Priscilla is old. Priscilla was the best layer, reliable. Now she sits, looking across the fields. Once, Priscilla was in charge. She taught the youngsters all she knew, how to roost in the indulgent nesting boxes, not the practical perches, how to mess up their own beds. Now she sits, looking across the winter fields. … Continue reading TOP OF THE PECKING ORDER by Maggie Sinclair

They call her. She hears them and her cheeks burn hot. She inches a flimsy Glowwhitened net up with trembling forefinger and peers at number eleven. Hedge needs a trim. Broken light fixed at thirteen—finally. Three's gate needs rehanging. Compost all over the drive at seven. Blinds still closed at nine, and the bin's not … Continue reading CURTAIN TWITCHER by Heather D Haigh

My long-unworn swimsuit was baggy around the rear where the elastic had lost its stretch but it would do. Black and nondescript would hide me. Did I want to expose my wrinkles, lack of muscle tone and pockets of fat? A last-minute panic – I took a razor to some relevant bits of me, a … Continue reading THE TERRIFYING PROSPECT OF USING A SPA DAY GIFT VOUCHER by Linda Fawke

You know how it goes. How the shortest stories long to be understood, how they are secretive and open to interpretation, but always hide a meaning that longs to be unveiled. How you’re stuck with a wasted day, a wasted truth, a wasted cake, a birthday cake untasted you hope to give away, before the … Continue reading FOR FREE, BIRTHDAY CAKE, UNTASTED by Mileva Anastasiadou

Moving to the beat of the rhythmic cadence of a long-forgotten patriotic song, steel molds chugged down the conveyor belt wrapped with flavored prophylactics: mango, licorice, hazelnut. Marva twisted each condom nipple, discarding those that broke, like Todd did after her diagnosis, dumping her for no longer meeting his standards. Jeff Harvey lives in California … Continue reading QUALITY CONTROL by Jeff Harvey

It’s a special treat for a birthday ending in a zero. First class train tickets, then lunch, fresh from the kitchen garden. Waiters wear floor-length aprons. They speak with heavy accents. Are they really French? No matter.“Will Monsieur choose ze wines?”Alarmed at the prices, hubby breaks sweat but orders anyway.“Madame will try tian de champignons?”I … Continue reading A BIRTHDAY TREAT by Ros Levenson

Janet is melded to her armchair, running her finger along the arm’s ragged piping, faded from burgundy to russet, cushion cupping her buttocks. The radio DJ yells, ‘Tony from Blackpool, Beyoncé is the correct answer. You’ve just won £25,000!’ Janet chokes up when Tony does. He says how he’s going to buy a new living … Continue reading WINNERS by Rebecca Klassen