Timothy, Sarah and Edward are a tight-knit and loving little family, regardless of them not being actually related. Having run away from their children’s home and found themselves living under a cobblestone bridge, they’ve learned quickly how to become independent. But is independence all it’s cracked up to be? Is it okay to turn to adults for help? And will the three of them find it within themselves to let go of their difficult pasts and open themselves up to the possibility of a new life? Continue reading “Wish Upon a Leaf by Teresa Grabs | Book Review”
Author: Ellie Scott
Ellie Scott is a freelance copywriter and fiction writer from Sheffield, UK. She writes speculative and silly short stories and flash fiction. In 2018 she was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize Short Story Competition and published her first book, 'Merry Bloody Christmas: A Short Story Collection'. You can often find her hanging out on Twitter (@itsemscott), Instagram (@tinysillystories) and Medium (@elliemaryscott), or hibernating on her sofa with a book and a very large glass of gin.
The Mug | Flash Fiction
The mug sits unwashed on the kitchen table, a layer of white fuzz growing on the surface of the dregs of tea inside it. A smudge of lipstick is on the rim, and there’s a fingerprint made in chocolate on the handle.
The rest of the kitchen is pristine. Every single other mug, cup, glass, plate and bowl is dutifully washed, dried and put away immediately after use. But the mouldy mug remains on the table, as it has for three weeks now.
Singing for Satan | Microfiction
The pentagram was laid out on the floor, the candles were lit, and the sacrificial frog was ribbiting his last in his cage.
All that was left to do was sing.
She took a deep breath and began to croon, eyes closed in concentration.
The devil appeared in a cloud of red smoke. Continue reading “Singing for Satan | Microfiction”
Nice Pair | Microfiction
“Nice pair,” said the checkout boy.
The customer gasped. “How dare you? That’s completely inappropriate. I came here to shop; I don’t expect to be drooled over by an employee who is at least half my age. Disgusting. I want to speak to your manager immediately. What a rude young man.”
The checkout boy pointed to the produce in her basket. “I meant your fruit. The pear? Looks good. They’ve just come into season, right?”
When the Shoe is on the Other Hoof | Microfiction
The horses neigh and whinny furiously, wielding their betting slips between their teeth as they stare at the television screen.
“Go on, you can do it!”
“That’s it, you beauty! Faster. Go faster!”
“Kick. Kick, dammit. Buck like your life depends on it!” Continue reading “When the Shoe is on the Other Hoof | Microfiction”
Friend Request by Laura Marshall | Book Review
When Louise receives a Facebook friend request from a high school classmate, a dark, long-held secret is catapulted to the forefront of her mind. The classmate in question is Maria – a girl who went missing and was presumed dead all the way back in 1989. Is someone playing a sick prank? Does somebody know of Louise’s horrifying secret? Or is Maria still alive and looking for revenge? Continue reading “Friend Request by Laura Marshall | Book Review”
She’s Nine, She’s Not an Idiot | Short Story
“There’ll be hell to pay.”
“Looks like it.”
“She had it last when we were at the supermarket. You’ll have to go out and look for it.”
Dad groans. “Have you seen the time?”
“She won’t sleep without it. Which means we won’t sleep without it.”
“She’s far too old for a blankie, anyway. Maybe it’s an opportunity for her to give it up. We could tell her that now she’s nine years old, her blankie knows she’s far too grown up to need it anymore. And that it’s gone out into the world to find a new little baby to comfort instead.”
Mum snorts. “She’s nine, she’s not an idiot. Look, she can give up the blanket in her own time, but I will not be having a tantrum on a Saturday night just because you were too lazy to go out and find it.”
“Why can’t you go out and find it?”
“Because there’s a bottle of wine in the fridge with my name on it.”
“Have you got blankie yet?” comes a forlorn call from the bedroom upstairs.
Dad sighs. “I think it’s in the car, sweetie,” he shouts back. “I’ll go out and get it. Hold tight.”
Get Your Money’s Worth | Flash Fiction
“I won’t take them off. I refuse to.” She folds her arms and glares at her husband. “And anyway, it was you who told me I should wear them all the time. ‘If you’re going to spend hundreds of pounds on shoes, you better wear them every single day and get your money’s worth,’ you said. So I did. And now you’re blaming me for this mess.”
“I didn’t mean literally every day.”
“But that’s what you said!” Continue reading “Get Your Money’s Worth | Flash Fiction”
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch | Book Review
Jason Dessen pops out for a quick drink one night when, on his way home to his wife and son, he is kidnapped at gunpoint and knocked unconscious. He awakes in a lab surrounded by complete strangers, all of whom seem to know exactly who he is. His wife is not his wife, his son doesn’t exist, and he is no longer a mere physics professor. He has been transported to a world in which is life is not quite his own, but which could have been his had he made some very different decisions many years ago. Continue reading “Dark Matter by Blake Crouch | Book Review”
Blame the Parents | Microfiction
It was with sheer desperation that Ally called the Life Coach.
“I can’t make friends,” she blurted down the phone as soon as her call was answered.
“You can’t make friends?”
“No matter how hard I try, no matter how many times I strike up conversation, no matter how kind or funny or interesting I try to be, I simply can’t make friends. People can’t get away from me quick enough.”