Short Stories (4)
29. FARE ENOUGH
Working the night shift, on a wet Sunday evening, John was driving past the graveyard in his taxi-cab. He noticed a young girl standing on the edge of the pavement. She hailed him down. He turned around on the quiet street and stopped to let her into the car. She hurried herself in, to get out of the lashing rain. The girl was wearing a dark winter-coat that had a deep hood, raised forward over her head. Inside the hood the girl’s hair almost completely obscured her face … (full story available in printed form)
30. A HERO'S WELCOME
Michael was a keen swimmer. He went for a dip, every day, in the loch near his house, in the Great Glen. Usually, he was the only person around, as he swam early in the morning, when the water was very cold … (full story available in printed form)
31. THE DANGER OF A STRANGER
Two Scottish men were travelling in Texas, on business. They were coming to the end of their short stay in the US. And so they decided to have a night out on the town, to celebrate the end of their successful trip … (full story available in printed form)
32. DRIVER FATIGUE
A good few years ago, a bus driver was working the Sunday night-shift. It had been a long shift, and he was tired. He was driving his empty double-decker along his usual route from the centre of the city out to the suburbs, when he saw something unusual … (full story available in printed form)
33. FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Donald and Archie were a pair of seasoned poachers. Police officers from Fort William were alerted after they were notified of a crashed vehicle located in a remote part of the Cluny Estate. After arriving on the scene the police ascertained that the pair had been travelling back to Kintail following a successful hunt late at night, when their truck's headlights had failed and so they couldn't continue … (full story available in printed form)
34. LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND
The year is 1967. The location is France. It’s Saturday, and the time is 10am.
“Hurry up, or the motorway will be jammed,” says Jean-Paul to his wife, Mimi, as he briskly walks towards their car. There is a kid, dressed in a native Indian costume, complete with toy bow-and-arrow, firing plastic arrows at Jean-Paul’s classic car.
Without removing the cigarette dangling from his mouth, JP runs at the boy, aggressively. “I’ll show you!” he says, as he chases the lad away from his parked car.
Meanwhile, Mimi is sorting out her handbag on a nearby wall. “Get a move on!” he shouts over to her.
Unperturbed, the kid comes back. “Hey, mister,” the boy says, cheekily, “What make is this banger?”
“Get lost,” says Jean-Paul, as he gets into the driving seat.
As JP closes the car-door, the kid shouts out, in a shrill voice, “I know what it is, it’s a clapped-out Facel.”
Jean-Paul lowers down the roof of the cabriolet as Mimi is getting into the passenger side. The kid walks around the front of the vehicle and confronts JP’s wife. “As clapped out as your wife,” the boy shouts, in a falsetto tone. Mimi reacts to this by slapping the lad, fiercely, on the back of the head, several times, as the boy tries to run away. Mimi then gets into the passenger seat.
Now standing further back, at a safer distance, the kid shouts, “A clapped-out Facel!”
As the adult couple reverse out of their parking slot, the kid follows along and continues to badger them. The lad keeps whacking his bow off the bonnet of the Facel as they reverse back. There is a loud crunch as the Facel makes contact with another parked car.
“They’ve damaged the Dauphine!” the kid shouts.
Jean-Paul gets out of the car and gives the Renault Dauphine a few kicks on the bumper. “It’s ok,” he declares.
“Mom, they’ve damaged the Dauphine!” the kid shouts, in a high-pitched voice, as he runs after JP.
“Particulars must be exchanged,” cries the boy.
“I’ll kick your particulars!” replies Jean-Paul, still with the fag hanging from his mouth. And then he runs at the lad.
“Dad!” the boy calls out for help.
“Fancy some money?” Jean-Paul offers a bribe to the lad. He hands over a few notes. “Now, shut up!”
“Merci,” says the lad, while grabbing the cash.
The boy’s mum appears on the scene, carrying a few tennis rackets, and a kit-bag.
“Hey you! 8802! I’ve got your number!” she shouts, as they drive away in the Facel.
Jean-Paul comes to a halt.
“See what you’ve done to my car?” she says.
“Your car’s all right,” he replies, dismissively.
“The bumper’s dented.” She gestures over to her Renault.
“Bumpers are made to be dented,” he replies. He gets out of the car. The kid circles around the Facel and keeps whacking his bow off of it.
“Just because your father-in-law owns the block…” JP says.
“Just because you’ve got a dress from Chez Dolores,” retorts the tall lady, in the tight blue dress, as she glares at Mimi.
