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

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, Horror

The Whereabouts of Mrs Trisha by W D Frank – Adult Content

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I withhold tears as I peer into the furious blue eyes of my runaway lover. His rugged, masculine body is chained to the behemothian memorial stone of a literary legend, yet his murderous vows continue to escape effortlessly. I murmur wryly as I brush my fingers across his exposed nipples and entertain an intense bombardment of blissful necrophilia fantasies.

“What a waste all of this is… I am breaking off another physical relationship and degrading a historical artifact simultaneously. Where did we go wrong, Ed? Why are you acting like such a monumental tosser!?”

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All Stories, Science Fiction

Lissa’s Flight by Diane M Dickson

DSC_0592Lissa felt old.  Her bones were tired and her soul weary. Mama and Baba had been long gone and she had spent countless years alone in the dark, cramped place where they had all existed.

The three brief occasions when she had gone “up top” were her dearest memories.  In the deep of the night, when the gangs roamed outside the draughty windows and the spotlights from the Enforcer’s wagons slid across the walls, scaring the cockroaches and scorpions, she would close her lids and take her thoughts to the sun-kissed meadow and the startling blue of the sky.

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All Stories, Science Fiction

Lissa’s Moment by Diane M Dickson

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“Lissa, wake up.”

The child opened her eyes, night goggles hid her father’s eyes, mirrored ovals  glowed on his face.  “Come on my love, get up”

“Baba, the siren didn’t sound, we are early.”

“Yes, but it’s time.”

“Michael, she’s frightened, don’t alarm her.”

“Hush woman.”  The tall figure turned to his wife, he reached out, the gesture softening the impact of his words.  “Are you ready?”

“I am.”

“Bring the clothes for Lissa, don’t forget the gloves and the headset.”

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All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller, Story of the Week

The Front Page by David Louden – Adult Content

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The nags were against me. Six races. Six bets. All blown out before the finishing line. I’m going to change bars, I told myself, this place is bad fucking luck for me. Superstition and gambling become more impassioned bed fellows the worse your luck is – and mine, mine hadn’t seen anything to show for it in months.

I sat at the bar in the Front Page cursing my luck, cursing the Racing Post, cursing the barman who had talked through the back page of form listings and most probably caused me to rush to a decision when time and a clear head was required. As the stranger pulled up a seat beside me I cursed him too. Wednesday afternoon, quite possibly the quietest time in a bar’s week and in a room full of empty, cold seats this prick parks up alongside me.

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All Stories, Romance

Greek Oranges by Diane M Dickson

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Michael peeled an orange for me.  Late summer or more properly early autumn and we had rented a villa in Greece, seven of us all from the same year at uni.  A research trip, nominally, but the sunshine and the pool and the late warmth were a bonus.  Paul didn’t come, he had been seeing practice all summer with a large animal vet near home which resulted in tickets for the races, tickets hard to come by and therefore precious that he didn’t want to waste.

Michael and James arrived later, driving a silly little hired car.  They brought with them laughter and cheap wine.

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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, Story of the Week

Season’s Greetings by Tobias Haglund

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Simon sat at his desk. His boss Michael walked in.

”It’s approaching the holidays.”

”You mean Christmas?”

“No, we can’t say that.”

“Because we don’t want to offend other religions?”

“We don’t want to offend large groups of consumers, yes.”

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