Masie lunged at the kitchen counter with her sledgehammer. She wasn't sure what was more satisfying, the thwacking sound it made on impact or the cracks it left behind.She had unintentionally made a work of art; a perfect representation of what the man she'd made love to on this very worktop had done to her … Continue reading COUNTERING HEARTBREAK by Nicola Golding

I remember the day we moved there – the dinginess of the hallway with its old-fashioned dado rail and thick brown wallpaper. The faint smell of gas and mice. The sense that someone was watching us from the shadows. A malevolent presence that didn’t want us.I was ten. Back then, when I’d said how scared … Continue reading NUMBER 14 by Sue Johnson

Six years of dating meant she could read a man quickly. She’d been watching this one for fifteen minutes, sitting opposite her on the Tube. The signs were good: dark socks, requisite number of fastened shirt buttons, reasonably but not overly-groomed, neutral newspaper. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me..."He looked up and his eyes widened … Continue reading MAYBE NOBODY IS PRINCE CHARMING DURING HAYFEVER SEASON by Sandra Hirons

"Not much of a hugger are you?" says Pam. We're on her settee, watching Strictly Come Dancing, her favourite programme. I’ve heard work mates talk about it - it sounded awful. And it is.Often nowadays I hide what I really think. I've become a quieter man. It was easy with Lucy. We didn't have to … Continue reading THE FIRST STEP by Tim Love

“Yeah, I’m just waiting, figure someone’ll turn up at my door, say they’re my kid.” My date, with his loosely-held Brandy Old-Fashioned, gives me a wry smile, one he probably practiced in front of a mirror. “Bet they’re eighteen by now. That’s when they start looking for you, right?”Sheesh. What barrel did Abby scrape for … Continue reading ARRANGED DATE AT THE ATTABOY BAR by Shoshauna Shy