Warning – References to suicide, bullying and self harm.
It is in the dead days between Christmas and New Year that Candy finally comes. The cat stands in the doorway, back arched, tail huge, hissing into the vacant space beside me and I know, even before I turn my head and see the pale shape in the tail of my eye, that it’s her. I am twenty-eight now, twice the age she will ever be. Perhaps I wanted to believe that she had forgotten.
Continue reading “Girlfriends by Donna Tracy”
Piling onto the sidewalk after the celebration of Mass, the chatter was all the same. Mildred made the most noise, her face turning redder with each phrase uttered. “Who does Anna think she is! Refused my hand when the priest said give those around you a sign of peace, shake hands like you mean it. Just kept her head down like she didn’t even see me.”
Continue reading “The Outsider by Tom Sheehan”
I watch the Mayor dash about the rooftop, clutching his toupee against the wind. “My building!” he says, “Grey–what have you done to my building?”
I get it. They gave him the city in decent shape; he doesn’t want it broken.
Over on the balcony, rock-megastar Alex Grey is not empathetic, mumbling: “Just hang on, brother,” his voice a rumble beneath the shrieking wind. Grey tweaks his low-E peg, plucks his tortoiseshell plectrum across the string, holds the guitar up to his ear, and nods, satisfied that he’s in tune. We’re standing on the world’s biggest amp. During the morning bustle to blockade the New York Harbor, Grey sent a battalion of roadies to lash, strap, and solder hundreds of amp cabinets to the Empire State Building.
Continue reading “Fashioned at Last Into an Arrowy Shape by Travis and Lucas Flatt”
Tick-tock tick-tock goes the Digiclock. My leg is shaking vigorously and I’m trying to get it to stop. My whole body jolts as I hear Siri’s voice. I didn’t think it’d be this soon. No time to waste in here I suppose. A lot of clients for them to get through to.
‘Next up for Reality Awakening session 1 is Ms. Isa Tinny. ‘
Continue reading “Magical Demise by Ailbhe Curran”
Yuko says she wants to wear a gray dress. I told her she can’t.
Sachiko sighed at the text from her younger sister. Yuko wasn’t even supposed to be in charge of everything, she was.
No, gray is fine, too, Sachiko texted back.
Continue reading “Hatsubon by Sarah Hozumi”
If we go by past weeks, Leila will be doing the post next week, which means, I want to mention something this week, that, if I was doing this post next week, I would have mentioned it then.
Easter is creeping up on us, just like that crazy cat Judas did to a Roman before he whispered into his ear. I don’t think he won ‘Friend of the year’ that year. Anyhow it has struck me how there aren’t many religious things in the shops. There are plenty of tacky bonnets to put on your poor old demented granny. (I still believe that should be classed as a form of abuse!) And there are loads of ‘Easter toys’ which have fuck all to do with Easter. Now-a-days, wee Johnny and Jeannie don’t get a Jesus action figure that when his side is squeezed, he bleeds from his hands and feet (Red syrup not included) they get a Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig play centre…How very Christian!
I’m thinking on organising a market stall and going to The Philippines next week to see if I can sell any of that job lot of ‘No More Nails’ that I acquired, just in case those Snowflake Millennials want a go.
…Supply and demand guys!
Anyhow onto this week’s posting number 371.
You don’t really need courage to take on some subjects, you just need to be true to the subject.
In these times of ‘Trigger Warnings’ that become a fecking half page list, the PC brigade and The Enraged, I reckon a lot of writers fear what subjects they take on. Do you know that ‘The Enraged’ get sexually aroused when they see that there will be plenty for them to be enraged about after they have read every word!
I’m not too clear if they realise what being sexually aroused is. Well not with other people.
If you have ever had this fear after writing a story my simple piece of advice is don’t be!!
If the attitudes, opinions and situations are all about the characters then you have no need to worry.
I’ve mentioned this before and we had a discussion a few weeks back that has made me re-think this. I did and am still happy with that sort of reasoning.
In one of the hostels where I worked, there was a trainer who really did know his onions. He was a Mental Health Professional and was probably one of the most knowledgeable, genuine and level headed guys that I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. He insisted that we all have our bigotries, hidden or otherwise. We all have our preferences, hidden or otherwise and we all have our fears and insecurities, hidden or otherwise. He stated that this is what makes us human and what makes us a good person is knowing how to manage these.
I know that a helluva lot of folks would be outraged at that statement and would deny any of their own shortcomings but the guy had a point and a huge set of balls for constantly saying it.
No-one should fear what they write due to us all now becoming (??) or striving to be (??) completely tolerant and perfect Human Beings.
…’Perfect’, ‘completely tolerant’ and ‘Human Beings’ are words that will never be truthful if put together and stated as fact.
A word of warning, if you’re ever tempted to write a perfect character with no prejudices from your perfect point of view, it will only be believed by a Unicorn who is in a coma after a rainbow sherbet overdose.
