Are you superstitious? I can’t answer that because I will have bad luck for the rest of the day

Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received. The gift of life

The easiest person to forget

Deborah surveyed the blank spaces on the calendar – what a difference a year had made. Last December she had been inundated with parties, meals and nights out, but this year it was a different story. Her New Years Resolution had seen to that, it was the one and only resolution she had stuck to.

First Impressions

I’m watching you sitting opposite me, but you are totally oblivious, you have no idea and I reckon you wouldn’t even care if you did. I saw you a few minutes ago, your bodies morphed into one as you both shuffled down the tunnel to catch the tube. His arm draped around your shoulders, both

The Revenge

Amelia stared down at her iPad in disbelief, there he was, but more to the point there it was. A cold shiver coursed down her spine, sending her brain ricocheting in all directions. Suddenly her chest felt tight, and her heart pounded inside her rib cage. How could he do that? Amelia zoomed in on

The Bench

Marcus sat looking out over the beautiful shimmery water It felt good to have the sun on his weathered face, it had been cold for far too long, it was a good day to be out lapping up the sun and he had no intention of budging.. Not even for the couple who had sat

Dodging a bullet?

Like so many things that creep up on you unawares, I never saw this one coming. It was a bit like walking in front of a bus and thinking, ‘well it didn’t drive off and run me over’, only for a car to come up from behind and do exactly that. I thought I was

The long goodbye

               Phil stood in front of the large blue front door, something he had done so many times before. The difference was he used to use his own key to gain entry, it didn’t seem appropriate these days though, especially after such a long time. He could feel the impression of the key digging into

The wrong side of the law

Greg felt invincible since getting his brand new car. He had been through a speed trap, parked on double yellers and driven the wrong way down a one way street. He was invisible, there were no repercussions.           “Your cars booked in for its service, just remind me of the make, model and colour please”

The business of being a nobody

Having spent the past 20 years not working I have sometimes felt like a nobody. I reckon 90% of my friends have no clue what I did for a living before becoming a full time Mum. When you meet people the first thing they say is “What do you do?” When you say I’m a

Knock Three Times

Tony tossed in his bed, was that three times he heard a tap on the floor, or was he just dreaming. The girl was sending him crazy, he couldn’t think straight, he couldn’t eat and sleeping, well that was just about impossible. He just needed some kind of indication of how she felt. Many times

Material Girl

The disco was very crowded but she spotted him standing over by the dance floor, with a group. She had a knack for spotting them now. It wasn’t just the clothes that gave them away, it was their whole demeanour, the way they stood, the way they laughed, but more importantly what they drank. She

Billy Don’t Be a Hero

Katie stood next to Billy with her head nestled on his shoulder, the pain of his departure was almost too much to bare. Her heart ached with each passing minute, she couldn’t bear the thought that this was the last time she would seem him for a while. The thought that he might never return,

I heard it through the grapevine

Joseph Green sat on the front porch, the wooden veranda creaking with the forward and back motion of the sturdy swing. He loved to sit there penning poems, the gardenias filling the air, offering inspiration.

Lazy Sunday

Mickey laid on the ground, the grass tickling the nape of his neck as a kaleidoscope of colours filtered their way through his half open eyes. His mouth dry and parched from the night before but cured by a sip of the remnant Harvey Wallbanger that sat in a tall glass beside him, nestled in

Harbour Lights

It seemed like days since she had been standing on the shore welcoming William home again. Two months at sea was torture but the parting after three weeks together was far worse. The harbour lights twinkled through the stubborn tears that welled, holding onto her lashes like her love for William, refusing to let go.

Epilogue to dessert

Jack lined up all his utensils on the table. He had been sure to lay plastic down first in preparation. He didn’t want any splats on the furniture. Neatly spaced out with none touching, he was certainly methodical. He didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. Time was of the essence, but the job

Interview with author Kathryn Hughes

Summary This episode is also available as a blog post: https://tinaswriting.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/interview-with-author-kathryn-hughes/ Transcription

Three times round the tree

Once, twice….. dare she do it three times? Katie looked at Sophie with big, wide, brown eyes that danced with eagerness. “Go on……..go on.” Katie’s devilish smile egging her on, but all the while her sensible side resisting. “You’ve stopped, now you’re going to have to start again or it won’t count.” Sophie thought about

Riches to rags

As she shuffled down the street, pulling her ripped shopping trolley, she reflected on where she had come from and where she had been. A far cry from where she was now. Her fat, chubby wrist which was once adorned by fine, sparkly diamonds, ached through pulling the trolley. All that wrapped around her wrist

Trainer Tim and The Little People

One upon a time there was a man called Trainer Tim, he loved bright coloured trainers. He was very proud of them and people used to email him from across the world requesting personalised trainers, that was until another craze came along and orders started to dry up. One night before going to bed he

A Window to the World

Alice sat on her favourite chair in the bay window. Her eye sight wasn’t what it used to be; she couldn’t see things with clarity anymore. But then that was to be expected at her age, especially as she had Age Related Macular Degenerate. Her eye sight had been failing for many years, she had

