Justice? (250-word fiction)

Goldilocks was our favourite bedtime story when we were kids. In that age of schoolyard bullies, I guess we liked the idea that thieves would ultimately get their comeuppance – that you couldn’t just walk into someone’s home and break their favourite chair and eat all of their porridge without consequences. No: you would be caught out. You would have to answer for your actions. Papa Bear would be stern and enraged, Mama Bear would shout, “for shame!”, Baby Bear would cry his eyes out, and you would be struck by the deepest remorse.

You certainly wouldn’t smirk and whisper some disparaging remark to your lawyer when the victim impact statement was read out, that’s for sure.

You will never be a part of that life (530-word fiction)

Obscured from view behind a pillar, she wasn’t seen by either of them, but she decided to confront Josliehn later that day, when they were alone in the kitchens. Josliehn furiously denied that anything untoward was happening; claimed she had simply gone into Orvec’s chambers to clean; offered up a series of such laughably obvious…

It is no bad thing to be dowdy and dull (370-word fiction)

It is no bad thing, Guenneth believes, that she is now regarded as too dowdy and dull for most men of high standing or wealth to acknowledge. In her younger days, she was sometimes pursued by the wealthy sons of those who visited or worked with her employers, but she found herself becoming more and…

A Lower Station (430-word fiction)

A story about a woman who expected to lead a luxurious life and has now fallen on hard times, as her husband’s company has foundered.

2070: The Evacuation

In the chaos of the evacuation, Michael’s father cuts a reassuring figure. He is not physically imposing: a man of moderate stature, with a faltering gait, he nevertheless carries himself with a reassuring presence as he calls out words of encouragement to those nearby. ‘The unit isn’t too far away now – just another few…