Historical
My Deception
The Second World War was a mess for the whole world, but the role I played in it was particularly deceptive. I was born and raised in Germany and lived there for about fourteen years of my life. Once I understood more about the world around me, a fascist leader was coming into power, and I was manipulated to change my entire life. My accent had to change, my clothing, my family, and my friends all had to change. The men who made me do all this had me believe it would all be so easy. I didn’t know I would be helping cause so much pain and distress.
By Pseudo Nym4 years ago in Fiction
JACK OF DIAMONDS
(In The Afternoon With A Faun...) i Artie carried the boxes up the stairs, looking every bit the servant he felt he was, watching Agatha ahead of him trying to fit the key into the door. The Inn was typical for a village the size of Chumley, he supposed; no more than six rooms, with a narrow hallway, a wooden floor worn out through years of use, and the walls painted a faded yellow. Three new electric fixtures lit the hallway, as well as four large windows letting in the late afternoon light.
By ben woestenburg4 years ago in Fiction
The Man with the Cart
Walter was a strong hulk of a man who was used to trundling his cart over the drawbridge and through the imposing entrance gate of the Tower of London, with the rotting heads of traitors looking down at him from the stakes on to which they had been thrust.
By John Welford4 years ago in Fiction
Put That Light Out
It might be thought that the idea of night-time blackouts in the United Kingdom as a form of civilian protection during wartime originated in World War Two with the legal requirement to hide all lights that might be spotted by would-be aerial bombers. Those who remember the TV comedy series “Dad’s Army” will recall the cry of “Put That Light Out” that was regularly issued by William Hodges, the long-suffering ARP warden.
By John Welford4 years ago in Fiction
Matador
It was 1925 in Andalusia, Spain. And it was an absolutely scorching summer. The chants from hundreds of attendees at a nearby corrida rung out in the air like deafening fireworks. A bull’s cries in the ring could also be heard; it hollered and hollered, as it knew it would not be too long until it lost its life.
By Jane Diokpo4 years ago in Fiction
An Ice Box for Mary
During the darkest of times, a bright light will sometimes swell out of hearts in response... It's called: "Love in Action". Our recent pandemic caused me to reflect on the account of another pandemic; and how it affected—not only its victim, but her entire community. This is their story:
By Karla Bowen Herman4 years ago in Fiction
"I've overheard a threat to kill the President"
“That’s the last speech Mr. Lincoln will ever give.” The man uttering the words had clearly not intended for Will Chambers to overhear him, but Will couldn’t help whipping around to look at him anyway. The crowd gathered outside the White House was solemn but triumphant; they listened to their President with rapt attention. Therefore, it surprised Will to find some ninny with overgroomed hair glaring at him.
By Ashley Herzog4 years ago in Fiction
Payday
1899. Like most of the townhouses in the area, the best days of 27 Mountjoy Square are behind it. Built in the previous century to house one of the ascendancy families of Dublin (who had long since departed for more fashionable areas south of the Liffey), it was now home to no less than eight families of Dublin’s rapidly expanding working class. At the top of the building, in a single room which would have once been occupied by a servant or two, lived Frank and Nora O’Driscoll along with their seven children.
By Donal Flanagan4 years ago in Fiction