The lady in the blue dress grabs the door of the Facel open. “Give me your details!” she demands.
Jean-Paul, tries to get back into the driver’s seat, but she pulls him back out.
The fashionable blue-dressed tennis-lady, and mother of bow-and-arrow-boy, puts Jean-Paul into a neck-lock, and tries to throttle him.
“Give me the pistol from the boot, Mimi!” Jean-Paul cries.
As Mimi opens up the boot, the lad takes the opportunity to whack her behind with his bow.
Mimi quickly passes the gun to Jean-Paul and then grabs both arms of the blue-dressed lady, from behind, and twists them up her back.
“Get off me, you toffee-nosed bitch!” the blue-dressed lady shouts.
While Mimi is restraining the lad’s mum, Jean-Paul blasts her with a water-pistol, until she is completely drenched.
The blue-dressed lady manages to get her arms free. She steps over to her kit-bag, which had been dumped on the ground nearby, and picks up a tennis racket.
Meanwhile, the boy keeps on hitting Mimi with his bow. “Stop it. That’s enough!” Mimi shouts at him.
The blue-dressed lady, picks up a few balls and makes some first-class serves off of Jean-Paul’s head, as he ducks for cover.
At this point, the boy’s father appears in the distance, with a double-barrelled shot gun. There is an ear-splitting bang as he shoots, directly, at Jean-Paul.
Under attack, Jean-Paul sprints towards his open-top Facel. The blue-dressed lady continues to serve tennis balls at him.
As well as a shot-gun, the Father has a little dog on a lead. He passes the leash over to the boy, which frees up his hands. As the Facel drives off with screeching tyres, and burning rubber, he takes some pot-shots at the vehicle.
“Get that shit-heap out of here!” the Father shouts, as the Facel speeds away. “Bastard! Communist!” he shouts, with anger.
35. GAY PARIS
You are in Paris and surrounded by interesting architecture and beautiful people, and you have your camera with you. Your battery is fully charged and your memory card is empty. You are about to take some photos. Because that is what you came here for.
You whisper to yourself, “I’m going to get some great shots if I get cracking. I can see amazing opportunities all around me”.
And then you spot an elegant street lamp, still glowing in the dim early morning.
“This looks perfect,” you think to yourself.
But you suddenly freeze. How do you capture this street lamp creatively for maximum impact? Do you shoot it up close, or from a distance? Do you include the other street-lamps down the row, or shoot this one on its own against the sky? Or, do you climb up the nearby stairs to get an higher-level perspective, or more interesting angle? One street lamp; infinite possibilities.
You could maybe shoot every possible combination and just hope for the best. But that’s no guarantee of a final great photo. And, don’t forget, you have an entire city to explore. You can’t really afford to waste time. Perhaps you should follow one of the proven rules for composing a photo? These rules come from the knowledge of what the human eye finds attractive. You can use these basic rules anywhere, on any subject. Classic painters have used them for hundreds of years. Think, the Golden Section, or the Rule of Thirds.
But then you look up from your camera and discover that, rather disconcertingly, you are surrounded by a SWAT team of military police with live guns pointing at you. You quickly get bundled into an armoured-vehicle and rapidly get taken away, and locked up, for being a threat to the Free World. (available in printed form)
36. FLY PUFF
This man hangs his head in shame because he’s a smoker. James is hard-working. He drives off, around 7am every morning, and usually doesn’t get back until 8pm. As the manger of the branch he comes back from work, every day, in a different, flashy, pick-up truck. Ten years ago he was put on the Register for a minor misdemeanour. Perhaps he still feels guilty about this blot on his character.
At 10.30pm every night, this decent guy wants to enjoy a fag, to wind down at the end of the day. His wife, who is a gym and health freak, kicks him out of his own house. He often stands in the rain, while indulging in his light relief.
37. BICYCLE GUY
It was 4am in the morning and dark and wet outside. Dave wasn’t looking forward to his five-mile cycle-trip to work at the Aerodrome. And so he comforted himself with a piping-hot mug of coffee while he watched the weather outside…(full story available in printed form)
38. PAGE THE ORACLE
Richmond Pager was a Senior Scientific Officer. He lived alone. After a twelve-hour shift he would come back to his flat and peer out the window to observe the New Romantics. He disapproved of them, and their flamboyant ways. But he dearly wished he could be one of them.
He knew everything about nothing. And I called him The Oracle (in my mind).
Later that evening, he would have a glass of port and put on some Debussy. He was a Hi-Fi buff... (full story available in printed form)
39. MIST YOU
Big brother, Tommy, is a genius. He inadvertently invents a device that amplifies paranormal activity. It brings spirits into the Physical World.
