These two micro-stories are from the book Story Cities. A City Guide for the Imagination, published by Arachne Press, conceived and co-edited by Rosamund Davies. The book features over 40 writers in a…
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The Pool The Lifeguard The lifeguard sits in the chair ten feet above the pool deck, a whistle around her neck. Her shift is two hours long. There are nine people in the pool: one in the fast lane, th…
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Once a year, the last week of classes, the kids get to try out a special power for the day. We all look forward to it, us teachers too. It’s the highlight of the semester. The kids can’t choose just a…
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The weight of the hammer is satisfying. ‘Help me with the fence,’ Mother had said. ‘Get the big hammer in the shed.’ Such a heavy lump of metal, smelted and beaten into shape. The muddy black colour o…
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The honeymoon was a time to celebrate the sweetness of your connection. Aunt Harriet’s card had a real clover stuck on the front, an extra leaf drawn on in pencil. There was a large pile of them, all…
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What if there has been no turning point in your life for twenty-two years? You wait for something to spur you into a change. There have been fluctuations, and movement, but no critical moments. Never…
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Things began to fall apart: sudden, unforeseen disintegrations that were frankly alarming. It began on the top, that’s to say the third floor, which is where I have my office. The first thing that wen…
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Exposure I knew it was wrong. I did it anyway. His breath on my neck, his sweat on my torso. Just when we were supposed to stay the fuck apart, we drew together, under the sway of a gravitational pull…
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COVID in Brixton Jess picked at her teriyaki noodles. They were a bit too dry. She’d made them so many times in these 12 days of isolation, she should know better. But after the first week, she was cl…
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Have you ever been told such a huge and dreadful lie, so all encompassing, so monstrous that it takes form and swallows you whole like the whale in Moby Dick. You are somehow still alive in the foul s…
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Congratulations to Tracey Sinclair for winning the Byte Shorts 2019 Competition with her story ‘War of Words’ (click on the link to read her winning story). She received a £50 Amazon token as her priz…
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It was a hot day in Egypt. The dry heat left every fold of skin sticky with sweat. My body was heavy, my abdomen swollen with blood. It was my time of the month and I could taste the iron in my saliva…
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When we sat down to watch Britain’s Got Talent, babbling laughter and beat-thump rock tunes came pumping through the wall. ‘Go easy, Ben,’ Mum smiled. ‘Admit it, his taste in music’s not half bad for…
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Without me, you would not know what they were saying. I am their voice, their interpreter, their first line of communication, their conduit. Without me, all would be silence. At least, that’s what I u…
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You don’t know what it’s like to be alone until the day when your boyfriend, angry as a wasp, leaves you in the crowded plaza in the middle of Cuzco. You sit there, hugging your backpack and kicking y…
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Emily Meets A Man Who Looks Like Hitler by Kate Ansell At the bus stop, in the gloaming, a man approaches Emily. He is dressed as Hitler, at first glance, though in the longer run he turns out just t…
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The Consumer by Sarah Tinsley The bus lurched, full of leaning bodies. Each of them clutched handbags, trollies, rucksacks, canvas totes with meaningful slogans folded into careful squares. All were w…
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The Curious Child by Nadia Attia The girl’s back again. Curious little thing! Always stands a way off down the road, staring, her chubby hands clutching at her shawl. My own hand twitches at an itch,…
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Nathan stood at the top of the long driveway watching as the last car bumped its way through the gate and onto the dirt road that led down the avenue of tall pines, out across the farm towards the mai…
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