(250 words) Ray’s ‘great idea’ was a writing group, T’would be held at his house on the first. Me and my friend thought it sounded great, Ray didn’t want no one coerced.
Category: 200 word stories
Games People Play (poem)
(260 words) Dangerous baggage, A suitcase of thought. A family judges, But your soul can’t be bought.
A Stoical Man (poem)
Horizontally challenged, that was old Stan, But always so cheerful, a stoical man. Said his wife, Edna, “He’s an amicable bloke, But with only three inches, well, there ain’t much to stroke!” But Stan had his talents, for his missus to share, He wasn’t huge, true, but she didn’t care. Said Edna, “I shouldn’t complain about my old man, He’s a husband, a father, who does what he can.
Hot Off the Press!
Well, it’s been three years since To Cut a Short Story Short, vol. II: 88 Little Stories was published on Amazon, and following on from the success of that title, plus To Cut a Short Story Short: 111 Little Stories and Bound in Morocco: A Short Story of Intrigue, (both published in 2017) it is my pleasure to announce the publication of not one, not two, but THREE new titles! This time, I have curated stories on the themes of humour and the supernatural from ‘the best of my blog,’ re-read and revised, plus unpublished stories. 40 stories on each theme have been collected into two volumes; Letters from Reuben and Other Stories: 40 Little Tales of Mirth, and The Window Crack’d and Other Stories: 40 Little Tales of Horror and the Supranatural.
A Pebbly Beach at 3 a.m.
There’s no moon. Black waves heave and collapse, frothy foam sighing over a myriad of pebbles, like some gigantic water feature. Peeling our clothes off, it feels like we’re doing something illegal. Shauna is a luminescent blob. “Should we go in?” she asks, her timbre saying ‘Let’s go home.’
TCASSS II on Audio
I'm very pleased to report that To Cut a Short Story Short, vol. II: 88 Little Stories has been produced as an audiobook, expertly narrated by Angus Freathy, the narrator of no fewer than 47 audiobooks featured on Audible! It runs for 9 hours and 32 minutes, and features the 'best of the blog' from July 2017 to December 2018 plus an extended 5000 word story, In Dulci Dubilo, not published on the site, an emotional roller-coaster of a story, stunningly brought to life by the audio rendition!
Postcard from Hispaniola
(150 words) Hello Darling, Well they were right when they said the recipe for a great marriage is to live in different countries! Missing you and ‘the babe’ though. Looking forward to our ‘meeting’ in the Autumn! As the pic shows, I’m in Port-au-Prince. Splashed out on a Caribbean Cruise, don’t be cross! Someone said, … Continue reading Postcard from Hispaniola
Contents – To Cut a Short Story Short – 20th Mar 2017
Here the stories are listed according to the categories in the menu, namely 100 word stories, 200 word stories, 300-600 word stories, longer stories, TASWG, excerpts and blog (links open in new window/tab).lilnks open in nw 100 Word Stories 1 Don’t Mind the Police! 30th Nov 2015 2 Dream of a Stone Horse 30th Apr … Continue reading Contents – To Cut a Short Story Short – 20th Mar 2017
Hen Morning
“Long time no see.” Sam grinned, opening a shiny Land Rover door. “Hop in.“
Jealousy bubbled.
We bumped down a track to a long silver hangar, ominous in the early morning mist. Just inside were pallets loaded with blue trays, each containing thirty pristine brown eggs.
Amid the Winter’s Snow
“Long before you joined, Featherstone, something happened to me.” Old McMoneagle shifted in the red leather armchair. “Sir?” “I was young, fresh out of Oxford. Master’s in agriculture. Anyway, on my first Christmas Eve here we’d gone to the Wheatsheaf before the service at St. Mary’s. It was snowing heavily.” He paused. “You remember … Continue reading Amid the Winter’s Snow
The 100th Story
- Feeling nervous, Jonathan Rook, a sizeable cog in finance, took the elevator for the 100th floor. Vernon Cumberbatch, the president, was interviewing for VP. The only other candidate was Grant Abrahams, head of insurance. Exiting the lift, Rook's stomach lurched. Grant appeared. “Hello Jonathan, ready?” “Hello, no, I need the bathroom.” “There's one right … Continue reading The 100th Story
Addressing Impatience
“Address labels. Where’s the address labels?” “Why, did you want some?” Mother replied, just returned from shopping. “That’s why I put them on the bloody list for heavens sake! I told you I needed them today.” “Language!” “Sorry, well where is it?” “Where’s what?” The shopping list!” “Oh, probably in my handbag.” Mother couldn’t seem … Continue reading Addressing Impatience