On the first day they got their uniforms. “I expect you elves to be clean and tidy,” said Mr Jessop to Meg, Angela and Tod. Meg liked the striped green and white tights, but was not so keen on the…
Stories published in 2019
Trev at Ivinghoe
Trev couldn’t help this feeling of exuberance as he walked round in a circle with the rest of the group on that night of nights. The 20th of December. The last night there would ever be. A minute later and…
A Gentleman’s Wager
My bones rattled like a physician’s skeleton and my limbs felt as if they had been bashed and tenderised for cooking, so exhausted was I from the journey in the stagecoach. Potholes were rife as we travelled up country towards…
When The Tide Turns
I want to run from the back exit of the nursing home to the car park, but all Evelyn can manage is a crab-like shuffle. Her wheezing giggles don’t help. “We’ll be seen for sure,” I tell her. “No, we…
The Third Favourite Wife of The Emperor
At the hoist of the red lantern, she draws the curtain of her cuff across her face, so she does not pollute The Emperor with her unworthy gaze. At His approach, she invokes the spirit of the nightingale and trills…
Timeslip
The crow lands beside me, head cocked, watching me scrape and undress the layers on the stones. Three years out of uni. and working for free this summer for the Prof. It’s a dream come true. I’m soaking wet, freezing…