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Weekly Contest #312
I was entranced by the house. With its wraparound porch, octagonal turret and stained-glass windows, it looked like an illustration from one of my story books. The front door creaked as my father opened it.“Go and find your bedroom,” he said, laughing. “You’ve got plenty to choose from.”I rushed up the magnificent walnut staircase which curved up from the black and white tiled hallway and wandered in and out of echoing empty rooms. At the end of the corridor,a narrow staircase led to a small room in the turret. With windows and window seats ...
Weekly Contest #311
Kate adjusted her uncomfortable black dress. Still bleary from jet lag, she felt out of place and overdressed. Her Aunt Felicity’s portrait gazed down from an easel on a small stage at the end of the room. The others milling around were those Kate would normally have referred to as geriatric hippies. These were not the kind of people Felicity would have been befriended in the past, but then Kate had not seen her aunt for three years. News of her death from a sudden heart attack had been a shock.Kate jumped as someone tapped her on the should...
Weekly Contest #310
Dana had stared so long at the computer that the numbers on the screen were beginning to swim. She sighed with relief as the bell over the shop door jangled and Mrs. Busby entered. Hiring Mrs. Busby was one of the few decisions she had not second guessed since leaving her law career to start the bookshop in an abandoned High Street grocer’s shop in the scenic town of Little Brooking.“Hello, love. Let’s have a cuppa before we start work. I'll put the kettle on.”“If we have work,” Dana said.Mrs. Busby bustled around in the kitchen making tea. ...
Weekly Contest #309
A group of three smartly dressed young men exited the office building lobby. Nan had seen them before, but the staff were usually long gone when she arrived to start her cleaning shift, and she had no idea which office they worked in. They left a trail of dirty footprints across the newly mopped marble, oblivious to the wet floor signs. Gritting her teeth, Nan wrung out her mop and started again. None of them glanced in her direction, much less apologized. Glaring after them as she finished mopping, she stretched to relieve her aching back. ...
Weekly Contest #308
“Please be in, please be in,” Kitty muttered to herself as she rang the doorbell, gripping her backpack. She had been brought up by her mother, ironically the most thoughtless person she knew, to believe it was extremely inconsiderate to show up anywhere without an invitation. The door opened and her grandmother Polly appeared, looking puzzled, then delighted.“Kitty? What a lovely surprise. Come in, come in.”Kitty fell into her arms, weeping.“Gran, I’m sorry I didn’t call first, and I haven’t been in touch for ages, but I didn’t know where t...
Weekly Contest #299
Libby sighed as she parked at her grandmother’s house.“I’m a horrible human being,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t believe it’s been six weeks since I visited Gran…”She snapped out of her guilty reverie as someone rapped on the car window and called her name. It was Annie, her grandmother’s friend of many years.“Annie! I was miles away, sorry.”Annie eyed her in concern. She was a petite lady with snow white hair and piercing blue eyes.“I’m here to see your grandmother. I’ve been trying to visit most days.”“I feel terrible. I’ve been meani...
Weekly Contest #297
Harold shifted, trying to get comfortable. The hard seats in the auditorium made his hips ache, and his ears were ringing. The ancient speakers alternated between blasting the music at top volume and descending into a painful screech. His wife Mavis nudged him hard with her elbow.“Harold, stop squirming. What is the matter with you? Do you need to go to the bathroom again? I've told you to get your prostate checked, but you never listen,” she said in a stage whisper.“Do you think you could say that just a little louder? I think some people ...
Weekly Contest #295
Jessica jumped back as her Aunt Sarah hurtled out of the kitchen and hugged her.“Good news. I’ve got my biggest catering job yet.”Jessica gently disentangled herself from her aunt’s embrace, led her to the couch and sat her down.“Great. You’ve worked so hard to create your business. I’ll help you set up and serve.”“You don’t mind? That would be wonderful,” Aunt Sarah said, beaming. The next moment her face fell.“Well, it’s sad news too, I suppose, though not for me because I didn’t know him…well, nobody knew for years if he was dead or alive...
Weekly Contest #281
Monica stepped onto the verandah, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fireworks had just gone off to celebrate the New Year of 1922. For a moment, the explosions had returned her to her nursing days at the front lines and her heart was still pounding. She pulled her wrap around her, shivering in the frosty air. The older guests had departed. Inside the house, her sister Dalia was rolling back the carpet with the assistance of her friends and cranking up the gramophone. Soon the frenetic strains of ragtime filled the air, punctuated b...
Weekly Contest #280
“Helen? Is that really you? I thought it was, but there’s something different about you. You look amazing.”“Oh, hi, Diana. Yes, it’s really me. Pull up a chair. Have you eaten already or would you like to join me?”“I just ate. I came here with some of the girls from the country club. We’d heard this restaurant was amazing.”“You were right. My meal was delicious. Let’s order dessert. My treat.”“Oh, I’d love to, but I shouldn’t. Larry notices immediately if I gain an ounce. I’ll just have a black coffee.”“I am going to have a large slice of th...
Weekly Contest #279
Gerald looked up as his wife Kristy came into the living room. To his surprise, she was wearing her coat and carrying a small suitcase.“Where are you going?” he said. “Did we have plans, and I forgot?”“I am going somewhere,” Kristy said. “I think I want a divorce, and I need a break to think about it.”“What?” said Gerald, bewildered. “What did I do wrong? We haven’t even had an argument.”“It might be better if we had. You are such a doormat,” she said with a sigh. “I kept hoping you had a personality, but all you do is agree. I ask what you ...
Weekly Contest #277
Queen Clementina hurried back to her chambers, plunked her crown down on the table, shed her dress and kicked off her tight satin shoes as fast as she could. She put on her house slippers and fluffy dressing gown and gratefully sank into her armchair. Her maid Dulcie tutted as she scurried around picking up discarded items of heavy, jewel encrusted clothing.“I know, I know. I should be more careful, but they’re so darn uncomfortable to wear. Bring me a large, cold Chardonnay and my magic mirror when you’re done hanging those up, there’s a lo...
Weekly Contest #275
I didn't believe in the supernatural until I met Dan. We worked in the same coffee shop at uni. I was studying English lit. He was in Fine Arts. There was something of the tragic poet in his dark good looks. His habitual melancholy fascinated me immediately, although he was so reserved that we never talked about anything other than work issues. I heard my late mother’s voice one evening when we were closing the shop.“Be careful. He has a lot of trauma in his past. Stop trying to rescue all the wounded birds.”I shook my head to clear it.“He’s...
Weekly Contest #270
Jasmine whistled as she walked towards her grandmother’s house, hoisting her backpack a little higher on her shoulder. It had been a brutal semester, and she was ready to be spoiled for a few days. Her grandmother Peggy lived in a cul-de-sac of modest one level houses designed for the elderly. She had moved there a few months ago after being widowed, giving up the large house she had shared with Jasmine’s grandfather.“I love this small house. It takes no time to clean,” she said to Jasmine not long after moving in. “Now I can watch whatever ...
Weekly Contest #268
12, Parsons Lane,Marshton,September 19, 1924Dear Lesley or Leonie,Or whatever you are calling yourself now. It’s me, Rosalind from Marshton village. I remember you with a runny nose and holes in your shoes at Marshton Primary School, though I know you’ve come up in the world since those days. I see your new film is coming out next month. I am sure it will do right well. You probably would like to show off to all your old school friends, dressed up in a fur coat and all the jewelry and that at the premiere in London. But it’s funny how y...
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