Mrs Mulhern's telephone rings at her bedside at 11.37 pm. She registers the time as she snaps on the light, glad she wasn't asleep. These days, it takes her a while to collect her thoughts when she wakes, and whoever's calling could ring off— although that might be no bad thing. 'Hello?' She speaks cautiously. … Continue reading A GUTTERING CANDLE by Dianne Bown-Wilson (1st Place, June25)

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your half-hour call.  You have thirty minutes until curtain up, thank you.” As the announcement was made by the theatre manager over the tannoy, the company stage manager Gerry scoured backstage, just the slightest hint of concern starting to edge into her consciousness.  “Has anybody seen Derek?  Derek’s missing.” A … Continue reading BEGINNERS PLEASE by B W Frimston (2nd Place, June25)

My first thought when I woke up was that I was cold. Freezing cold, colder than I had ever been before. You know how the mind tries to make sense of situations that you don’t understand? I spent a long time, or so it seemed, trying to figure out why I felt so bone-chillingly frozen … Continue reading LEAVE TO REMAIN by Ros Levenson (3rd Place, June25)