The skies shudder in the midday heat as fighter jets screech overhead. Desert sands are crushed and churned by the caterpillar tracks of tanks. Localised conversations centre on canisters of teargas – security solutions, experts say, or ‘battlefield management’. Elsewhere we see stun grenades, fragmentation bombs, rubber ball shot… armoured personnel carriers rumble along whileContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘We Have An Ethical Policy In Place’”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
100-Word Fiction: ‘The Julian Calendar’
The Julian calendar. That antiquated thing? Was it so imprecise? Is it so outmoded? It is reckoned that its faults caused our horological measurements to be incorrect by about three days every four centuries. But no calendar is precise. We divide up time as best we can and then continue to tell our stories, fillingContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘The Julian Calendar’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘In the Museum’
We are waiting for something to happen. It has been weeks. What will be the endpoint of this struggle? There is no point in asking. Not now. Everywhere becomes a museum, eventually. We should know, we live in one. Grown out of the craters of the past. There is a natural cycle. The museums areContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘In the Museum’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘At risk of repeating’
Times change so slowly. They would shiver if they thought about it. In February, when the squares are full and the bridges heave with sighs, they want freedom, no less. Have you visited there on holiday? asks a colleague. Yes. They know they deserve a break. Is this just their week in the sun? HowContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘At risk of repeating’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘Dream Farmer’
What dreams they are I do not care. I supply only the seeds of dreams, carefully cultivated. The seeds that make you close your eyes. The seeds that put you to sleep. Deep, endless sleep. I send the seeds, registered, to Arizona: to doctors who are experts in that field, to patients who are ready,Continue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Dream Farmer’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘A Week In the Sun’
Sunshine. I could cry when I think about it. In January, when the rain teems down and those mornings are so dark, I want sunshine, no less. Have you got any holidays planned? asks a colleague. To know that you deserve a break, a week or two in the sun. How long to go? MaybeContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘A Week In the Sun’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘A Safe Bet’
Oh come on, man. No. No more. You’ll just lose it. I won’t. I’ve been tipped off. It’s a sure thing. You’ve said that before. Just £20. The odds will sort us out. You’ve said that before too. And I won. You didn’t. You fucked off and I was out of pocket for months. ButContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘A Safe Bet’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘The Weather God’
In a village of the desert regions, men and women gazed at the heavens and prayed. A wind was up and clouds were rolling in. Lightning flashed. It never rained in high summer. The steel structure had arrived in the village a few months ago: a giant totem. The Westerners called it an “emitter”. ItContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘The Weather God’”
100 Word Fiction: ‘At This Time of Year’
A barn owl crosses the fields, just here, every morning at seven o’ clock, at this time of year. And sometimes a deer jumps out from the hedgerow. Church towers can be seen every mile or so, through the bare trees, on towards the horizon and the cold, cold sea. We are on our wayContinue reading “100 Word Fiction: ‘At This Time of Year’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘Red Hope’
A hot bath can do strange things, no joke. There I was, straight into the steam with a book on the side to read. And then thoughts, good and bad. A solitary drip from the sink tap. Outside everything frozen up; trains and planes cancelled. Life’s long waiting game. There was a beep from myContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Red Hope’”
MW Bewick 