Okay onto this week’s stories. Two new writers, two long time friends and one of our lovely editors had their stories published over the last five days.
As always our initial comments follow.
We have a weekly constant at the moment and that is a tale from Tom Sheehan.
‘A Saddle In The Desert‘ was our first story of the week.
‘Reminds me of those old cowboy films.’
‘This held me all the way through.’
‘It flowed very well and I know this is one of those that Tom loves to write.’
On Tuesday, the imaginative and enigmatic Leila Allison privileged us with her pen.
‘The Good News Club‘ was her latest story for us.
‘Great pace.’
‘Wonderfully enthralling.’
‘The ending was solid and satisfactory.’
Our first new writer was Serenity Marshall. We welcome her and hope that she has fun on the site.
‘Waiting For Daddy‘ was next up.
‘Authentic.’
‘Serenity conveys a culture without telling us, that is well done!’
‘Poignant but the middle section with the vision of the future lifted this to something special.’
A.J. Lyndon was next up with ‘The Seventh Wave’.
We extend the same welcome to our second new writer and we hope to see more stories from both of them.
‘Not my favourite genre but this was very well done. I enjoyed it!’
‘The style suited the MC.’
‘The subject has weight.’
We completed the week with one of our most interesting writers. Tim Frank is always worth a read!
‘The Peephole‘ was published on Friday.
‘Odd! But odd in a very good way!!’
‘Loved the sentence, ‘He was a virgin, a fact he didn’t hide from his mind.’
‘Weird – But I enjoyed this!’
That’s us for another week.
Please keep / start commenting!
Is there anyone out there that would like a shot at The Sunday Re-Run – Anyone? Helllooo? Is there anyone there???
We know you read it, we can see the viewing figures so come on, give yourself a showcase to write a spiel and ask some questions on an older story that you’ve enjoyed!
Just to finish off, I have a confession to make – I haven’t read much Dickens but I’m aware of the times he wrote about.
This came to me as I was reading what our Chancellor, Richie Rishi Sunak was ‘helping’ our poorest people with. In true Scrooge McDuck style, the little arrogant’ out of touch’ millionaire two hundred times over’ wealthy fuckwit’ handed folks pennies when the economy is taking back pounds.
I have no problem with anyone being wealthy (I wish I was myself!!) but the fucking hypocrisy in that man doing a job where he is making decisions regarding the lowest earners is nothing but a fucking insult!!!
…And for the little snottery nosed, over privileged twat not to see this, is an arrogance only a British Cabinet Minister is happy to live with.
I just remembered something regarding our completely in-touch with the poor prick of a chancellor.
There was an episode of ‘Question Time’ where the panel were asked what Politician would make a good Bond and some sycophantic fuck stated, ‘I think my boss, Rishi Sunak’ would make a great Bond.’
I was nearly sick and just prayed for some audience member to shout out,
‘James Bond?? More like Pussy Galore!’
…I would have happily chipped in for their bail!!!!
Image: – Google Images
‘Çoè-àòk!?’ blurted officer Gargles.
‘Çoè-àòk!?!?’ he repeated with a bemused look. ‘How the feck am I supposed to pronounce this? Christ but these alien names would wreck your head. Why can’t they just be John or Bob for feck’s sake!?’
Continue reading “A Dose of the Glitters by Cataldo Carroll”
A Gift For Cheyenne by Nik Eveleigh is one of the oldest tales in the LS vault. Although it didn’t require carbon dating, it hails back to the week after the LS Big Bang. November 2014.
Continue reading “Literally Reruns – A Gift For Cheyenne by Nik Eveleigh”
This appointment came when light tired, this arrangement, this syzygy of him and me and the still threat of a small red star standing some time away at my back, deeper than a grain of memory. I am a quarter mile from him, hard upward on this rugged rock he could look up to if only his eyes would agree once more, and it’s a trillion years behind my head or a parsec I can’t begin to imagine, they tell me even dead perhaps, that star. Can this be a true syzygy if one is dead, if one is leaning to leave this line of sight regardless of age or love or density or how the last piece of light might be reflected, or refused, if one leaves this imposition? The windows of his room defer no light to this night, for it is always night there, blood and chemicals at warfare, nerve gone, the main one providing mirror and lethal lens, back of the eyeball no different than out front, but I climb this rock to line up with another rock and him in the deep seizure of that stolen room, bare sepulcher, that grotto of mind.
Continue reading “From an Appalachian Peak, a Small Red Star for Me and My Father by Tom Sheehan”
How he came to finding her was funny. Funny ha ha. But fuck all else about this was funny.
*
Fuck.
He dropped the key. Or the key dropped out of his hand. Depending on your level of charitability.
Double fuck and bollocks.
Continue reading “The Girl with the Feet by Jane Houghton”
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