A villanelle is a poem of 19 lines with a very specific rhyming structure and two refrains which run throughout the piece. I practically tore my hair out trying to get this to work! I hope you enjoy my first attempt at a villanelle. Humanity retreats, history repeats, war. Corruption and greed finds a […]
Panic! At the social event
Right! Right. Right, right, right. Right? I’m here. Being here is the main thing. Being here with three cannibals, four axe murderers and one woman, so beautiful that she intimidates me. Right. I’m sure they’re all nice people. Well, maybe not the axe murderers. If you axe murder, you’re probably not a nice person. Cannibals […]
The Monkey
Tonight I’m going to tell you a story. I promise it’s not angsty, sweary or gory. You’ll get that next week, if you happen to stay. No this tale’s about monkeys and my working day. Some months ago when reviewing a crash. I saw something funny, I started to laugh. Penny leaned over, she pointed […]
Circle
Inside no. 9 – Circle Mmmbop, duba, du bop, du. Hanson is on repeat, it’s the fourth time Elaine has heard the perky refrain. It clashes with the otherworldly aesthetic of Nine Below, all aurora and transparency. Roughly arranged blocks of ice form the furniture, draped with midnight blue blankets that reflect the star spangled […]
The Meeting
“You need to be here.” It’s an accusation, as bitter as their relationship has become. Hugh can hear it trickling through clipped tones, given colour by the angular set of Arthur’s frame. Arms are folded, anger the tight line of his brother’s jaw. Now their eyes won’t meet. Now their words are dagger-sharp, whet to […]
The Hand You’re Dealt
A sculpted eyebrow arched, challenge in her eyes. Do it. Ask the question no one else has been able to. I couldn’t help but be intrigued, hooked by the suggestion that I might get an answer to the mystery that had consumed us all. “Are you Emily or Amelie?” “Diamonds, definitely.” A vacuum appeared in […]
Paradise Lost
For our final week we were given a group task. We all had to create a character, and then write a story about that character in a setting chosen by the class. The setting was a convention run in the Paradise Hotel. Our character had to bump into at least two characters created by the […]
The Adventures of Scott and Mirror Man [Part IV]
There never seemed to be a time before The Grump, they said that he’d been installed at the same time as the computer systems. No one knew when the server had come to be, but someone had whispered that the IT department placated Satan with offerings. The servers were run on Windows Vista, stuck together […]
Tales From The Prom
We were given the task to write a flash fiction that was only one side of A4. I don’t want to give too much away about this one.. Hope you find it enjoyable! Many thanks to my friend and colleague who helped me with some “roadman” lingo!! I’m gonna set the record straight. Yeah, I […]
The Tale Of The Spoon Thief
I had to write a performance monologue for my college open mic session so I decided to tell the story of The Spoon Thief. As my writing blog is named for this tale I thought it was only fitting to post it here too! Tonight I want to tell you a story. No, not the […]