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Submitted to Contest #330
Under the safety of her duvet, the little girl curled up in the light of the headtorch, gently clutching the index finger of the seven-foot-tall gorilla who had been her constant protector. His hand, enormous and clumsy gently patted her head. “Do you think they love me, like really properly?” Emma asked.“New Mother love Emma. New Father love Emma. SafeApe love Emma.” The gorilla’s voice, a rumbling thunder that would’ve terrified even the bravest men. Emma’s eyelids began to droop. SafeApe adjusted his hardhat, shining its headtorch away fr...
Submitted to Contest #327
Keeping to the shadows of the lofty courtroom, I slinked in and curled up just under Lizbeth’s feet, unnoticed. Her little legs dangled from the seat and only her mop of brown hair was visible over the banister of the prisoner’s box. John Knowle, a pious magistrate, as well versed in the law as the child he was failing to intimidate, loomed over like an exhausted black spectre. Despite his fire and brimstone approach in his cross examination of three-year-old Lizbeth, she took his allegations with a chirpy indifference that only seemed to i...
Submitted to Contest #326
At the edge of his village, where tilled soil met dense forest, Garrod drove his spade into the ground. The work was done. The earth was already ploughed by oxen, but Garrod had tilled it again. He worked for two reasons: he wanted his Martha to sleep easy. Always plagued by superstition, he had assured her the evils of the forest couldn’t cross into worked land. The woods were their domain. If we labour, keep civilized, the wilds of the forest would know they were not welcome. The second reason why he had spent more time in the field rather...
Submitted to Contest #323
The backhanded blow struck with such force Cora thought her sister may never open her eyes again. A thin stream of blood trickled from Aggie’s nose, staining the dirt beside the hearth fire. The only sound was the pop and crackle of boiling sap. “George, you don’ hit her on the face, you promised. The baths won’t take her for a maid wit’ bruises,” their mother said. “Aggie?” Cora whispered, bending down beside her sister. Aggie let out a breath, her eyes fluttered open. Groaning, she pulled herself up from the floor. Dirt and blood clung to...
Submitted to Contest #321
“The trick with doctors? Say, you’re fine but your friend, who is a doctor, is really worried about you. That’s how you get them to listen.” “Well Dad, these pills I told you the doctor put me on, aren’t legal.”The other end of the phone went silent. I waited for a response, grinding my teeth, making the problem worse; I jabbed a finger into my gums and felt around. “Why would a doctor prescribe you illegal drugs?”I sighed already regretting the call. “He didn’t dad. I get them from a guy at the gym. I need them. This job, I mean there’s c...
17:03, Zach had beaten the rush hour traffic, that much he was grateful for. He climbed out of his uber and sighed knowing a different burden awaited him. I just need some space. She can give me that at least. He looped one bag round his neck and carried the other, so tired the walk from curb side to door sent his head spinning. He let the suitcase drop from his hand and rummaged around in his pockets for his key, knowing they had fallen to the bottom of his bag somewhere. He debated whether he had the energy to go diving through a weeks’ w...
Submitted to Contest #319
The strobe lights aligned against the pitch-black backdrop before slicing through the dancefloor. Music pounded with a fevered intensity that shook the ribcage and thrummed the ear bones. It had just gone midnight, and the crowds were still being filtered in. Having waited outside for the better part of an hour they sought to drown out the concerns of there lives through the all-consuming build and release beats played without pause. That wasn’t the only hook the club offered, the lure was more than simply extortionate drinks and amorous str...
Submitted to Contest #318
“Hear that metal sing!” Cried Matthew as his son and pride Henry brought down his hammer on the white-hot iron, sending a molten hail of sparks through the muggy June air. He was in his fourth year of apprenticeship to his father, and the hard work had put lean muscle on him, much to the delight of the village girls. Often finding every excuse to come by bringing refreshments and praise. All if which Henry took with an abashed naivety that came with early adolescence and a firm clap on the back from his father. Who would often slip him a pen...
Submitted to Contest #317
“Yeah, yeah, I know mate the end is nigh, we’re all doomed. Foxes in the hen house. Just move on.” The imposing train guard towered over the meek, stinking man hugging his sign in a fevered desperation. The guards bald head was crinkled with a barely contained rage. He often told me was all just for show, especially when I would ask him about taking things too far. People were unlikely to cause trouble for such an aggressive man of his size but when it happened it was hard to tell were the act ended. “Alright Mick,” I said. “Let me talk to h...
Submitted to Contest #316
Brian Davenport sat in a toilet cubicle staring intently at a small pocket mirror, yanking at the skin of his cheeks. He had been assured by his postmortal rehabilitation officer that his body would not deteriorate anymore after his diagnosis. This didn’t stop him from poking and prodding his skin or from constantly checking any reflective surfaces for signs of rot. His eyes looked a little cloudy today, although that may be due to his lack of sleep. He had been woken in the early hours by his usual nightmare, chatting with his coworkers whe...
Submitted to Contest #313
A stifling waft of hot air hit them as they entered the arcade. Immediately every sense was overwhelmed by strobing neon lights, Blaring, Looping jingles, electric whines and of course, the overall stickiness of the place. “Nathan, get us some drinks.” Mike ordered, already on his way to hog Streetfighter. Sam gave him an apologetic shrug before joining Mike at the machine. Nathan debated if he should just leave. It was loud, he wasn’t sure his friends wanted him there, but it beat the hell out of letting his anxiety spiral out of control. ...
Michael Paced the full length of his cell, the full length being a little more than five steps before facing the peeling stucco wall and turning. His cell mate Playboy as he called himself who’s actual name was Nolan rolled over and pulled his bedding over his head. He knew his constant pacing was annoying him, he had been here eight months and had already seen what a small annoyance could lead to. He had led much of his life trying to avoid confrontation with people, today he simply didn’t care. For the first time in his life, he had abando...
Howard Carrick stood over his kitchen counter dropping pills into his medication box. Pills to manage his arthritis, pills for his cholesterol, pills to manage the side effects of other pills. The sheer amount for a single week was baffling. When he dreamt about his retirement years his pictured feeding the ducks or going fishing with a pile of grandchildren, even if he had any he doubted they’d enjoy “sort grandad’s pills out” much. Connie, Howard’s wife swept into the kitchen, she flicked on the kettle and gave him a peck on his cheek. “T...
Submitted to Contest #311
A scruffy looking youth cycled furiously through the park, not bothering to hold the handlebars as he unwrapped a chocolate bar. He threw the packet into the duck pond before swerving, narrowly missing two ladies. Not even acknowledging his near collision he cut across the grass. The wrapper floated amongst the lily pads, its bright silver in stark contrast to the soft greens. “What’s your take on public whipping?” Cissie asked, watching the youth cycle away. “I’m all for it, although I’m not sure it would make much of a punishment for some ...
Submitted to Contest #310
“Do you really have to name the place after June?” Her mum asked, crossing her chest.“Yes, I do. I think she’d would have loved it.” Tina said.“It feels like a bad omen.”“How can my sister’s memory be a bad omen?” She shot back.“Because of me.” Her mother simply stated. A wave of guilt crashed over Tina; she decided to let it drop. The disappearance of her younger sister June had caused her mother to withdraw completely. She had spent years blaming herself. When it got too much Tina left for London, her mother had retired in the little costa...
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