Michael cried. He wailed. He sobbed. Curled in a ball of red pyjamas, he resisted Mama’s attempts to comfort him, Papa’s attempts to shout him out of it and Chloe’s attempts to just shut him up. Finally, Parker trotted over. With a tolerant huff, his sloppy lick achieved what the rest of the family could … Continue reading The Protector
Ten. Side by side in two neat rows the dead birds lay still. Someone had lined them up in a macabre fashion, as if by organising the bodies they would suddenly come back to life, ten little birds in a grid of crisped feathers and accusing eyes. Another row lay beneath the next tree. And … Continue reading Swept Away
Evil, dark, grim. She holds these words in her heart as she paints black grease around her eyes. The mirror’s reflection betrays nothing, but she feels the weight of her thoughts as if they were sewn into the black fabric she wears. Like stones, sharp and heavy. Evil. Dark. Grim. Stepping into the curtain of … Continue reading Act 3: Revenge
Someone had let loose a ripe one. The air was thick with it. I looked out over the chaos and sighed, then set to work searching through the bodies for the culprit. “Whose child is this one?” I called out, swinging the offender through the air by his armpits, steaming buttocks as far from my … Continue reading Ella’s Party
“Sherbet fountains.” “Liquorice bootlaces.” “Pear drops.” “Ooh, Black Jacks.” “Candy necklaces! Yay, I love these.” “No, look, gobstoppers!” The wide-eyed children turned as one to the sudden celebrity who’d located the ultimate lolly. A scramble in the aisles became a traffic jam at the retro shelves, and the owner of the new Lucky Sweet Emporium … Continue reading Sweet Shop
EMMA LOUISE GILL 