It was all about mood, really. If he hadn’t been thoroughly fed up with life when it happened, things may well have turned out differently. As it was, he’d been living alone since she walked out, been made redundant and been out of work for months, was having trouble paying the bills and feeding himself, … Continue reading Clearing
The visitor sat in his friend’s lounge. He hadn’t seen his longtime acquaintance for some time, having recently returned from working a two-year contract overseas. This time, his software programming skills had paid better abroad, but he was glad to be back home. The man he was visiting, like him, had the same programming knowledge, … Continue reading Snags
It was the very latest in security camera technology. The company that made it had employed some very clever people, along with experts that were up to date with the latest fully advanced levels of artificial intelligence technology. Their contribution was to approach the product’s design in such a way that AI could select the … Continue reading Sentient
He just happened to see the mossie land on his arm. Wow! He thought, how often do you see that? I mean, to see the nasty thing the exact moment it lands. The rotten things usually land, bite you, then leave; all this without you having a clue, until later, until the itching starts! He … Continue reading Later
From the get-go, he had everything going for him. He was brought up in a wealthy family. Both of his parents played professional roles in society. He received the best education. He was good at sport and literally cruised through university. The longtime girlfriend he’d been dating since his first year at Uni would have … Continue reading Trophy
It began with him and a couple of mates making stuff in the shed out the back. They too were retired and enjoyed carpentry as a hobby. Word got around, and over time their numbers grew to a dozen or so likeminded people joining the workshop. It became a sort of club, with no rules … Continue reading Exposure
The larger animal came upon the smaller one, feeding. The animal had no idea that it was being watched. Being a herbivore, finding a large crop of fruit, together with an abundance of twigs and seeds, made it unlikely that it would notice. It happened to be a twig being crushed beneath the enormous beast’s … Continue reading Impact
It would much rather be outside. At first it had hung around the back door, hoping someone would come in; creating an escape route. Then as the morning went on and the weather became hotter, the activities of the two people inside became more and more interesting. The woman ran around for a while, waving … Continue reading Fly
If there was ever one thing that he really hated… it was hornets! Since he was a youngster, he’d been warned about them, especially the Asian Giant Hornet. He’d had nightmares about those. These guys were big, really big! He’d been told that these fearsome looking insects could grow to a couple of inches in … Continue reading Hornet
She sits in the corner of the room, staring at the phone. She wants it to ring. She wants it to ring for her, her mistress, her provider. She who rescued her from that noisy place, with all those others. She who brought her here and gave her a home. She who feeds her and … Continue reading Helpless