Tag Short Story

Mother Hen – Magpie Tales

freyathewriter 12 Comments

moths

Lor’! He were like a moth to a flame, that boy! I told him, I did, that it would come to a bad end, but would he listen? No, course he wouldn’t, he was blinded by her, that fancy piece and her airy ways!

I tell you though, he should’ve gone for my Lucy, he should. She had a steady job with prospects, she did. Safely settled at that Captain de Riviera’s town house, working hard as a lady’s maid. And most of all, she loved the bones of him, she really did.

P’shaw! Look what’s become of them all! That boy Kit wanderin’ the streets lighting lamps every night, talking to ‘isself like a madman, and that young lady, dead an’ all. She come to a bad end, she did, an’ I feel sorry for the Captain, rattlin’ around alone in that big old house of his, really I do.

But it’s my Lucy I worrit on, day and night. That boy can’t see how much she loves him. Always did an’ always will. How it hurt her to see him blinded by that fancy girl’s ways… I don’t know how she stood it all along…

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Here’s my latest entry into Magpie Tales – I hope you enjoy it! If it feels like you’ve stepped part way into a story, you’ll be right! I wrote two tales yesterday for VisDare and Five Sentence Fiction, and thought it would be good to round them off with this little offering.

They are told from three different perspectives – firstly, that of Kit Roberts’ mysterious admirer, next Little Mo and finally, as told here, Lucy’s mother. Did something sinister happen? You betcha! Who played a foul game? That would be telling!

Oil and Water – VisDare

freyathewriter 4 Comments

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Little Mo is well-known in these parts.

We’ve all seen her, even Lighterman Roberts with his tricorn hat and air of disdain. He won’t admit it, won’t confess to a sighting of the supernatural, but I’ve heard him as he walks down the streets, lighting the lamps at dusk-fall. He claims to be talking to his dog, a grizzled lurcher by the name of Mutt. In public, and especially when he’s in his cups, he treats that poor animal like dirt. There’s no way he’d bill and coo at Mutt as if he was wooing a lady. No, he’s seen Little Mo alright, and I fancy she tippy-toes alongside him in the cobbled streets every night.

She came to a dark end, did Little Mo. She was Captain de Riviera’s youngest daughter. He spoiled her so, and she got to thinking she could charm the birds off the trees. Instead, all she charmed was a feckless youth from our mean streets, teasing him with her fancy ways. It was enough to drive a poor young man wild.

That’s what Lighterman Roberts tells her, anyway.

I reckon he knows all about Little Mo. and I reckon she deserved it.

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Here’s my latest entry to the lovely Angela’s VisDare.

I hope you enjoy this week’s tale – I’ve tied it in with my Five Sentence Fiction entry this week, where you just might get to hear Little Mo’s side of the story!

Please do visit VisDare for amazing poetry and prose!

 

I am published!

freyathewriter 19 Comments

I am both honoured and excited to be included as a contributing author in September’s issue of The Woven Tale Press.

The September issue is out today – Vol II #9 – and I’m featured on pages 19 and 20, nestled between some stunning examples of fibre art.

If you’ve not heard of The Woven Tale Press before, here is an extract from their ‘About Us’ page:

“The Woven Tale Press is a monthly e-magazine, a culling of the best of the creative Web.

The Web is teeming with talent. The Press mission is to highlight the blog post otherwise buried in a blogger’s archives; the painting or photograph from an artist’s site worthy of greater focus than its singular web page; the innovative, the funny, the offbeat.

….

Our staff is an eclectic mix of artists, writers and editors with keen eyes for the striking, for those gems deserving to be unearthed and spotlit in The Woven Tale Press.”

There is some amazing artistic talent included this month (and every month) – please do take a look and enjoy the creative journey.

It’s my birthday soon – and this feels like the best birthday present ever! Thank you so much to the Woven Tale Press team for including me this month.