Short and Sweet TOO

Here is a collection of some of my short stories, for publication in a book later in the year... perhaps. The above illustration is my first attempt at the cover design. What do you think? The "Please do not lick..." line is from an Andy Warhol painting: Please do not lick this page. Here is the provisional list of stories. Those without a link are not currently available on Vocal. I would be grateful for any feedback on the cover design, the title of the book (there is a Short and Sweet 'one'), or choice of stories or running order. Please add any comments below below.

Thanks for reading

Stranger on the shore

It started out as a barely-remembered, hazy and confused dream about standing in front of a canvass, painting a seascape at night. The painting was very much a vague outline and I completely forgot about the dream as soon as I got up in the morning and drank my first cup of strong black coffee. It wasn't until about two weeks later that I had a second dream.

Just one last job

No more writing assignments. That is what I promised myself. I had ‘retired’ as a freelance journalist and tech author to work on my new novel. Why, then, was I considering this job?

Telltale crimson trail

I'd seen gray snow, I'd seen brown, mushy snow on the highway. I'd seen yellow snow too, but this was the first time I had seen pink snow. The sight of it turned my stomach. The crimson stain had grown into a shadow, an outline, like an island. The spatter from the blow had left a telltale bloody trail leading away from the gaping wound in the victim's head.

The long walk outside

"Hey, Soldier! Where are you off to?" "I am just going outside and may be some time."... "Well take that shovel with you. And be sure to dig deep."

The long walk outside was submitted to the snow micro challenge. I found the painting, by John Charles Dollman, to illustrate the article. Such a painting could also be used to provide inspiration for a story about one man's struggle against the elements, sacrifice and comradeship. What do you think? Why not enter the Girl with a Golden Earring challenge and submit a story inspired by, or based on, a painting or other work of art?

Dark Clouds Gather

A tale of witchcraft and a battle against dark forces in the provincial town of Guildford. Suburban sorcery in Surrey.

The inside job

I was nervous as hell that day. It had all been arranged. As one of only three senior executives with access to the strong room combination, I was alone out back with Christmas takings of over $2.5m in used notes awaiting cash-in-transit collection. The heist mob agreed a cut of $250,000 to me as the inside man.

To the heavens above

Just one minute from lift-off. Inhaling deeply, filling my lungs, I am rigid. Without thinking, I hold my breath.

Cottage in the forest

A weary traveller is offered succour by a charming old lady living in an isolated cottage

Christ has set us free

"You put that whip down, or y'all be sorry." "I'll be sorry? Not as sorry as you will, boy!" With that, young Freeland raised the horsewhip and threw a mighty wave of the whip's end at me. Flinching, I felt the sting of a cut across my shoulder. Before the man could raise his arm again for a second blow, I was upon him and knocked him clean off his feet, as my fist drove into his jaw.

Twilight terror

"It's a girl!"... "What is? What's a girl?"... "That is, that creature out there, trampling though our roots and stumps, below our blessed leafy canopy. A horrid nasty little girl."

Roulette Russe

Midnight. Spinning the chamber, my doubts must have been amplified by the tense expression on my face, though I tried to disguise my disquiet. I thrust the barrel end against my temple, looking my antagonist directly in the eye. I squeezed the trigger – CLICK!

Dreams in which I'm dying

All I could hear was a rushing, roaring sound, like a waterfall or a drum roll, or maybe a radio not quite tuned in. The noise blotted out all other sound. I thought I had seen a bright flash of light. Perhaps it was lightning, a distant thundercloud. I tried to open my eyes without success. There was a vague notion of someone speaking but I could discern nothing meaningful.

Burial at Beckenham Parish Church

Parson William Hogarth stands at the lychgate of Saint George's church, awaiting the burial party with some foreboding. He hopes the mourners will at least be sober.

Back to school blues

Why is Susan so worried about going back to school at the end of the summer? She won't say.

The Plumes of Enceladus

Deep within the cloudy mass of Saturn’s E ring is no place to discover your Ship Nav is failing. Particularly if you are accelerating toward an icy world below.

Two's company

A married couple take a friend on a weekend trip to an isolated cabin in the snow. A story of betrayal and revenge.

Lord help poor fishermen

Ambitious to find something better, young fisherman Jim still earns a living from the sea.

Enough of the Resets

Being told to reset your password can be quite irritating, stressful and frustrating. More so for me...

From little Acorns

As the night duty pilot of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter reviewed the previous day's flight data, he knew something was not quite as it should be.

A great train robber?

Polite as you like, he still stole my wallet

A Distant Dream of Love and Loss

Sedna awakes from a long period in stasis, suspended animation, expecting to be in the final part of her approach to the Comet Chawla. Instead, she finds she has already landed but what has happened to the Sun? Where is she? Or, more to the point, WHEN is she? 

Joker Jones and the Asteroid

Some people call him a space cowboy! A lone prospector sets out to mine a field of gold - way out in the asteroid belt.

A macabre profession

For me the eerie silence of the secluded sepulchre was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the wicked world outside.

A plague of imps

A sword, a sorceress, a swordsmith, a professor, a servant, a winged serpent, a child, a spy, soldiers, peasants, a plague of imps, and a nice cup of tea.

Learning to fly

When a young lad turns up at Biggin Hill Airport in Kent for a flying lesson, he is not expecting his flying machine to be a broomstick!

The aquarium

Boy meets girl on a random visit to an aquarium. All goes well until boy discovers that girl is not quite what she seems.