Scrooge removed a shilling from his purse. “Thank you for making sure my old friend Jacob rests in peace,” he said, handing the coin to the sexton. “Very generous, guv,” said the gravedigger. “And a Merry Christmas to you.” Returning… Continue Reading
“And here’s the cosy breakfast room,” says the realtor. She makes an expansive sweep with her arm. The fraudulent smile on her face doesn’t falter — even when the back of her hand smacks into the wall of the cramped… Continue Reading
Unbidden, violent thoughts crowd into my brainbox. Perhaps it’s because of this unpredictable mental state that I’m residing on Skid Row with all the other dross. It’s not even as if I initiate the violence that follows me everywhere. Well,… Continue Reading
The early December snowstorm lifted and the two hunters, lost and disorientated, were surprised to discover a log cabin slap bang in the middle of the wilderness. A signboard, set between the building’s eaves and flanked by a smoking chimney… Continue Reading
Dressed in a black cape, his hair slicked back and with plastic fangs making it difficult to speak clearly, Royston Welby suggested visiting the old Mattock residence on the edge of town. “No way!” said a young boy, part of… Continue Reading
Brendan Gatlin’s grade five Science teacher seemed unwell. In the darkened classroom his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. On his head he wore a baseball cap, the peak pulled down low over a face that was shiny with moisture. “Mr… Continue Reading
Sitting behind his computer in his dorm room, Carl Weston grinned at the email he had just received. “Mom’s inviting me home for Springberg’s ‘Dependence’ Day celebrations,” he told his roommate, emphasising the typo. On July 3rd, Carl arrived in… Continue Reading
Brad’s car cruised to a halt on the empty country lane adjacent to Leon Whale’s pumpkin field. A plump full moon rode high in the night sky, casting deep shadows around everything it touched. In the pallid moonlight, even from… Continue Reading
Elliot Kane lived in a harmless fantasy world — or so he thought. “Guten morgen!” he said to his wife, leaping out of bed the day before the anniversary of D-Day. “Good morning,” Mrs Kane replied in English. She refused… Continue Reading
April hated her name with a vengeance, and the reason was simple. On the first day of her namesake month — the month of her birth as it so happened — she was inevitably the target of every wannabe prankster’s… Continue Reading