Salim was supposed to go on the tube.  But he doesn't do the tube, not since he had a panic attack at Mile End station. The buses were all packed, 8.15 in the morning, you couldn't get a seat and some of them didn't even stop. That was when he'd started to feel it coming … Continue reading THE TRAIN TO BRIGHTON by Caroline Ross Tajasque (3rd place, Jul21)

Ursula is in her usual fireside spot languishing in her own flesh, whilst reading an old Argos catalogue aloud to Boggo. He can’t hear her because he’s in the galley doing something revolting. She squints at the silver clock and wishes she could tell the time - she wants to know how long it will … Continue reading SHINDIG by Letty Butler (1st place, Apr21)

Jake’s mammy always wove the most wondrous tales, carrying him on the magic carpet of her imagination to kaleidoscopic worlds far beyond the everyday. Through her, he became an intrepid explorer, roaming enchanted lands, befriending fantastical creatures, performing the bravest of deeds. She made him an intergalactic adventurer: he discovered planets, soared through space and … Continue reading THROUGH THE RUSTING GATE by Rosie Morris (2nd place, Apr21)

You love clacking the abacus beads across their frame, counting off the nights until Father Christmas comes. You like the red ones best, the top row. The enemy are the blue ones, next row down. You play French and English, dead soldiers to the right, last-man-standing always a red-blooded Englishman. You envy Griffin when he … Continue reading THE COUNTER by Chris Cottom (3rd place, Apr21)

I push my head around the edge of the door. It’s eleven o’clock but he isn’t asleep. He’s lying on his bed, ramrod straight, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes are wide, shining circles in the half-light of his bedside lamp. He turns his head towards me and his body jolts, as though a … Continue reading NIGHT TERRORS by John Biglands (1st place, Jan21)

We had no choice but to ram in the front door of Flat 27.  Our procedure is that one person enters first in case of an ambush. I’m thankful it was my turn.  I saw a giant bubble, its silvery surface throwing colours around like a celestial disco ball.  At first, I thought it must … Continue reading THE RESPITE by Barbara Kuessner Hughes (2nd place, Jan21)

Moments before he slammed the door behind him, Charles could hear the sound of his wife’s loud laughter rolling in his head. She’d describe it as having her giggle-mug on, but she had a tendency towards vulgarity and many times he’d admonished her about this. She’d once infuriated him by retorting ‘I’ll use my sauce-box … Continue reading HIGH HOPES ON THE HIGHWAY by Caroline Drew (3rd place Jan21)

Soldier-boy sat on the bottom step, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He watched his father tie his shoelaces with care, pulling them tight against his ankle before twisting them into loops. His shoes were boots, heavy, dark, and leather. Soldier-boy wore similar boots, only his were suede and a … Continue reading SOLDIER BOY by Tesni Jenkins (1st place, Oct20)