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 5.
My first teacher in the juniors was Mrs Burt. Mrs Burt didn’t like me. But, to be honest, I can understand why. There wasn’t much she could teach me...
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- 6 comments
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- 469 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 6.
The most important place in the school was “The Hall”. We had our morning assembly in “The Hall”. We had our school dinners in “The Hall” And we also...
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- 13 comments
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- 1104 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 7.
A few weeks after my ninth birthday, and with money desperately tight, Dad finally gave his permission for mum to get a job. I know that sounds...
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- 3 comments
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- 455 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 8.
A life-changing event happened for me in 1966, and it wasn’t England winning the World Cup! Mum and Dad received a letter telling them they had to...
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- 12 comments
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- 1582 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 9.
And then it happened. A life-changing event. Sometime in 1967, Mum and Dad got a letter from the council. They’d got what they wanted. An offer of a...
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- 4 comments
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- 621 reads
10 Life Lessons. Number 10.
1968 came along and suddenly I was ten years old and in my final year at Junior school. That was the first time I heard the words “Eleven Plus.” The...
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- 8 comments
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- 877 reads
Blue Whale On A Bed Of Nails
I’ve been awake since 3.45 am. I got up to take a piss and then went back to bed. Big mistake, I should have got up, made a coffee and started the...
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- 20 comments
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- 2491 reads
The Decisions Of Billy Kimble.
Billy Kimble was at a crossroads. He had a decision to make, and Billy wasn’t good at making decisions. He went to the fridge and took out his third...
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- 14 comments
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- 1285 reads
No Johnny, No! ( 1 of 2)
I met Johnny in 1997. He was one of those guys that you instantly take a liking to. We sat opposite each other at the Courier company. He worked on...
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- 1 comment
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- 74 reads
No Johnny, No! ( 2 of 2)
We kept up our meets every few months, then sometime in 2004, I met him in a bar in Fenchurch Street. He didn’t look good. He’d lost weight, which...
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- 7 comments
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- 148 reads
The Trip To Spain
I never knew my dad. He left Mum and me when I was just a year old. Mum never spoke of him, and so neither did I. A mate of mine once asked me, “Don’...
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- 10 comments
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- 299 reads