Short Stories
Usually between 50 and 2,000 words to each story and they are all of a varied genre. The number of stories vary in each issue depending on their word count.
Short Stories 10
SHORT STORIES NO 10: EVERYTHING'S PERFECT (LOVE / LIFE) "I think being perfect is what everyone should aim for, Jane, look at me, I'm spotless first thing in the morning and I will be through to last thing tonight..." PAST PRESENT FUTURE (TIME TRAVEL) I used to go to bed thinking and dreaming about my thoughts. That was then...this is now...A MISSED CHANCE (CRIME) It all started many years ago when Rosemary, a technophobic, was given a computer for her fortieth birthday by her husband...SPRING (A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE) Spring is in the air, well not really, it was in my backside and boy did it hurt...THE NEW ESTATE (CRIME) The unfortunate issue was that with the new estate came crime, something never known in the sleepy little village still living in the past..."
Short Stories 9
KLEPTOMANIA (CRIME) "Me? I've been a borderline criminal for most of my life and pride myself with being smarter than the law..." THE BEGINNING OF THE END (THE FUTURE) The smell hit Adam as he opened his eyes. He saw nothing...I tell a lie, he witnessed rubble; ruins; mist; smoke; devastation... MIND GAMES (LOVE / LIFE) "When you're gone how can I even try to go on, sounds manageable when it's only an Abba song but when it happens to you the bottom drops out of your world..." LEARNED BEHAVIOUR (MURDER) "Look, I'm only a normal guy who believes that the rules were made to be adhered to, not broken. I just respond to anyone who breaks the rules..."
Short Stories 8
LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING (LOVE / LIFE) Andrew sat staring at the wall considering whether to have a mouthful of coffee or bang his head against the wall... THE WORLDS STRONGEST MAN (JELOUSY) Jonathon was struggling with the situation, sat waiting for his new coach. The arrangement was for ten o'clock. It was now half-past, he was late... KATIE (CRIME) To say Katie was wild would be an understatement, she was also evil and unrepentant in her relentless aim to cause havoc and destruction wherever she went. But it is for me or was... HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW (MURDER) A bullet in the head...dead. Sounds so easy but it's not. But it is for me... THE LOVE OF A MAN AND A WOMAN (LOVE / LIFE) I had a regular set of friends on Facebook and the same number following me on Twitter, I didn't need anymore... THE COMING OF AGE (GETTING OLD) Looking through his bedroom window he could see the Win Tor and the shadows that were cast by the sun as it declined behind the Tor...
Short Stories 7
ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE (LOVE / LIFE) The sound of a tannoy system disturbed my sleep. Half-awake I listened to the delicate yet authorative tones of a female voice informing me that if I wanted to know the time and place of... REAL LOVE IS FOREVER (LOVE / LIFE) I don't know what to expect. Sitting on this uncomfortable bench seat on Platform One of Cheltenham Spa railway station just waiting...watching...wondering. I have been summoned here by a voice on the phone... COMPULSION (CRIME) The small gate within the large one closed shut behind Sally-Ann. She walked the twenty-five yards to the end of the drive without looking back... A KILLER COMES CLEAN (MURDER?) I sat reading the local rag in my room and chuckled to myself. What a mess this all is I thought as I read the headlines... A HANDY SITUATION (GETTING OLD) Tony had been working for the same engineering company since he left school and at the age of fifty-eight, was beginning to picture his future life of leisure... THE ROYALTY BUG (CRIME) I don't normally read the papers but for some reason, probably boredom, I read the adverts in Saturdays local Echo... VICARS, TARTS, POLICE (CRIME) She was different, a lady of the night...but different... A MUDLED HISTORY (CRIME) "Ello! Someone's joining us at Cheltenham staging post," said Tom as the stagecoach pulled into the Cross Hands ale house... AN EARLY MORNING WALK (CRIME) Six thirty Monday morning, Max wants his morning walk so off we go. It's cold but at least it's dry and there's a glimmer of red sky rising in the distance...
Short Stories 6
MARRIED FOR YEARS (LOVE / LIFE) "Oh God! Here we go again, it must be winter," I moaned out loud as I looked through the window and glared back at the bright sunlight... GETTING YOUR OWN BACK (CRIME) They hadn't expected it to turn out like this. The pair were now in police custody. No cuffs, they were new to the wrong side of the law... TAKEN FOR GRANTED (MURDER) "Pompous git, who does he think he is. Does he think he owns the road, blasting that old hand horn at me...? DREAMS CAN COME TRUE...OR DO THEY? (MURDER) Here we go again, quarterly meeting; cold damp village hall; poorly lit; hard seats; boring people; biscuits; cake and cold tea... KING OF THE ROAD (DEATH) Mick woke up in the gutter with a head full of clock hammers swinging from side to side... THE MAN IN THE CORNER (DEATH) "Hello, Simon," I said passing the table in the corner on my way to the bar... THE JOKER (LOVE / LIFE) So here we are, packed, car loaded and ready to roll. It's the wife's birthday. She doesn't know where we're going or what's going to happen... A DEATH IN THE FAMILY (MURDER) It's impossible to comprehend the effect a family death can have on a person. Edward was shocked enough when he did his regular Sunday 'drop in' to check on his father and found him slumped in his lounge chair... THE RISE AND FALL OF SERENDIPITY (LUCK) Antique Roadshow, Bargain Hunt, Road Trip, Flog it and all the others, Janet was into them all. Some people thought she was a bit weird... FOR THE YOUNGER READER - A GOOD TRUMPET (THE LIFE OF A TRUMPET) I am a trumpet and I used to play in the Salvation Army band. My life use to be fun...