The boy, Robert, is practicing holding his breath, under water, in the bath. The mist seeps in and engulfs him.
40. HIDING IN THE SHADOWS
This man’s biometrics have failed. He cannot work because he is not allowed to enter the building to get to his desk, and so he hides in his flat because he is too scared to show his face.
He has also been blocked from working, and will now be out of a job for life and also lose his home. His crime was that he clicked on the BBC website and was caught. This means he will be sent to a labour camp and his family will be punished…(full story available in printed form)
41. 1978
Cyndi mixes with the unsavoury, and that is how she makes her income. She is a significant member of the underground underclass. It’s 5am in the morning. Cyndi has had a nightmare. She wakes up totally alone and heads to a phone-box to call a friend, but then experiences her rejection. They had already split up. But Cyndi had no-one else to turn to at this point in her unstable life.
“Give me one last chance,” she pleads down the line. Cyndi feels lost and terrified and abandoned. Her friend, Ann, has just told her that their relationship is over and that she has to sober up and deal with reality. Cyndi collapses in despair.
It is a wake-up call for Cyndi. She seeks enlightenment and a new way of life. It’s not too late… (full story available in printed form)
42. SHE CAN DANCE
Susan is a ballet student. When she arrives at the Dance Academy another student, Patricia, is fleeing in terror. The person on the intercom refuses to let Susan into the School. And so she returns to Town.
Patricia hides at a friend's flat, where she reveals to Susan that she has discovered something terrifying hidden within the School. Susan returns to the School, where she meets an instructor, Miss Tindell, and the headmistress, Madame Blanchette.
This is the beginning of Susan’s nightmare. New students are being ritually sacrificed for the pleasure of the Elite. Anyone who speaks of this meets a violent and gory death. A year later Susan leaves smiling, and the Academy is destroyed in a fire witnessed by The Blind Man.
43. BEHIND THE MASK
Their Headquarters are located at the top of a hill just outside Hopetown, situated right under a 100 foot broadcasting mast.
Zanu, the woman leader of the Masu Cult, leads a group of new recruits to the Conditioning Chamber where they all live together in a claustrophobic atmosphere of control … (full story available in printed form)
Working the night shift, on a wet Sunday evening, John was driving past the graveyard in his taxi-cab. He noticed a young girl standing on the edge of the pavement. She hailed him down. He turned around on the quiet street and stopped to let her into the car. She hurried herself in, to get out of the lashing rain. The girl was wearing a dark winter-coat that had a deep hood, raised forward over her head. Inside the hood the girl’s hair almost completely obscured her face … (full story available in printed form)
30. A HERO'S WELCOME
Michael was a keen swimmer. He went for a dip, every day, in the loch near his house, in the Great Glen. Usually, he was the only person around, as he swam early in the morning, when the water was very cold … (full story available in printed form)
31. THE DANGER OF A STRANGER
Two Scottish men were travelling in Texas, on business. They were coming to the end of their short stay in the US. And so they decided to have a night out on the town, to celebrate the end of their successful trip … (full story available in printed form)
32. DRIVER FATIGUE
A good few years ago, a bus driver was working the Sunday night-shift. It had been a long shift, and he was tired. He was driving his empty double-decker along his usual route from the centre of the city out to the suburbs, when he saw something unusual … (full story available in printed form)
33. FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Donald and Archie were a pair of seasoned poachers. Police officers from Fort William were alerted after they were notified of a crashed vehicle located in a remote part of the Cluny Estate. After arriving on the scene the police ascertained that the pair had been travelling back to Kintail following a successful hunt late at night, when their truck's headlights had failed and so they couldn't continue … (full story available in printed form)
34. LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND
The year is 1967. The location is France. It’s Saturday, and the time is 10am.
“Hurry up, or the motorway will be jammed,” says Jean-Paul to his wife, Mimi, as he briskly walks towards their car. There is a kid, dressed in a native Indian costume, complete with toy bow-and-arrow, firing plastic arrows at Jean-Paul’s classic car.
Without removing the cigarette dangling from his mouth, JP runs at the boy, aggressively. “I’ll show you!” he says, as he chases the lad away from his parked car.
Meanwhile, Mimi is sorting out her handbag on a nearby wall. “Get a move on!” he shouts over to her.
Unperturbed, the kid comes back. “Hey, mister,” the boy says, cheekily, “What make is this banger?”
