Tag Archives: short

A fond farewell

The schoolmaster was leaving the village and everybody seemed sorry. I assumed, in the way city people do about country life, that it was probably normal in a close community such as this.

Probably.

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Fifteen Love

“No, Daddy,” a face appears over the net. There is a certain combination of weariness, exasperation and indulgence that can only a small child can bring to bear on its allocated grown-up. “You aren’t supposed to hit it so hard I can’t get to it.”

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The Months – A Bestiary

January first, cold and hard. January is a killer, his sin is neglect; set to face the new year, pining for the old, he never looks down at those he freezes.
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Everything is fine.

It started small, but fire has a tendency to spread. It crawled over desks and chairs, jumped gaps, dug its feet into sallow, stained carpets. Soon it filled much of the building. The alarm had been wailing ineffectually for a while, pulsing and bellowing as if the sheer volume of it could smother the flames.

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"I’m not going to lie," he said, watching from across the street. "This wasn’t in the plan."

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12 Steps

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"Oh, hello. You’re new."

"Yes, I thought it was time to, uh, try to. To take steps."

"Well, you’re in the right place, steps are what we take! But we’ll get to that. Have you got yourself a drink?"

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