Simon Curtis
Stories (69)
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The Caretaker’s Cottage
As an avid, if amateur student of the lesser known castles and fortified buildings of the Highlands of Scotland and sometimes the Western Isles I was delighted when I received the phone call from an old university friend of mine who had continued this pursuit of learning in this field beyond the point I had moved onto the less exciting field of agricultural marketing.
By Simon Curtisabout a month ago in Fiction
Family Heirlooms
I told mum I hadn’t been in the attic. That was a lie. I don’t know if I’ll ever decide if it was the right decision, part of me is relieved I know the truth, but I would have been a completely different person had I never known. Some people feel that when it comes to knowing your family history less is more, I chose the path where more is more. And yes, before you ask, it was my choice. Mine and mine alone. But then simply saying don’t do it doesn’t give you any sort of warning does it. It’s too absolute. Know nothing or know everything.
By Simon Curtis2 months ago in Horror
Gillik’s Grove
I’d never been in this part of the forest before. When I was a child they called it the Gillik’s Grove and told us to keep out and out of a genuine fear we all did. We all knew someone though who had been in and seen it and their stories got wilder and more unbelievable. I suppose with these kind of tales more is more. But now as an adult I didn’t come this far because it wasn’t worth the effort. I had usually managed to find enough mushrooms to keep the local restaurants supplied for a week before I got to the giant leaning Scots Pine that marked the start of the Gillik’s reputed lair. But today I was short, very short and in the mushroom business more is more so I kept on.
By Simon Curtis2 months ago in Horror
In the Shade of a Silent Night
Marley was alive: to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that. The register of his gentleman’s club was signed daily. Marley was alive as a man could be. Much to the detriment of everyone who came into contact with him, everyone but his partner and to a lesser extent, friend Scrooge.
By Simon Curtis2 months ago in Horror
Clarity. Honorable Mention in Through the Keyhole Challenge.
I’ll admit it now, I was never very good with money. I always found ways of making it, but I always found losing it equally easy. It was investments that cost me more often than not. Surefire, safe, guaranteed returns. I just couldn’t get enough of them. It’s not to say that they always came back to bite me, but they did often enough and, in the case of the most recent blip in my fortunes, I found myself living in a very modest apartment complex with more debts than furniture to comfort me. It was the resting place of any number of people who had woeful tales of misfortune, most of whom I had little time for or interest in. This is where Mrs Price differed. This lovely old lady was full of kindness, joy and generosity; she did not need to live in our sordid little grief hole but chose to.
By Simon Curtis2 months ago in Fiction
The Garden Wall. Runner-Up in Parallel Lives Challenge.
Bancross Grove was on my paper round route as a child, and I think that even then, before I had any notion of moving from my family home, it was a location to aspire to. The houses were large period villas with enormous, imposing front gardens, and the land they held at the rear was even more impressive. I’m not entirely sure how and when I made buying a house on that tiny little cul-de-sac a priority, but I did, and I strived for two decades to get there. I can still remember that feeling of being handed that bunch of keys to 4 Bancross Grove and being left in the doorway to unlock my new home and plan the next part of my life there.
By Simon Curtis3 months ago in Fiction
What happened in Brechan Woods?. Top Story - October 2025.
Every autumn, I make my way through Brechan Woods. It’s a huge place, and for those three or four months each year, it becomes my second home. I know it as well as my own garden, but don’t be fooled—familiarity doesn’t mean it isn’t filled with incredible surprises. There’s an abundance of wildlife to enjoy there: I’ve seen deer, foxes, squirrels, and countless birds. If fauna were my thing, I’d be satisfied by its variety—but I’m not a fauna enthusiast. I am a mycophile: a fungus lover.
By Simon Curtis3 months ago in Horror
