I haven’t taken sugar in my coffee in fifteen years, I can’t drink it if someone puts sugar in it, or even worse one of those syrups people like so much. Fly buzzing around, always reminds of the South of France. I stare into the coffee, willing it to cool down. The first coffee of … Continue reading SUGAR IN COFFEE by R. D. Brown

Butterflies land their luring cobalt blue on wavering stems, bowing them beneath the shimmering sun. They flutter, hover, lift again as straightening blooms release them to the air. Like them, she vows to let temptation go, unbending to the broken promises and lies. She’ll set him free and cherish what she has, resist delusions of … Continue reading LETTING GO by Jackie Meekums-Hales

Rapunzel was 12 when her hair fell out — about the same time the witch locked her in the tower. Soon, her hands began to warp into fearsome talons, and her tongue stretched till it could dart chameleon-like from her window, to catch the food her captor left far below. However, with her mouth reshaped, … Continue reading WHO NEEDS PRINCES ANYWAY? by Sarah Barnett

It was too quiet in the house. Alarm jagged at Ted and he sprang out of bed faster than he’d done in a long time, was down the stairs in big leaps and into the kitchen, staring round at the emptiness. No wife, no dog. He made coffee, stood with his back to the cooker … Continue reading ON THE SHELF by Cath Barton