Elspeth watched from the clifftop as the waves rolled in, devouring the last strip of bridge that connected the island to the mainland. Her heart plummeted, and her skin prickled with fear as her last chance of escape disappeared with the tide.

Grey clouds rolled in, darkening the land around her, and gulls tumbled through the air, soaring low over the water. They taunted Elspeth with their fre...

You sit with bated breath, trying to quash the giddy mixture of fear and hope that writhes in your belly. Too many times you have been here before, eager and excited, only to have those feelings of elation dashed with the utterance of six words.

The time on the clock reads 10 past the hour. They’re running late. You should have been seen 20 minutes ago. You feel torn at this: On the one hand, ...

Ruby’s joyous laughter rang through the park, green eyes bright with happiness. She pumped her legs vigorously, desperate to go higher with each stroke of the swing.

“Look Mum, look,” she cried. “I’m going to touch the sky!”

Ali watched, a smile playing on her face, as her daughter played. “So I can see,” she said, opening up the camera on her phone to capture the moment.

High above birds s...

Sunshine is a warm embrace

It’s a kiss of soothing heat

That comforts your tired soul

And fills you with inner peace....

“I’m sorry that it’s not better news.”

It’s as if the breath has been knocked out of me. My ears ring.

I stare at the doctor blindly. His lips move, forming words that my brain refuses to process.

This cannot be happening.

I feel a slight pressure on my hand, and turn my head to the right. My wife stares at me. Her lips are pulled back in a watery grimace, and I can see the pain and fear i...

“He’s gone, Your Grace.”

The words lingered heavy in the air.

“What?”

With a shuddering breath, Ludo repeated the message.

“Chastin has gone, Your Grace,” he breathed out in a rush. “Last seen in the early hours of this morning, preparing a horse. We have reason to believe he was heading towards Medica. He’s gone to the girl.”

Queen Briseis burned with uncontrolled rage, green eyes wild a...

Whispers that come in the night

Often carry further than those in the day;

Alone, in the dark, eyes wide

Those haunting thoughts can’t be pushed away.

They run circles in your head,

Louder and louder they continue to grow,

No longer able to distract yourself

The taunting will just not go.

Tossing and turning, you twist restlessly

Wishing for mind-numbing sleep,

But instead you fixate on ...

The key turns in the lock, and the door opens. Our eyes meet.

For a few seconds we stare at each other; his face a picture of disbelief, while my own is one of amusement.

This is going to be fun.

His eyes travel down to the gun in my hand, which is aimed directly at his heart. I look pointedly from the gun to the door, my message clear. He closes it.

“How did you get in here?” he stammers,...

“Where have you been?”

I silently curse as the lights flicker on. Cecile stands in our living room doorway, arms folded and brow raised, an expectant look on her face.

I stare back at her nonplussed, my mind churning for a believable excuse. I have broken out into a sweat, my neck and palms clammy.

“Well?” Cecile continues, tilting her head to one side. “It’s 3 in the morning, for God’s sake...

“I think I just met the happiest person in the world!”

Isabella‘s voice was eager with excitement, her blue eyes bright as she skipped along the pavement, swinging her arms in wild abandonment.

Alice looked down at her daughter and smiled.

“Did you?” she gasped, as Isabella nodded fervently. “Why do you think that?”

“Because they were laughing, Mummy,” Isabella replied, “and they couldn’t s...