General Fiction, Short Fiction

Bird by Danielle Burke

We are gathered here. Waiting for the opportunity. The younger one thinks we are loathsome, ignorant creatures, but the old woman knows better. 

***

Ava Nash finally possessed almost everything she knew she deserved. 

She thought back to the winter, to the morning her landlord, Philip, had accosted her. 

“Don’t think I’m going to be persuaded once again by you blinking those pretty blue eyes at me, unless there’s going to be more to follow,” he leered. “Rent’s due by tomorrow at 3:00. If it’s not in my hand by then, we’re going to have to work out another arrangement.” 

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All Stories, General Fiction

The Lives of Gadu Tom Phillips

Everyone knew Gadu told lies. But  no matter. He was an artist, and while nobody believed he’d run a cocaine factory in the Bolivian rain forest whilst living with an uncontacted tribe or been chief stone mason during the reconstruction of Mostar’s Stari Most, his stories were hilarious.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Humour, Short Fiction

Masquerade by Roger Ley

The seed was sown when Riley joined the amateur dramatics group. He had played a couple of minor roles, first in a Sheridan play then in a Dickens, when the email arrived from the am-dram group’s administrator. It was forwarded from a film company needing extras for a few days filming in the local market town. He arrived at the crew’s temporary encampment in the central car park and was told he would be playing a policeman. He hadn’t worn a uniform since he’d been a scout and was surprised by the feeling of empowerment it gave him. The helmet, the collapsible truncheon, the mock pepper spray, it was a new dawn, he felt marvellous, confident. He was somebody, he was a policeman.

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