Arabelle sat on the floor of her bathroom and tried not to be sick, or faint, or scream, or cry. She looked again, no change, two lines. She was pregnant. She cried. This was not how it was supposed to go. She’d spent a year researching and stalking people and finally got proof of Phoenix’s …
Michael looked up as David wandered into the kitchen, yawning and scratching his head. “Did you sleep under the bed instead of on it or something?” David grinned. “Trying to bring myself down to your level, mate, you couldn’t handle my usual glory first thing in the morning.” Michael poured a coffee and pushed it …
From a writing exercise / prompt that started with - Gillian said that... there was an impossibly handsome man waiting in the lobby downstairs. "He has the most delicious accent too, I think he might be Italian." Rose frowned. "Can you describe him?" "Sweetie, I just did." She sighed. "I can think of two Italian …
The second part of an exercise contrasting the same place at different times of day. The other one is Attic / Dusk. As you can see, I was more interested in the conversation than the position of the sun... Jason straightened and stretched his arms over his head, “How about a lunch break, then we’ll …
Gina crossed the café and submitted to her mother's brief, cold embrace before sitting at their allocated table and giving her order to the hovering waitress. She took her time getting settled, playing what she secretly called 'the silence game' with her mother. As always, her mother lost. "I was surprised to see you with …
Yeah so me and Daniel were grabbing lunch at Mrs Gregson’s café and there was this really pretty girl at one of the tables. Super glamorous too, you know? Saw her eyeing me up when she walked in, then she sat just one table over, so I gave her a bit of a smile and …
Raoul shifted in the plastic chair and wondered what the hell the princess was up to. The CCTV feed he’d hacked into gave him a clear view of the café she was sitting in but no clue as to why she was there. It had been a well planned escapade, that much was true. And …
Ari kept to the shadows as she moved through the streets of the lower town. It was easy enough, this wasn’t the rich end of town, with its wide avenues and gas-lit street lamps. Here, a neighbourhood was lucky to boast a single, guttering lamp at the edge of whatever square held the communal well. …
Jane Wilson puttered around her kitchen, putting the dishes on the draining board away, wiping the already clean counters and worrying. Her husband, Greg, coming in for a mid-morning cuppa, eyed her warily. “You sure you want to do this, love?” Jane nodded. “Even if it’s not her, there’s going to be a connection. Sofi’s …
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, the fake leather juddering and squeaking beneath my legs, the waistband of jeans I’d bought from a generic chain catering to people my age two days ago are inching down my hips again. How do people get comfortable with this? Yes, I know I’m spoilt, a world of privilege …
The DNA of Stories 