Short stories

She had no shame

'COME on Love, it’ll be fun, move your arse!’ Mum coaxes. She’s laughing but I pull a face. I don’t want to go.

Squirming with embarrassment as my mother entertains more drunken women at another 40th birthday party is not my idea of a good time.

I’d rather be at home with my music. One day I want to go to college, but it’s been a struggle.

We had to sell my clarinet when Dad lost his job and the tuition fees are out of our reach. I still study, but now with a clarinet borrowed from school.

‘“Your talent would shine if you were blowing down a bog roll, Amy” Mum told me with customary aplomb.

The life and soul

THE silly bugger must have come in for a warm. Had she been flogging papers outside?

I was alarmed by the old woman pulling such a funny face but really didn't want to pay her so much attention.

It was my first day on The Meltham Comet after all.

Anne Summers party

ALISON couldn’t believe it. She was just through the door and already a stocky woman with a sleek red bob was talking about “a different sort of stiff.”

Muriel, the sex toys saleswoman, was recounting how she was going to retrain as an undertaker. Six of Alison’s friends were creased up laughing like they’d never heard anything so rib tickling.

“’Ere, your customers'll still have more life in ‘em than my Steve,” screeched Sam, like a latter day Hilda Baker, three sheets to the wind.

Dotty the Dolphin

DOTTY the dolphin knew she was destined to be a big star.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people watched her tricks every day.

As Dotty flew out of the water, they clapped with delight. And when she soaked them to the skin, while deftly flipping back in, they squealed and giggled, pretending to be outraged.

Dotty had no doubt she was the main attraction at Nature's Splendour. All the other animals at the park paled into comparison with her skill and grace, she often reflected.

Welcome to my short stories blog

I'VE been here before, trying to find time to work on this stuff, to get a decent number together, to seek out feedback and more knowledge about how this writing short stories malarkey works.

But I felt embarrassed by my attempts so far and put them out of sight and out of mind. This is another go.

There is only one story I am happy with - you can see that above - She had no shame. All of the others are works in progress and I have more ideas bubbling under.