All the things we used to do

The places we went, the music we listened to,

Tell her the jokes that you made with me too,

Play her the songs which you know I played you,

Our favourite restaurant, my favourite food,

The record’s reset now, restarting from new.

Recycling the memories, repeating our dates,

With that self-satisfied smirk on your face.

I wish I could tell her that she’s being trick...

“I love how well you get on with my family,” Matt smiled fondly. “Would you ever consider moving closer to them? After we’re married, I mean.”

“What do you mean, “after we’re married”? What makes you so sure we‘ll get married?”

He dropped his gaze to the floor, abashed. He should have waited until he had asked explicitly; he should’ve known it wouldn’t bode well to blurt out comments like that. Su...

As the teacher looked out at the class with steely eyes, she stood silently, features smoothed over, face as unreadable as an ancient tombstone, etchings barely visible after being eroded by centuries of wind and rain.

Then, scurrying into the classroom, came Adelaide Aveline.

Every class has one pupil who does not participate much. If you were to ask any educated person, no matter where they l...

“Please, please just listen. I know what our faith professes about those who love the wrong gender, and yet I cannot bear to live another day like this. Every waking moment which I do not spend with you is a wasted moment; a life without you in it would be a pitiful and torturous existence. I cannot allow myself to continue listening to you complain about your wretched life even when I know that I...

“Oh, drat it! I just remembered I had promised to receive a visit from Lord Whettly, the dreadful old sod, at the request of my grandmother, but I can easily cancel. We were scheduled to luncheon in around an hour’s time, but I shall just send a wire to say that unfortunately, I am prevented from coming by consequence of a subsequent engagement. That would make a rather fine excuse, wouldn’t it, N...

“Listen, Katie, there’s no point in dragging this on. You know why these meetings are necessary. It’s been months since the incident, and things are getting out of hand.” The incident. She always calls it that. She probably thinks avoiding the subject will reassure me, remind me that they don’t think it’s all my fault. She couldn’t be more wrong.

“I know you don’t trust me. That’s to be expected,...

We came to the village during the worst period of Mark’s life. I don’t know why he agreed to come; I was shocked when I managed to convince him. My brother has always been stubborn, determined to get his own way. Now, that makes the truth even more incomprehensible.

Even when we were relaxing in the hotel I knew something was wrong. While I settled down into the mattress and wrapped myself in a ...

There once was a Girl made of thunder

Whose eyes misted over with tears.

And from her tears were formed raindrops,

Fat, wholesome things which fell from the sky

And as each struck the ground

The thunderous Girl found

The sound echoed in harmony with her cries.

“why, o why, did They send him to me?”

Lamented the stormy Girl.

And They looked

They watched

Pensive.

“why should he have been blessed ...

My mind is racing. I’ve often thought about what I would do if placed in a life-or-death situation, but that’s not much help now. I stifle my fear. I can’t let him know I’m afraid. Maybe if I don’t show any emotion then he won’t kill me; most killers need to see the terror on their victims’ faces, it’s part of the fantasy, what makes it satisfying, I read that somewhere, or maybe it was on TV, I d...