“Get lost,” says Jean-Paul, as he gets into the driving seat.
As JP closes the car-door, the kid shouts out, in a shrill voice, “I know what it is, it’s a clapped-out Facel.”
Jean-Paul lowers down the roof of the cabriolet as Mimi is getting into the passenger side. The kid walks around the front of the vehicle and confronts JP’s wife. “As clapped out as your wife,” the boy shouts, in a falsetto tone. Mimi reacts to this by slapping the lad, fiercely, on the back of the head, several times, as the boy tries to run away. Mimi then gets into the passenger seat.
Now standing further back, at a safer distance, the kid shouts, “A clapped-out Facel!”
As the adult couple reverse out of their parking slot, the kid follows along and continues to badger them. The lad keeps whacking his bow off the bonnet of the Facel as they reverse back. There is a loud crunch as the Facel makes contact with another parked car.
“They’ve damaged the Dauphine!” the kid shouts.
Jean-Paul gets out of the car and gives the Renault Dauphine a few kicks on the bumper. “It’s ok,” he declares.
“Mom, they’ve damaged the Dauphine!” the kid shouts, in a high-pitched voice, as he runs after JP.
“Particulars must be exchanged,” cries the boy.
“I’ll kick your particulars!” replies Jean-Paul, still with the fag hanging from his mouth. And then he runs at the lad.
“Dad!” the boy calls out for help.
“Fancy some money?” Jean-Paul offers a bribe to the lad. He hands over a few notes. “Now, shut up!”
“Merci,” says the lad, while grabbing the cash.
The boy’s mum appears on the scene, carrying a few tennis rackets, and a kit-bag.
“Hey you! 8802! I’ve got your number!” she shouts, as they drive away in the Facel.
Jean-Paul comes to a halt.
“See what you’ve done to my car?” she says.
“Your car’s all right,” he replies, dismissively.
“The bumper’s dented.” She gestures over to her Renault.
“Bumpers are made to be dented,” he replies. He gets out of the car. The kid circles around the Facel and keeps whacking his bow off of it.
“Just because your father-in-law owns the block…” JP says.
“Just because you’ve got a dress from Chez Dolores,” retorts the tall lady, in the tight blue dress, as she glares at Mimi.
The lady in the blue dress grabs the door of the Facel open. “Give me your details!” she demands.
Jean-Paul, tries to get back into the driver’s seat, but she pulls him back out.
The fashionable blue-dressed tennis-lady, and mother of bow-and-arrow-boy, puts Jean-Paul into a neck-lock, and tries to throttle him.
“Give me the pistol from the boot, Mimi!” Jean-Paul cries.
As Mimi opens up the boot, the lad takes the opportunity to whack her behind with his bow.
Mimi quickly passes the gun to Jean-Paul and then grabs both arms of the blue-dressed lady, from behind, and twists them up her back.
“Get off me, you toffee-nosed bitch!” the blue-dressed lady shouts.
While Mimi is restraining the lad’s mum, Jean-Paul blasts her with a water-pistol, until she is completely drenched.
The blue-dressed lady manages to get her arms free. She steps over to her kit-bag, which had been dumped on the ground nearby, and picks up a tennis racket.
Meanwhile, the boy keeps on hitting Mimi with his bow. “Stop it. That’s enough!” Mimi shouts at him.
The blue-dressed lady, picks up a few balls and makes some first-class serves off of Jean-Paul’s head, as he ducks for cover.
At this point, the boy’s father appears in the distance, with a double-barrelled shot gun. There is an ear-splitting bang as he shoots, directly, at Jean-Paul.
Under attack, Jean-Paul sprints towards his open-top Facel. The blue-dressed lady continues to serve tennis balls at him.
As well as a shot-gun, the Father has a little dog on a lead. He passes the leash over to the boy, which frees up his hands. As the Facel drives off with screeching tyres, and burning rubber, he takes some pot-shots at the vehicle.
“Get that shit-heap out of here!” the Father shouts, as the Facel speeds away. “Bastard! Communist!” he shouts, with anger.
35. GAY PARIS
You are in Paris and surrounded by interesting architecture and beautiful people, and you have your camera with you. Your battery is fully charged and your memory card is empty. You are about to take some photos. Because that is what you came here for.
You whisper to yourself, “I’m going to get some great shots if I get cracking. I can see amazing opportunities all around me”.
And then you spot an elegant street lamp, still glowing in the dim early morning.
“This looks perfect,” you think to yourself.