Short Stories 5
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY (CRIME) 'A landlord demanding rent arrears threatened tenants and German police with a whirring chainsaw... LIFE CHANGING (CRIME) Another holiday romance, my head was filled with love as we strolled through the fields heading towards a large barn in the distance, or was it a barn... LICENCE REVOKED (CRIME) Dan was pleased to be back in Weston Super Mare and especially pleased to be back in his local. He had been away for eighteen months... WHAT WILL TOMORROW BRING? (EXPERIENCE) I thought I'd write to you because I need some advice on where I'm going in my life. Perhaps change my thoughts on the future... A WEEKEND AWAY (LOVE / LIFE) Changeable, that was what the weatherman said. Bloody right he was, scrape the ice off my Nissan Note first thing this morning... BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP (LOVE / LIFE) Trevor, at the age of thirty-six, was still single and enjoyed playing the field... WHAT IF? (MURDER) You are walking. You're taking your dog on its regular early morning walk, it's dark, the field is wet from the overnight rain, your boots ate caked in mud and... FOR THE YOUNGER READER - THE MISSING HORN (A UNOCORN'S PROBLEM) On my days off I loved walking through the fields, breathing in the fresh air and befriending the different creatures that I came across. This time was different. There was a young Unicorn, without it's spiral horn, in the corner of the field, crying...
Short Stories 4
THE JOURNEY (THE FUTURE) I've waited ten years for this and here I am stepping on board for my trip of a lifetime... WHO DO I LOVE (CRIME) "Two hundred and thirty-three, two hundred and thirty-four...bugger off fly! Now, what number was I up to. Oh, sod it, I'll have to start again..." HELLO MUM (LOVE / LIFE) Today was a special day, it could be life changing, she hoped. Hopefully her mum was going to press the buzzer... LONELINESS (GROWING OLD) Derrick, at the age of seventy-five, had placed his advertisement in 'Woman and Home' hoping, although not really believing, he would receive a reply which might trigger a new lease of life... SMASH AND GRAB (CRIME) Jericho had many outlets for his antique wheeling and dealing, one of which was through display cabinets in various centres around the country... MY GREEN COAT (LOVE / LIFE) There it was staring me in the face, it was wonderful. I had to have it. I would have it. You won't stop me this time... FOR THE YOUNGER READER - SYDNEY'S BIG BREAK (BULLYING) What a name to be given, Sydney Singh. My mum and dad were living in Australia when I was born and yes, you've guessed, their home was in Sydney... FACE POT TALES - THE NEW RELATIVE (THE LITTLE LEARNER) Mary Mint Face Pot was the first to wake up and open her cupboard door. She was surprised to find that she had beaten Major Celery Face Pot. His cupboard was still closed...
Short Stories 3
A MEMORY FROM THE PAST (LOVE / LIFE) The front door bell played the first few bars of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells before it was drowned by Bobby's barking. It started to play again... SEEKING UTOPIA (LOVE / LIFE) Who'd have believed I would have changed into what I am today... I AM NOT WHAT I AM TODAY (LOVE / LIFE) Sabrina lived in a mansion at the top of the hill. The building really was too big for one lady on her own and what with the large area of land surrounding it, which Sabrina also owned, she had become a wealthy recluse... ANOTHER NEW YEAR (DRINK) Waking slow, first one eye, then the other. Jericho's head felt as if it had been hit with a hammer and his mouth felt like a desert, completely dry... I SPY (MURDER) "I've wanted to tell you this ever since we met; there is something about me you don't know. Well actually there are several things..." GUILTY BY DEFAULT (CRIME) Peter was a very powerful man who believed that his beard was a necessity to demonstrate power and brains... THE SPIDER'S WEB (UNEXPLAINED) Just a normal family living a normal life in a normal home. This is how Alan and Clare Philpot now describe themselves to others when they are telling the story I am about to tell you... CUTTING EDGE (A POEM) FOR THE YOUNGER READER - THE HOLIDAY (MAX) Here we go again, they've got the cases out and are sorting clothes into heaps of his and hers... THE KIDS ARE COMING (COPING WITH CHILDREN) The weekend some grandparents dread and others look forward to. The grandchildren are coming or rather they have been dumped on us because their parents want time to themselves... MARY-ELLA (MODERN PANTOMIME) Mary-Ella and her sisters Pat and Emma all went to Gloucester Road Junior school but were in different classes. Pat and Emma, the eldest, had been invited to John's birthday party... FACE POT TALES - THE MISSING POTS (FOR LITTLE LEARNERS)Major Celery Face Pot opened his cupboard and waited for Mary Mint Face Pot to open her cupboard. He waited and he waited but Mary's cupboard door did not open...
