New Stories

short stories

Cherry

A and E

Friday and Saturday nights are always the worst. Jack has learned how to differentiate the time wasters from the really sick. He wanders through the waiting area, trying to do a bit of triage.
Cherry

A Funny Thing Happened

I’ll tell you the funniest thing that ever happened to me. I got trapped underneath a Christmas tree. It was back in the eighties.
Story of the week

Angel Hair

Jack Shipley doesn’t know that the image he’s about to capture will, within a week, be familiar to everyone who reads newspapers.
Cherry

Bad Barbara

With apoloogies to anyone called Barbara!
Cherry

Crayons

He is concerned, he says, pushing the drawing towards her across the table. She glances at it briefly, without bothering to pick it up and, seeing nothing remarkable, looks up at him.
Cherry

There's Something About Carly

Jamie saw her first...Not that David will let something like that stand in his way. What David wants he usually gets. And anything he can't get his mum gets for him.
Cherry

The Day I Killed Father Christmas

I had killed Father Christmas. Not on purpose, but he was still dead. He lay still on the pavement and blood had turned his beard pink.

Lying For Beginners

Lily's not stupid. She knows the difference between the truth and a lie. But she also knows it's not always best to tell the truth. Sometimes it just makes things worse.

Gloria

Gloria - A Study In Jealousy

Mrs Partridge

My new favourite word is ‘acrimonious’, which is probably quite an unusual word for a ten year old boy to know. But then I’m quite an unusual ten year old boy.
Cherry

The Pen

Rose likes to spoil things for Emily. She's always done it, for as long as they've been friends.
Cherry

Football

The scene was a familiar one. Only the victim differed from performance to performance.
Cherry

Let's Start Again

Competition Entry
Story of the week

Ruined

A story about the joys of being an only child.
Story of the week

The Secret

Father bangs down his fists on the table in front of him, and Enid gasps. People turn to look at her, and she is sure they can see her thoughts, which are not the right ones.
Cherry

The Happiest Day Of My Life

Sandra’s the first adult I’ve spoken to in weeks. Her cardigan’s buttoned up wrong and she’s wearing half her lunch down her top and the other half stuck between her teeth.
Gold cherry

Summer Lessons

A story for anybody old enough to remember the oppressively hot Summer of 1976! It's fiction, by the way!

Who's Afraid Of The Easter Bunny?

Daniel Williams is a bully. He always has been, ever since we were in nursery together. My teacher says ‘bully’ isn’t a helpful label.
Gold cherry

Ten Tiny Tales (IP)

Ten very short stories, and only one of them autobiographical. And no, I haven't counted the characters. They're short enough for me!
Cherry

Trouble

“You’ve got a tongue in your head” snaps Granny, in a voice that makes Sarah think she doesn’t like her very much. Granny says that Sarah is ‘acting shy’, and it makes her cross.

Demolition

In the corner, a time bomb ticks, cunningly disguised as a small boy. I pick up the register. Most of my flock are into the routine now. They wish me a cheerful good morning.
Cherry

Trust

The buckle on his belt glistened as he fastened it. Roughly, he jerked the curtains open.
Gold cherry

Jennifer Twigg, Kate Bush and Me

‘You’re one of them, aren’t you?’ Jennifer Twigg, flanked as usual by her henchwomen, spread the palms of her hands on my desk and leaned forward to smirk into my face.
Cherry

Grandma's Curse

Grandma peered at the clock over the top of her glasses.
Cherry

School Night

Afterwards, Karen will blame Ray for what happens. She hates it when Doug brings his mates home, and she especially hates it when he brings Ray. She is already on her third glass of wine.