But you suddenly freeze. How do you capture this street lamp creatively for maximum impact? Do you shoot it up close, or from a distance? Do you include the other street-lamps down the row, or shoot this one on its own against the sky? Or, do you climb up the nearby stairs to get an higher-level perspective, or more interesting angle? One street lamp; infinite possibilities.
You could maybe shoot every possible combination and just hope for the best. But that’s no guarantee of a final great photo. And, don’t forget, you have an entire city to explore. You can’t really afford to waste time. Perhaps you should follow one of the proven rules for composing a photo? These rules come from the knowledge of what the human eye finds attractive. You can use these basic rules anywhere, on any subject. Classic painters have used them for hundreds of years. Think, the Golden Section, or the Rule of Thirds.
But then you look up from your camera and discover that, rather disconcertingly, you are surrounded by a SWAT team of military police with live guns pointing at you. You quickly get bundled into an armoured-vehicle and rapidly get taken away, and locked up, for being a threat to the Free World. (available in printed form)
36. FLY PUFF
This man hangs his head in shame because he’s a smoker. James is hard-working. He drives off, around 7am every morning, and usually doesn’t get back until 8pm. As the manger of the branch he comes back from work, every day, in a different, flashy, pick-up truck. Ten years ago he was put on the Register for a minor misdemeanour. Perhaps he still feels guilty about this blot on his character.
At 10.30pm every night, this decent guy wants to enjoy a fag, to wind down at the end of the day. His wife, who is a gym and health freak, kicks him out of his own house. He often stands in the rain, while indulging in his light relief.
37. BICYCLE GUY
It was 4am in the morning and dark and wet outside. Dave wasn’t looking forward to his five-mile cycle-trip to work at the Aerodrome. And so he comforted himself with a piping-hot mug of coffee while he watched the weather outside…(full story available in printed form)
38. PAGE THE ORACLE
Richmond Pager was a Senior Scientific Officer. He lived alone. After a twelve-hour shift he would come back to his flat and peer out the window to observe the New Romantics. He disapproved of them, and their flamboyant ways. But he dearly wished he could be one of them.
He knew everything about nothing. And I called him The Oracle (in my mind).
Later that evening, he would have a glass of port and put on some Debussy. He was a Hi-Fi buff... (full story available in printed form)
39. MIST YOU
Big brother, Tommy, is a genius. He inadvertently invents a device that amplifies paranormal activity. It brings spirits into the Physical World.
The boy, Robert, is practicing holding his breath, under water, in the bath. The mist seeps in and engulfs him.
40. HIDING IN THE SHADOWS
This man’s biometrics have failed. He cannot work because he is not allowed to enter the building to get to his desk, and so he hides in his flat because he is too scared to show his face.
He has also been blocked from working, and will now be out of a job for life and also lose his home. His crime was that he clicked on the BBC website and was caught. This means he will be sent to a labour camp and his family will be punished…(full story available in printed form)
41. 1978
Cyndi mixes with the unsavoury, and that is how she makes her income. She is a significant member of the underground underclass. It’s 5am in the morning. Cyndi has had a nightmare. She wakes up totally alone and heads to a phone-box to call a friend, but then experiences her rejection. They had already split up. But Cyndi had no-one else to turn to at this point in her unstable life.
“Give me one last chance,” she pleads down the line. Cyndi feels lost and terrified and abandoned. Her friend, Ann, has just told her that their relationship is over and that she has to sober up and deal with reality. Cyndi collapses in despair.
It is a wake-up call for Cyndi. She seeks enlightenment and a new way of life. It’s not too late… (full story available in printed form)
42. SHE CAN DANCE
Susan is a ballet student. When she arrives at the Dance Academy another student, Patricia, is fleeing in terror. The person on the intercom refuses to let Susan into the School. And so she returns to Town.
Patricia hides at a friend's flat, where she reveals to Susan that she has discovered something terrifying hidden within the School. Susan returns to the School, where she meets an instructor, Miss Tindell, and the headmistress, Madame Blanchette.
This is the beginning of Susan’s nightmare. New students are being ritually sacrificed for the pleasure of the Elite. Anyone who speaks of this meets a violent and gory death. A year later Susan leaves smiling, and the Academy is destroyed in a fire witnessed by The Blind Man.
43. BEHIND THE MASK
Their Headquarters are located at the top of a hill just outside Hopetown, situated right under a 100 foot broadcasting mast.
Zanu, the woman leader of the Masu Cult, leads a group of new recruits to the Conditioning Chamber where they all live together in a claustrophobic atmosphere of control … (full story available in printed form)