“You never visit. You never bring my grandchildren to see me. I didn’t raise you to be so uncaring.” Josh had put the phone on speaker, but muted their end, thankfully. Although it might have been fun to hear their mother’s reaction to Stephen’s snorted. “She didn’t raise us at all.” Josh made a shushing …
Myra Jenkins, who makes candles and soaps for local fairs and farm shops, dropped by this morning with an idea that needed talking through. She sat at my kitchen table and drank tea while I dipped my own batch of beeswax candles. As always, she was full of suggestions for scents and colours to infuse …
They made it to the hidden door without being spotted. And, saints be praised, there was a loud kerfuffle on the dance floor precisely at the right moment. It distracted everyone, including Lord Tristram, just long enough for Anya and Charlotte to open it and slip into the dimly lit corridor behind. Anya paused to …
There's a book called The 3am Epiphany, which sounds like some dodgy enlightenment book but is actually a bunch of writing exercises, this is exercise 151. Prince Kristoff from the neighbouring kingdom of Gavernia was visiting, accompanying his sister on what was ostensibly a marriage discussion but was doubtless an information-gathering exercise, to see how …
Welcome to the Advent Calendar Story Train, where you can read through 24 stories under this year's theme, Lost. The woods were quiet, just the gentle rustle of branches in the night breeze above, and the quiver of small creatures in the undergrowth. There was plenty of light, this wasn’t a dense forest, especially with …
Coming up with a plan to communicate Charlotte’s displeasure to her distant fiancé required tea and cake.Once the maid had finished setting out the cups and left the room, Charlotte fixed worried eyes on Anya and asked. “What do we do?”Anya retreated into a sip of tea to delay her reply. What did she know …
They both woke late the next morning, stiff and sore, and hobbled out to take a fresh day’s view of the damage. Cadan was whisked off by the group setting off to assess the Castle bridge, despite the sling easing pressure on his shoulder. Samuel collared Eleanor as an assistant scribe, making lists of missing …
“They don’t like to… restrict… his enthusiasm and creativity.” Lesley’s friend, Janet, raised a brow. “So he’s an undisciplined, spoiled brat.” Lesley focused on her coffee. “Yes. And they won’t do anything, even when people say things.” “What about his school?” “Natalie’s homeschooling him. She says the education system is a relic of the industrial …
Rebecca watched the raindrops chase each other down the giant wall of glass facing her desk. It was a glorious view on sunny days, but on ones like this, when the clouds came low and the rain looked like it was ready for a re-do of the forty days and forty nights flood story, it …
“But he never leaves his room, other than for meals and to go to school, it’s just not healthy. He’s a growing boy, he needs to get outside, run about, get muddy with other boys.” “Does he look unhealthy to you?” “Well, no, but…” “Have you ever actually been into his room?” “Certainly not, I …
The DNA of Stories 