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

The hairdryer was in the supermarket’s bargain aisle, between chainsaws and solar power lights. It was just what I wanted for Auntie.As her unpaid carer, I tended to her every need. I also had to listen to her incessant nagging which predictably started the moment I got home from the shops. “Where have you been? … Continue reading A PRESENT FOR AUNTIE by Ollie Batchelor