Short Stories 2
THE GREAT MISTAKE (CRIME) "Listen carefully, I will speak very softly, if you don't understand stop me. I will drop you off at... SETTLING DOWN TO WRITE (LOVE / LIFE) 10am I sit on the settee and pull the small table towards me. I open the note pad and pick up the pen. "Oh glasses," I say and set off for the front room... AN OCTOBER BREAK (UNEXPLAINED) Forest lanes are not the best roads to travel and this one lived up to its name, 'The Holy Lane.' It had been damaged over many years by... SUMMER (HOLIDAY TRIVIA) The beach is empty apart from an army of stationary blue and white sun loungers protected from the sun by coloured parasols... THE SILENCE OF THE SHEEP (LOVE / LIFE) "Well what do you think of this, Jayne?" Douglas said as he laid the tablecloth and opened the wicker picnic basket... THE RIP OFF (CRIME) He was in his conservatory sprawled in a wicker chair, legs outstretched, feet resting on a wicker coffee table. Jericho was dreaming of sun and running across the sand chasing a nubile topless beauty... FOR BETTER FOR WORSE (LOVE / LIFE) A return to the 60's to listen to a performance by the Hollies could not realistically be described as a drama, although an off-stage incident could easily have turned it into one... A CHRISTMAS TALE (TWIST ON AN OLD STORY) "Breakfast, dinner, tea, here we go again in the prison cookhouse," Mary said to Joe as she wiped the sleep from her eyes... JUST ANOTHER DAY (CRIME) "Oh, for crying out loud, what next? Rosemary was talking out loud to herself again... A DROP OF WATER - (POEM) FOR THE YOUNGER READER - THE WORM - (POEM) A SPECIAL DAY (A WITCHES TALE) The sun sparkled through the gaps in the tree branches, throwing its glitter on the external view of the old grey house with its protruding black wooden beams... THE BIG MATCH (FOOTBALL) Not a very good pitch for the semi-final of an under eighteen County Cup but the best one they could find at short notice... FACE POT TALES - A CRACKED POT (FOR LITTLE LEARNERS) It was dark and quiet in the home where the face pots lived. Not a sound, until suddenly there was a bang as a cupboard door hit a wall...
Short Stories 1
DEAD END ON THE GWR (UNEXPLAINED) I had always wanted to do the run from Toddington to Cheltenham, having been told that the journey through the countryside was excellent value for money... ONE HELL OF A NIGHT (DRINK) 'If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.' My mind was drifting as my car radio blasted the music out... TRUE LOVE HURTS (LOVE / LIFE) Jayne unlocked the front door of the house and went in. Not a sound, no noise, just silence and then she heard, the sound of sobbing... THE BEAR TRUTH (CRIME) My route to work took me past a dingy council house which looked as if it was inhabited by people of limited means and little enthusiasm for life... TOMORROW (GROWING OLD) Canon Bill Smith was sat listening to the radio when his memory was jolted by yet another disastrous wartime news bulletin... A SNAKE IN THE GRASS (LOVE / LIFE) "A picture of a snake, what are we going to do with a picture of a snake..." LADY OF STONE (CRIME) Jericho, an antique dealer who regularly made a profit, was known for his charm and ability to obtain that which was unattainable... A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER (LOVE / LIFE) At long last it was once again a pleasure to wake up in the mornings with the warmth already flowing through the open window... THE REUNION (MAGIC) There were places for the twelve of us, all with our own name cards. Hannah, Clare, Anne, Jane, Gloria, Isabella, Morwenna, Judith, Carol, Desiree, and Paul, all spelt right. Why was mine spelt wrong...? IT'S IN MY GENES (CRIME) "Let's call her Harriet; people will think she's posh and wealthy... WHAT IS A CARPET (A BIT OF TRIVIA) My carpet is called Max. When I put my coat on or my wife puts her lipstick on he...NO PLACE LIKE HOME -(POEM) FOR THE YOUNGER READER - A CHILD'S WISH - (POEM) A FRIGHT AT THE FAIR (LOVE / LIFE) "Have you heard that Jimmy's back at school on Monday," Porsha said with an excited smirk on her face... UNKNOWN HERO (A SUPER HERO) My eyes began to ache as my vision pinpointed an impending danger. I had six hours to reach Heathrow Airport...FACE POT TALES - A NEW POT (FOR LITTLE LEARNERS) The Face Pots lived in the cupboards of 29 China Road, the home of Mr and Mrs Todd, with Tony Todd and Tina Todd, their children, and Tatty their pet dog...
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Written/Edited/Published by Tewkesbury Tale Teller UK