In this collection of eleven bittersweet and thought-provoking short stories from Shawe Ruckus, the lives of everyday people intertwine, connecting with unforeseen twists and unexpected surprises.
Deftly exploring the inner workings of the human soul, this eclectic collection of modern-day dramatic stories spans genres from mystery and fantasy to science fiction and suspense. Throughout, Ruckus presents joy, sadness, a sense of longing, intrigue, and introspection in this series of stories that will resonate with readers.
In this page-turning anthology, readers will join a city worker who unexpectedly receives secret pink envelopes to unusual events. They will accompany a pub-goer who is told a tale of a mysterious couple and their penchant for origami cranes folded from cash. Readers will meet a renowned TV news anchor who is being replaced by an AI version of himself. And finally, they will encounter a mysterious woman who claims to be from the Victorian era and who longs to be reunited with her reincarnated husband.
The cast of characters in this collection of short stories for adults live their seemingly unassuming lives, which often intersect in the most surprising ways. Their secrets are told, their lives unfold, and their stories long for an audience.
In this collection of eleven bittersweet and thought-provoking short stories from Shawe Ruckus, the lives of everyday people intertwine, connecting with unforeseen twists and unexpected surprises.
Deftly exploring the inner workings of the human soul, this eclectic collection of modern-day dramatic stories spans genres from mystery and fantasy to science fiction and suspense. Throughout, Ruckus presents joy, sadness, a sense of longing, intrigue, and introspection in this series of stories that will resonate with readers.
In this page-turning anthology, readers will join a city worker who unexpectedly receives secret pink envelopes to unusual events. They will accompany a pub-goer who is told a tale of a mysterious couple and their penchant for origami cranes folded from cash. Readers will meet a renowned TV news anchor who is being replaced by an AI version of himself. And finally, they will encounter a mysterious woman who claims to be from the Victorian era and who longs to be reunited with her reincarnated husband.
The cast of characters in this collection of short stories for adults live their seemingly unassuming lives, which often intersect in the most surprising ways. Their secrets are told, their lives unfold, and their stories long for an audience.
It was one of those days when work gave me soul-ache.
I stepped out of the lift, reminiscing about my last holiday after a long session of brainstorming.
Or perhaps we should call it brain-snoring?
The lady at the reception stopped me.
'Mail for you; came in today.'
I looked at her hand, and she held out a pink envelope. The kind you could get at Paperchase three for the price of two. Or was it three for four?
I looked at the pink envelope again. It was a shade slightly darker than the Pink Panther. On it was hurried handwriting with my name only.
I took the envelope.
'You have a nice weekend then.'
I bid her goodbye, and she did likewise.
If curiosity killed the cat, what would bring about my demise?
Weighing the pink envelope in my hand, I thought.
A few weeks ago, while daydreaming at a junction near Tottenham Court Road, I saw a lamppost. On it was a small sticker ad, one of its corners hidden under a call girl's contact details.
One sentence on the ad caught my attention. 'Do you dare to put your name down here?' it challenged.
A finger with a pink nail pointed to a blank line below.
Without thinking too much, I took out my pen and obliged.
I looked at the pink envelope again, tore it from the edges, and peeked inside.
A sheet of gloss paper.
It was a ticket to a button exhibition.
How interesting...
I went to the exhibition, learnt a few things about buttons that I could brag about during happy hours, but found no appropriate occasion to do so.
That was three months ago.
A second pink envelope came, then a third, then a fourth one.
They brought me to Ascot...a secret film screening...and a specific, exotic plant in Kew Gardens.
No quotes or claims for fees ever accompanied those pink envelopes.
Pink mail...
Was it a modern, urban version of blackmail?
Surely, no one would go through all this hassle to conspire against me?
I thought about it often on my way to work on the Bakerloo line.
I once read a story about a man who received mysterious calls at midnight from someone who claimed she had psychic powers and could predict the results of horse races.
The man had his doubts but soon ditched them after he won a dozen races. He bet high and won large.
His gains continued for a while, then, one day, he lost everything.
It turned out that the so-called 'psychic' made tons of calls and told all the receivers different results, and repeated the process...
Was I falling for such a trick as well?
Two more pink envelopes came.
One day, I woke up, brushed my teeth, had my toast with nothing on it, had a cup of coffee with everything extra, and decided that I had had enough.
I stopped at the reception and inquired about the person who had delivered the previous pink envelopes.
The lady at the reception told me it was 'someone from Deliveroo'.
There was no pattern to the dates on which I received the pink envelopes.
And my meetings always kept me away from the reception area in the lobby.
One day, when I was in the middle of a presentation, I looked out and caught a glimpse of a Deliveroo rider leaving the opposite building in a drizzle.
I made up my mind, went to the nearest Ryman's during my lunch break, and bought some envelopes.
I scribbled a note, put it in an envelope, sealed it, and handed it to the receptionist, who kindly agreed to give it to anyone who tried to deliver a pink envelope to me.
Then I was called away to fix a bug in the app we had just rolled out.
That was two weeks ago.
No more pink envelopes came. No more envelopes came.
One day, I retraced my steps to a particular lamppost near Tottenham Court Road and tried to locate the ad.
Like my faintest hope for some excitement, it had disappeared as well.
Last night, I prepared another envelope, this time typed out.
My resignation.
I packed my things and was ready to leave the premises when a Deliveroo rider came in and dropped off a small, pink envelope on the reception counter.
On it, my name.
I tore it open and found a card, with a meeting place and a time.
A restaurant that I had heard of but never been to before.
Now, I am standing in front of a florist, the latest pink envelope and its contents in my hand.
'How can I help?' The florist adjusted his apron and asked eagerly.
I thought for a while. 'What flowers would do for someone you have never met?'
In this anthology collection we follow a range of different people in all walks of life, in stories that range from some being sad, some being introspective and some being more joyful to read. All of the stories tap into common themes that readers will be able to connect with, as the overarching theme that becomes apparent throughout the stories that they all connect back to the human condition in some way.
Like with all short story collections, there were some stories in this anthology that were more enjoyable than others, but there's something to be gained from all of them. The overall impression that struck me about this anthology was that it very much felt like a reaction to the COVID-19 Pandemic in a lot of ways, due to the way in which some stories in particular such as Life is Short and Bow-tie for example, focus on the idea that life is indeed short and we should spend it well, and it's not only important to grab opportunities while you can, but to support each other and be there for people when they're going through hardship in life.
This in turn seemed to the be the overarching theme throughout the anthology, in that it very much highlights the sense of community, which feels like a very relatable theme that a lot of people can connect with. Similarly linking in with that, I think another overarching theme in this anthology that becomes apparent is people's relationship with one another, as there's some stories where perhaps someone is stuck in a rut in life, some people feel like they want a fresh start. For some people they maybe become closer with one another, and then in certain stories characters can be driven apart. So you really do get a sense of the full spectrum of the human condition and what people can through during their lives.
In short, it's safe to say I would definitely recommend this to anyone who particularly enjoys reading about real life and real characters, as this anthology very taps into very recognizable themes that we can all relate to in some way. So I think for that reason, there's definitely something that everyone can get out of this short story collection.