Short Short Story

Untitled (May 2021)

I got so caught up in my history assignment yesterday that I completely forgot about blogging. As an apology, I am posting twice today. This is my second post.

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Trigger Warning: Disturbing content involving sexual assault of a minor!

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When I was thirteen, my guardian – cos there’s no way I’m calling that asshole dad – decided it was time I earned my keep.

Sentry (Revised)

A small, unacknowledged, part of your heart despises the serenity, welcomes its transience, eagerly awaits the coming chaos. Before the war, in the world-that-was, you despised the cold spread of adrenaline. Now you crave the exhilaration and terror of combat, the struggle to eke out one more moment of existence.

Sentry (Original)

You perch on the side of an overturned Coles truck, carefully scanning the crumbling homes and weed-choked footpaths for any sign of movement. The air is oppressively still, the silence palpable. Almost painful. Your ears strain for any hint of life. You desire movement and you dread it.

Sixty Seconds (Revised)

How much can change in sixty seconds? An idea. A thought. A text received. A text answered. A life can end. A life can begin. A proposal – the beginning of a lifetime together. Perhaps the apocalypse could happen in sixty seconds.

Sixty Seconds (Original)

I took a course at uni entitled Writing Apocalypse: Histories and Speculation. Our first assignment was to write a 500 word piece with the theme of ‘apocalypse’ inspired by, or in response to, our course readings and tutorial discussions. We were allowed to interpret the word ‘apocalypse’ rather broadly. This is my piece as it was submitted. Next week, I will re-post this piece incorporating the changes that were suggested by my marker. I recieved 76% for this assessment, but I personally feel like I should have scored much lower because I failed to convey to my marker that the piece was meant to be a person mourning a loved one killed after texting and driving, rather than a conventional apocalypse.

Legacy

Magpies strut, did you know? They carry themselves with the arrogance of the snottiest aristocrat, prancing about as though the very ground beneath their feet was laid down with the sole purpose of them one day gracing it with their presence.

Laying Low

Mama’s face lit up when she spied me through the old screen door. “Well hello there, Sugar.” She said. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.” “Hello Mama.” I replied. “May I come in?”

Deceit

This story is for people aged 18+ as it is NSFW. If you under 18 please click on the Fiction Friday link in the menu to read some of my other stories.

Blood

Hushed whispers and tugging hands startled me awake. My fuzzy mind, still groggy from sleep, struggled to make sense of my surroundings as I was roughly dragged down smooth stone stairs towards a cold steel cell. I felt something wet… Read More ›

Unravelled

Terry waited for Julie to pass before emerging from the shadows. “Hello, Michael.” he said coldly. “Terry! But you… you’re…”

Luck

‘Fake’. That’s what we all thought when we saw the video of the homeless guy tearing out the cop’s throat with his bare teeth. Two point three million views and not one person thought it was real. Sure, the word… Read More ›

Infestation

Infestation: noun — the presence of an unusually large number of insects or animals in a place, typically so as to cause damage or disease.¹ I slam the dictionary closed. The word certainly describes my life at the moment. Infestation…. Read More ›

They Came

The day before they came was the same as any other. I woke to the sound of my alarm blaring at six a.m.. Grumbling about the unfairness of life, I stumbled blearily into the bathroom where I performed the usual… Read More ›

Sunlight

Sunlight filtered through the partially closed blinds, creating a pattern of artificial lines across her pale skin. She lay still upon the bed, arms out-stretched, hair framing her face, like a sacrificial offering. His eyes roamed her body, flawless, save… Read More ›

Gifted

You close your eyes and take a deep, shuddering breath. Your ears strain as you try to convince yourself that the house is empty. A low moan sounds from beneath the tree, causing your breath to hitch. Slowly, softly, you… Read More ›

The Reckoning

Through the trees, the sun broke in a dappled pattern on the ground. The smell of the rich soil and vegetation swamped my senses. Birds, sounding their calls, echoed through the valley. Lizards scurried through the undergrowth. It was morning… Read More ›

Wrong Number

“Hello?” Sandra said into the phone. “G’day. I’m calling to speak to Mike.” Said the voice on the other end. “Sorry, mate. Wrong number. There’s no Mike here.”  She answered before hanging up the phone. Thirty seconds later, the phone… Read More ›

Gone

The first time I disappeared, I was six. One moment, I was sitting at the table eating spaghetti with my family, the next moment I was gone. Just like that; now you see me, now you don’t.