If I were you

“If I were you.” The words rung in Celeste’s ears. They were the words she had heard so many times, each time they undermined her integrity, her self-worth and her confidence. What ever she did it never stood up to the ‘If I were you’ author. She had spent her whole life trying to live

The Postman

The familiar “plop” of the mail dropping on the mat made Sarah rush to the front door. Mixed in with the latest bills was a red envelope. She discarded the bills in favour of the plump scarlet packet. It smelt like it had been dipped in a gallon of aftershave. She drew the shimmery paper

Mum’s the word

Once upon a time we would say “Mum’s the word” It was a bond we had that meant we would not betray confidences Her Mum and my Mum, were like two peas in a pod Both strong women, both domineering, both very outspoken That was before the memories faded and dementia set in Health deteriorated

Secrets of the Emerald Circle

Behind the fans, the makeup and the courteous demeanour, envious sisters plot eternal revenge. It had been brewing for years, they had worked hard on their façade, in fact that is what had made them famous – rich and famous, but that was not enough, nowhere near enough. Underneath it all lay secrets and lies

Finding Me – Tell me your story

I have changed so much over this pandemic that I no longer know who I am. I used to be outgoing, I loved a party and was never happier planning one, but now, I’m happy to stay in and see no one. I had my birthday this week and would have gone out with friends

Pudding Surprise

He looked at his phone, turned pale, then quickly left the room. She watched him, smiling. Her plan was working, she would get her own back and he wouldn’t know what had hit him. That would teach him to stick his wick in another candle, and especially just before Christmas. She loved Christmas and this

Short Story genres

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The Huntress

She walked towards the opening of the forest. Pine trees in the deepest of green towered above her and a cool breeze rustled the branches. ‘Mother Nature at her finest’ she thought to herself as she powerfully strode on. She was on a mission, she had to find it. The rest of nature could wait.

The Call

“Hello, this is Lily from GMB, can I speak to Mr Reynolds please.” Stanley thought the caller on the other end of the phone seemed pleasant with a smiley voice, that exuded warmth and excitement but he couldn’t understand why a Union would be calling him, his working days were long over. “Yes, that’s me,

Loss

I held on to him for as long as I could; but I could hold on no longer; I could feel him slipping away from me. His grip loosened and I could feel the cold, clammy touch of his fingers brush mine for the last time; the warmth gone forever. The silvery tissue paper feel

The land of glass and night

Amelia pulled back the curtains, she wasn’t sure why people drew their curtains in the first place, there really seemed no point, as day and night merged together seamlessly, like black paint that had merged with grey. No one knew where one day started and the other one ended. Living in Tromsø, Norway during the

Turkish Delight

Tanya opened the parcel and carefully un-wrapped the delicate tissue paper, fingers fumbling with excitement. There it was – an array of sequins, velvet, and chiffon. She stepped into the black asymmetric skirt, tied the belly dancing scarf around her waist and lifted up the bra top embellished with black and gold sequins. Adding a

The Horse came back alone — Kashariyot

The Horse came back alone. It had always been a possibility but the fact Horse came back at all meant it had been a success. Three had set off Horse, Goat and Sheep, with names changed to mask their true identity. The journey had been arduous and no one really expected the mission to succeed

The Chair

Sarah sat at the head of the table, beads of sweat forming on her brow. She was trying to regulate her heartbeat with deep, long breaths but it wasn’t really working. This was the first time she had hosted this meeting and to say she was nervous was an understatement. This position was not one

Death Head Ring

Albert’s weathered fingers brushed the raised surface of the silver ring and a tear slipped silently down his cheek. He rolled his index finger around the inside of the ring, each indentation of the inscription cutting deeper and deeper into his heart. The past seventy years had not eroded the memories attached to it and

Death Bed

“Tom, quick come here,” Mark shouted his colleague, “I need you quick.”             Tom ran over to the door where Mark was standing. Smears of blood, smudged on the glass in the door. A blood curdling hand print visible from the outside, with blood smearing down the glass. With shaky torch lights, the pair gingerly

Commute – Corona Virus edition

This is an update on the original Commute

Beyond The Banyan Tree

A story about a mother and daughter

Accidental Hero

“This is pathetic, I look stupid.” Gary pulled on the red underpants and looked discouragingly in the mirror. “Apart from anything else I’m going to catch my death, and that’s not to mention the people who are going to pee themselves laughing today.” Gary surveyed his crotch area mentally putting a shield around his nether

Sunset before Sunrise

The light shimmered and danced on the rippling waves and the undulations in the sand likened to the desert. Katie sat and pondered the mirage before her. The breeze played upon her scorched cheeks reminding her of the previous day. It seemed so surreal that less than 12 hours ago she had been standing on

Bring Me Sunshine

As the hearse passed the mourning onlookers, Toby slipped a hand in his mother’s more for reassurance than anything. This was the first time he had been to a funeral and from what he’d seen so far he didn’t plan on visiting another one any time soon. There were too many people crying, too many