Joe Young

Joined June 2022

117 stories

Bio

Blogger and freelance writer from the north-east coast of England

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Honorable Mention in Absurdist Awakening Challenge

Stories (117)

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I Finally Gave In to ChatGPT
With the coming of ChatGPT4, I decided it was finally time I checked it out to see what all the fuss is about. I signed up to the earlier version, and set about putting it through its paces. Here's what I requested, what I got, and what I thought.
By Joe Young3 years ago in 01
Jeffery Brakelight Breezes Through Life, Part 2
One rather crisp Saturday morning in December found me down at the local library, returning a book that was several weeks overdue. The tardy tome had fallen between the bars of the headboard one night, and it lay hidden from view until I received a letter from the library reminding me of its existence. A prompt search turned up the missing volume, and I returned it to the Dewey Decimal fold the very next day.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
If You Want a Tidy Apartment, Buy a Crap Computer
The home in which I grew up was generally a tidy place. The living room was always spotless, and my mother was a stickler for washing the pots right after a meal. Her assiduousness, however, doesn't appear to have rubbed off onto her offspring. The bedroom I shared with one of my two brothers was often an eyesore that let the side down badly.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
The Siren Skylark
Sixteen-year-old Frankie walked along the makeshift road under the intense heat of brilliant sunshine. He proceeded beneath the cloudless sky with little enthusiasm as dry, cracked boots clumped against dry, cracked earth. A dumper truck overtook him, coughing out a cloud of black diesel smoke that failed to disperse in the windless air. As he walked through the cloud, Frankie wafted it away with a wave of his arm that revealed a damp sweat patch under the sleeve of his grey T-shirt.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
The Lost Plimsoll Monologue
It came and went without much fuss really. There was the predictable ribbing at work, about bus passes and Zimmer frames, and young Eric, the office wag, chipped in with his two penn'orth. He announced, in a sober tone, that as I had now turned sixty, I would be required by law to display a trilby hat in the rear window of my car to alert those behind that my responses may not be as sharp as they once were. Alice brought in a chocolate Swiss roll at lunchtime, which was good of her, and we each had a slice as they sang Happy Birthday. Other than that, the day passed without note.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
Childhood Christmas Memories
They say that as we get older we remember things from childhood with more clarity than recent events. I don't know how much truth there is in that but I have certain memories from when I was a child that are really quite vivid. Then again, there are some events that I have no recollection of as I was too young to remember them, but I can assume they happened because I was told about them. I would never have known about those happenings otherwise.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
Jeffery Brakelight Breezes Through Life: Part 1
In anticipation of a predicted heavy overnight frost, I was filling the old hot bag with water from the kettle, which was just off the boil. As I poured, I diverted the merest splash of hot water into my nightcap whisky, which stood on a table nearby. My plan was to lay the filled hot bag under the duvet, and then after I’d sipped my whisky I’d retire to a nicely warmed bed.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
Money Laundering for Dummies
I felt truly sorry for our Sylvia, as I watched her prod the remains of a kipper on her plate with a fork. She wore a vacant expression as she stared down at the half-eaten fish, for which she had no appetite. It was as though she were in a trance.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
The Past is a Foreign Country
On hearing a noise from the vicinity of the kitchen, Barbara stopped chewing her sandwich and muted the television. After a brief silence there came the cry, Only me!
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
Memories of England's 1966 World Cup Win
As I type, I am one of a dwindling number of Englishmen who saw his country win the World Cup, live on television. Of course, that stock may be greatly replenished in the coming days, if England win the tournament.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Cleats
Improve Your Writing by Choosing the Correct Word
Mama Just killed a man Put a gun against his head Pulled my trigger Right Said Fred Did that last line jar? Did it cause you to narrow your eyes, as it doesn't belong there? As someone who was taught certain rigid rules of grammar as a child, I often come across similar intruders in these less formal times.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Education
The Maths Teacher
The midnight silence on Bracknell Terrace was broken by the clip-clop, and occasional scrape, of Sally's high heeled shoes as she and Vic made their way along the empty street. They passed identical houses and assorted parked cars, as they walked towards Vic's home following a drinking session at the Turk's Head. Both were in a state of inebriation.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction