THE DRUNK • by Matthew Roy Davey
I left the pub before closing time — the beer wasn’t agreeable — and cut through the park. It wasn’t a great idea and I wouldn’t have done it if I’d not been drunk. The centre of the park was… Continue Reading
alcohol
ENGLAND EXPECTS • by George Hamilton
Stevie Dawes sank pints like Nelson sank ships. He drank Courage Best, three at a time, except when his guts played up, when he drank Guinness and told everyone about it. Stevie was a fixture at a South London dive… Continue Reading
THE FALL OF ROMANCE • by MFC Feeley
Watching her husband disappear into the expensive view with his empty briefcase, Janice rolled her lips between her teeth, pulled off her high heels, and uncorked the half empty bottle of wine. It was Europe after all. Europeans drank on… Continue Reading
AT FIRST SIGHT • by David Lynn Allen
He tipped the bottle straight up over the glass and shook it. Nothing came out. Empty. After a few failed attempts to set the bottle upright, he laid it on its side and watched it roll the length of the… Continue Reading
TWO GUYS WALK INTO A ROOM… • by Andrew Hart
The lawman tapped his steel-toed boot lightly against the door. It swung open, revealing two couches facing one another. The room itself was modestly clean besides a few beer bottles lying neatly in a pile in the corner of the… Continue Reading
A PRELUDE TO SOMETHING BIGGER • by Zack Peercy
“Caroline! CAAAROLINE! Hey, do you–” “Amy? Amy, whoa. Careful! Are you?” “Blasted! Toasted! Roasted! Crunk! Gone! Beyond… gone.” “Jeez, stand still! What did you drink?” “Whatever Mike put into that cup.” “Some brother.” “Some brother! My brother! He sent me… Continue Reading
THERE WERE NO STARS • by Heather Rose
Before: You met him at work. He was tall and it was hard to find a man taller than you. He was your friend. His voice was deep and with Rumple Minze and Vodka on your breath you begged him… Continue Reading
LAST CHANCE LOVE • by Mickey J. Corrigan
His head hung low over the bar, bobbing like a turtle’s from its protective shell. He’d had too many shots of Wild Turkey, too little sleep. Through squinting eyes, he watched the barmaid. Tall, broad, and middle aged hard. But… Continue Reading
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ELF ON THE SHELF • by Stephen Ornes
Becca and Carl, Becca’s second husband, were in town. Tammy and I lived in Brentwood then with three children: Two from Tammy’s previous marriage and our own feral three-year-old. Tammy used to call Carl a bottomless pit of whiskey. She… Continue Reading
MRS ANDERSON • by Anton Rose
“Coming to bed, love?” Kate looked into the other room. Darren was wearing the pyjamas he’d bought specially for the honeymoon, with blue and yellow stripes. It was almost midnight, but it was still warm inside the villa. The ceiling… Continue Reading