It was late July when the lead story on the Ten O’Clock News opened with a view of our historic Freewater Courthouse and reported that a local, Philip Norland, had been arrested and charged with the deliberate murder of his 17-month son. He had left the toddler strapped in his car seat to die a long painful death by overheating in a locked car in the middle of a parking lot.
“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?”
Continue reading “Everything Happens For A Reason by Adam West”
Literally Stories would like to wish our Readers and Writers all the very best for 2015.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,800 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.
When Adam West first came up with the idea for the site and drew together our little band we thought it would be fun. All five editors are passionate about Short Fiction, the reading and writing of it. I don’t think any of us realised just how much fun it would be – and how much work. We have spent many, many hours putting together a site that we are now very proud of.
Continue reading “Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year”
Week 5 saw Literally Stories publish five Christmas themed stories. We started off with a beautiful, but different take on the nativity, Mary, Joseph and the Baby. Tuesday was kind of a daze, a funny Christmas Daze that is. Wednesday saw us publish the wonderful story The Lady in the Bauble which revisited a well known tale but gave it a very personal slant. . Thursday’s story was Season’s Greeting, where we witnessed a consultant losing hope of finding the Christmas Spirit. Finally the Friday story, Reminiscing, although not strictly a Christmas theme it was all about family and how the current generation will be viewed in the future.
“Hi, Jo-Jos…er… sorry, Cas. Where are ye gaun?”
Cas glared at his cousin Mel and held back a snarl. Oh, how he hated his name Joe, Joe- fucking- King what a load of shite. His mum and dad must be a right pair of cretins to land him with that.
“I’m gaun tae visit oor Auntie Mary,” he finally replied, “gie her and Uncle Josie a wee Christmas prezzie for the new wean. Y’comin?”
Continue reading “Christmas Daze by Alexander Wardrope – Adult Content”
Week 4 started at the bottom of a rollercoaster, always a great place to start because the only way is up. The early uphill climb of Any Crow In A Storm and Dracul’s Lair was followed by Pynchon McCool: an introduction in twelve chapters. Pynchon was unlike anything else we’ve published, the clever format condensed a novel into a short story. To continue the metaphor; it was a rollercoaster within a rollercoaster.
Chapter 1
The more cynical residents of Pynchon, PA claimed jam would go out of fashion before the town boasted an inhabitant of note, but the place was very much like thousands of small towns across America. It was a fair to middling blot on the landscape with thirty thousand residents, drive-thru burger joints, and an underachieving baseball team; and its attractions included a permanent fairground of rusting carousels, a correctional facility for troublesome women, and a jam factory.
Continue reading “Pynchon McCool: an introduction in twelve chapters by Michael Dhillon”
“Baaah! I see you have entered into my lay-aargh…”
“Why do you always say it like that?”
“Lay-aargh?”
“It’s lair.” Piotr said.
“Aaah…Okay. But I don’t see why the reviews are bad. Isn’t my presence awfully scaaary?”
“Why do you wish to be scary? We’re just vampires running a hotel.”
“Aah! But all vampijours aare scary.” Vlad said.
Continue reading “Dracul’s Lair Rooms Available by Tobias Haglund”
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