Very short stories #25

I hope the first fortnight of 2021 has been a good one for you. As with much of the UK, we remain under travel and in-person meeting restrictions. I’ve lost track of how many different virtual meetings applications I now have installed on my PC. That leads to awkward situations where I’m hanging around in the wrong waiting room while my fellow attendees are impatiently wondering where I’ve got to 😛

At least there’s still been time for reading and even a bit of writing. Although I had intended The Diamond Device to be a stand-alone book, it seems like a sequel might be well received. So I’m now finding out what mischief Rich & friends get up to further down the timeline. It’s not all Rich’s fault, of course. In The Diamond Device, Alf is perfectly capable of getting into trouble on his own.

“How unfortunate. I have no choice but to take him into custody. Perhaps he’ll be more forthcoming there.”

Shout out

My writing buddy Philip Folk has started a blog where he shares Twitter microfiction and other short pieces. I hope you’ll drop by there and say hello to him!

Book reviews

I’ve read and reviewed a few books since my last post:

Sweet Nightingale: A Sophie Rathenau Short by David Neilson
Georgette’s Pig: How to Pork Up Thanksgiving (Pilgrim Island Book 2) by Kristina Brooks
Graveyard Gods (The Raider and the Rapier, #1) by Joseph Daniel and Bryan Arneson

I bailed on several other books. My two main reasons this time round were:
Main characters passively observing the plot happen as if they’re not involved
There are too many typos, the comma splices are doing my head in. (Did you see what I did there?)

And now for a handful of very short stories that I first posted on Twitter last July.

demogorgon

Dia approached the bungalow with its fenced-in lawn. “Glad to be home?”
“Hades yeah,” grunted Meph, hefting a bulging sack. Whimpers sounded from inside. “Get the gate, will ya?”
She swung it open, beaming at the familiar sign:
Don’t feed the demogorgon.

aesthetic

He studies the crimson decor. “Er… nice place.”
She hands him a drink. “Everyone says that. Go on, speak your mind.”
Blushing, he sips. “No, I mean it! The aesthetic is really different…”
As he staggers, she smiles. “But it’s the anaesthetic that counts.”

pachyderm

The time traveller scans the area. Cracked concrete towers surround him.
A rumble above judders his bones.
He cowers. A massive shape flies overhead.
“New here?”
He jumps at the voice. “Uh, yeah? What was that?”
A chuckle. “Pachyderm parkour. It’s all the rage.”

xenophobe

The detective wrinkled his brow. “Dee Divine, Ken Comico and El Major. What do the victims have in common?”
“Well,” said the rookie, “they’re all thespians. In fact, their manager’s filing for bankruptcy—”
“Thespians? Ah! The murderer must be a xenophobe!”

charisma

“Charisma,” said the rogue. “I hit them with a charming smile.”
The barbarian regarded him doubtfully. “How’s that better than hitting them with a club?”

nectar

“How’s Zeus?”
“Playing away again.” Hera pouted. “I hate her, whoever she is.”
“Sorry.” With a plump hand, Leto lifted the jug. “More nectar?”
“No, I’m watching my figure.”
“But you’re so slim! He loves curves.”
“Who told you that?”

That’s me for now. Stay safe, take care of yourself and see you soon 🙂