All Stories, General Fiction, Story of the Week

Bobby Aspergers by Todd Levin

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They were running everywhere, the children. There was this confident little girl running around, Judith, the one who’s name we wish we’d have thought of before Jennifer was born. She ran around within that, wearing this little pink polka dot dress. It was the kind of thing that if Patricia were here she’d talk about how she wishes she’d have been able to give it to Jennifer for Christmas and talk about how it would have suited ‘ours more’. Patricia wasn’t here today, she couldn’t be. The agency was taking off and at least one of us had to be there to man the phones and those phones had been ringing lately. It was finally working. That dream we’d had was getting there and was breaking the wall that had stopped it for the last five years. But she’d have been jealous of that kid of all things.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Seven Days … A Bag Week by Hugh Cron – Adult Content

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Monday – Shopping.

Tom knew Steve and Carol well.  They were residents where he worked. They both relied on certain chemicals to function. In fact they relied on any chemicals to function. They were rattling big time. He gave them a nod as he headed into the pound shop. They called him back. There was no way that he was going to give them any money. They surprised him by not chancing it. They shot the breeze for a few minutes and then asked what Tom was buying. He  told them he was looking for note-pads. Carol whispered in his ear that if he wanted, they would lift them and only charge him half-price.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Bubbles by Diane M Dickson

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Sylvie looked down at the dishes.  In the slightly greasy water her fingers disappeared under the foam. The light sparkled and popped as tiny globes exploded and infinitesimal rainbows vanished in the blink of an eye.

She had always loved bubbles, the luxurious bath type ones that wrapped you in a quilt of scented foam. The ones children, and sometimes Sylvie herself, made blowing through a plastic ring, and the sort that floated out of wonderful bubble machines. Of all the things she wished she had, and there were many, a bubble machine came pretty high on the list.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Story of the Week

Elsa by Tobias Haglund

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There’s a temperature – not too warm, not too cold, just right – where I am caught for hours. Thousands of tiny water drops form like islands in an ocean upon the inner wall of the shower stall. Streams run down, connecting the islands and growing bigger to eventually drop to the puddle at my feet. As the water hits my forehead, eyelids and cheeks a comfort settles, knowing no matter how long I stand here, the water won’t stop. Sooner or later all of the thousand islands will be connected and new ones will form. The streams reaching my feet will not stop streaming and the flow will keep wrinkling my hands. I lean left and the shower hits my shoulder creating a waterfall.

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All Stories, General Fiction

True by Des Kelly

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I wrote poetry for an illiterate. She was pretty. We made bad love in a goodly way. She wanted to live in a doll’s house near nesting swans. Furiously describing anxiety, panic attacks. I saw her through the night, but days went badly. Trauma for effect; the actress at her art. Drinking water from zippy bottles, dropped out the window when used up. The landlord never understood.

“You creeps gotta get out.”

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All Stories, General Fiction

For The Best by Hugh Cron – Adult content

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Minutes of Meeting dated 05.11.13. 15.30pm

Those Present:

Jane McGuire – Unit Manager

Claire Green – Assistant Unit Manager

Andrew Reid – Nurse In Charge

Peter Welsh – Health Care Assistant

Mandy Fraser – Health Care Assistant

Jean Duncan – Clerical Assistant (Taking Minutes)

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All Stories, General Fiction, Story of the Week

The Gully by Richard Ardus

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Put yourself in my position. You can’t stop thinking about something that happened here years ago, when you were just a child.

Three boys wake up one morning. Three beds vacated eagerly.

You remember the incident but never really knew the details. Not knowing means your thoughts are just looping around uselessly.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Mercy by Diane M Dickson

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Phillipa had always known that she would be a nurse. The admission tests for University were easy because she was confident, no panic or night-time angst for Phillipa. She was born to be a nurse.

The University was attached to a teaching hospital with a world-renowned reputation. It would look great on her CV as she climbed the career ladder. She was a little regretful that they weren’t required to wear caps, crisp white aprons with scissor chain attached and black tights, but she made a supreme effort with the trouser uniform and always appeared smart, clean, fragrant and fresh.

At last, at the end of the Preceptorship, which of course she had zipped through in the shortest time possible, Phillipa felt that she was at last truly “Nursing” and was joyfully taking her turn at being “Nurse in Charge”.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Everything Happens For A Reason by Adam West

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“Everything happens for a reason, Josie, is the lamest philosophy – if you can actually call it a philosophy – I ever heard.”

“I’m sorry, I– ”

“–Why do you say such things?”

“I don’t know, Steve. I thought that–”

“–You don’t think Josie. You just repeat stuff other people say. Usually stupid people.”

“That’s a bit strong, Steve, isn’t it?”

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