The street is empty. There is no petrol for cars anyway. Across the street my brother waits, his head peeking round a doorway, ushering come, come. I see the whites of his eyes but can’t tell whether he is pleased to see me, or scared, petrified. The rule is that if you leave and returnContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘A Crossing (2)’”
Tag Archives: writing
100-Word Fiction: ‘A Crossing (1)’
The food is ready: vegetables and chicken, cous cous. Mint tea. Auntie is still taking the washing down from the line and the children are playing with a ball and a stick. I am hungry too. It was an early start this morning, avoiding any trouble on my way to get sugar, just after light.Continue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘A Crossing (1)’”
100Word Fiction: ‘They Came Here’
The world is painted black and red. It runs down the walls and across the dusty floors. They came here. I tell the man. They came here, can you not see? Are you colour blind? Look at the walls. You can touch them now, go on, get it on your fingers. They have dried ofContinue reading “100Word Fiction: ‘They Came Here’”
100-Word Fiction: It Comes
At first it is just a haze on the horizon but then it grows: a cloud of dust, moving fast, skittering across the desert sands: and then the noise: at first a hiss, or a sucking sound, and then a clattering and a rat-a-tat-tat. Soon the noise degenerates into a succession of booms and cracklesContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: It Comes”
100-Word Fiction: International Day for Biodiversity
It is the international day for biodiversity and the ants are back in their colony; the dust mites sleep still; a shoal of mackerel flashes by; lions yawn; a lone curlew prods the shoreline with its bill; cows head towards the gate; a sheep chews dry grass on a high promontary; the bats hang tillContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: International Day for Biodiversity”
100-Word Fiction: ‘Unjust’
Oh no, not me, not me, because you see I can’t remember, I was perhaps not there and there are circumstances, if I could explain, but of course, and also… Look, I am a smart person, I must be, it was said, to be ambitious… Are you not my friends? Why are you looking atContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Unjust’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘David Cameron is Out To Lunch’
No comment. A statement will be issued in due course. First things first, what you need to understand… It is not our place. All in good time. We should not jump to any conclusions. Of course these issues are a priority. Our work does not stop. We cannot pre-judge the matter. There is no pointContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘David Cameron is Out To Lunch’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘Blasted’
The thin ridge of houses along the top of the moor I always saw as a scar along a smooth body. That blackened body. It was so obvious what they had done. The exploitation. The pit head gone, perhaps, and them tiny men back and buried in them tiny miners cottages. Sometimes I felt sadlyContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Blasted’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘The 1970s’
Four candles. A whisp of sulphur, a spark and her gleaming eyes. Happy birthday to you. Paul, come on, sit, you’ll have your cake soon. Victoria was still singing, hugging the back of the dining chair, her cheeks red and glasses wonky. After three. One, two, three. Dawn puffed out her cheeks, blew hard andContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘The 1970s’”
100-Word Fiction: ‘The Rains of the Spring’
The rains of spring have lasted a year. I hear that in some areas now there are only showers, or perhaps someone said light drizzle. It was always too optimistic to think the rains were seasonal. It would take a decade of downpours to drench this scorched earth. But the rains come and come: waveContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘The Rains of the Spring’”
MW Bewick 