Raymond G. Taylor
Bio
Author living in Kent, England. Writer of short stories and poems in a wide range of genres, forms and styles. A non-fiction writer for 40+ years. Subjects include art, history, science, business, law, and the human condition.
Stories (156/625)
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Blank page bites back
What do you write on a blank page? Oh the fear, the excitement, the anticipation of that first word, the first sentence. Fear of getting it wrong. Ordinarily, I would not be particularly phased by the prospect of a blank page or, as in my case, a blank screen. On this occasion I had taken myself away for a one-man author's retreat to a lonely cottage on Dartmoor. Birthplace of many an Agatha Christie Mystery and bleak setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles, my least-favourite work by Arthur Conan-Doyle.
By Raymond G. Taylor6 months ago in Fiction
Out of oblivion
"You don't exist." "And yet, here I am." O ~ o ~ The first time I met him I was working in London as a business reporter for the Financial Times. It was 1999. I had started to get all sorts of strange calls about the millennium bug, about the end of the world, the end of humanity and about climate change. This wasn't one of them. It was a regular call from one of my regular PR contacts. One of the more reliable PR firms in a business not noted for its reliability.
By Raymond G. Taylor6 months ago in Fiction
Cry shark
My first day as a lifeguard started with a crowded beach, a rip current, and then someone yelled, “Shark!” There were three of us on duty that day, as the tides were at their worst and we had a red flag flying. No swimming, no sailboarding, nothing afloat in the water until the current subsided. Typically, there was one Guy who just had to ignore the warnings and, from where I was standing, appeared to be flapping around in the water, possibly in trouble. Not only that, I was also the only guard near the waterline. Cassie was at the observation platform and Brad, my minder for the day, had just gone off to the restroom.
By Raymond G. Taylor7 months ago in Fiction
Stories in 100 words
A collection of Drabbles, stories written in exactly 100 words, written by the author Raymond G. Taylor. Listed in no particular order. Some you may have seen before, some will be new to you. All are written in exactly 100 words. Enjoy these satisfying one-minute reads.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Fiction
Morning refrain
Striding through the early morning mist, I was soon high in the hills overlooking the village far below. Climbing ever higher, I once again heard the mournful melody of the pipes, as I did yesterday and every day these past weeks. Again, I strode on, anxious to pinpoint the source of the lament, to discover the lone piper whose daily dirge I had come to loath and yet love. I headed down into the valley, racing the Sun’s early rays. Alas, as always, too late. As the sunshine broke over the hills, the unseen player ceased, abruptly, his woeful refrain.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Fiction
Wolf behind me
I could feel the presence, could feel it there close by, at all times. I could feel it there particularly when I wrote. As if a giant wolf stood behind me as I sat at my desk, bashing away at the Olivetti. More so when I sat there staring at the keys, wondering where to begin or how to continue.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Fiction
A world that time forgot
Captain's log, star date 2225.100 Ship has transitioned from hyperdrive and we are now in visual contact with the target exoplanet. As expected, this planet in the Vega Three Four stellar system is, like our own, largely composed of water. Early spectral analysis confirms much of what our distant-galaxy survey predicted. Planetary crust comprising tectonic land clusters surrounded by contiguous ocean. Atmosphere largely nitrogen with oxygen and other gaseous elements. Organic composition confirms that there is almost certainly life present.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Fiction
You complete me
Ah, so you finally join me after all these years… Yes, indeed, it took some time but I am glad to be here. Such a delight for me to see the gap filled. I had been grasping for a resolution toward the end of my career and now you have brought it to me. Thus may I rest.
By Raymond G. Taylor10 months ago in Fiction
