Always Remember His Name

Another day, another scene. Or, if he was unlucky enough, and the writer got into the flow, a complete bloody chapter. He was getting too old for this. Back when he started, it seemed like an exciting career choice, glamorous and sexy. To be the protagonist in action thrillers seemed like the dream job. After

Just One More Lifetime

‘I do know. I was young once too.’ Penna had actually been young more than once. Quite a few times actually. But these were simple folk with a simple outlook on life who tended to set fire to things – or people – they did not understand. Penna had found that out a few of

Each Day was a Gift

Helda opened each day like a gift. I left the morning there for her outside her room before she awoke. It was there waiting for her when she opened her eyes. At first, she would stand there by her window watching the morning unfold in front of her as though it was some new wonder

The Immersion of the Teeb Hags

Now, as we stand at the very edge of the Little Frigging village boundary, near the river Teeb, we are ready to partake in a picturesque ceremony dating right back to the invention of tourism. The river Teeb is notable for the number of witches dunked in it during the witch-finding frenzies of the late

Undercover Wartime Perversions

So… anyway…. Well, as you know by now the leading underside edge of Grand Uncle Stagnant is not – these days – quite as inviting prospect as it was back in his heyday during the inter-war years when he was leading scorer in the Inter-Village Orgy League for twelve seasons in a row. It could

A Homeland and Other Such Lies

Often the wind would blow from the east, bringing a taste of the far lands on its breath. When she could, Shalia then stood up on her lonely hill and turned towards the wind, letting it blow into her face bringing, she believed, the scents of her homeland back to her. Not that she remembered

Country Pursuits

Of course, back in those days, electronic badgers were almost unheard of. Those of us who could get them used clockwork weasels. But, for the majority of contenders, a field mouse operated by foot-pump was the best they could often afford. Back in those days, of course, the sport was completely unregulated. People, therefore, turned

Building the Wall

‘You’re an engineer,’ he said. ‘How hard can it be? You just put the bricks one on top of another until there is a wall.’ His juniors laughed, some dutifully, some who – like him – thought it was actually funny. Often, it is that simple though, you put one brick on top of another,

She Knows Darkness

Her name? Just the echo of some sounds in her mind. She is not even sure if she ever had a name. But everything has a name. He must have a name, even though he never speaks. The things he brings her to eat, drink, to clean herself – all of those have names even

You Cannot Have a War Without Mud

The shadows creep across the end of the day like wounded crawling from the battlefield, knowing the dark night is catching them up. Once the darkness takes them, they know they will never see the light again. Sometimes, though, especially in the cold grey mists of morning, it does feel like we have lived too