The Edges of Orpington by Eamonn Bhreathnach
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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3d ago
A lonely man tries to reconnect with a stranger he encountered four decades ago. Image generated with OpenAI It was over forty years ago. I was hitch-hiking and he gave me a lift from the ring-road south of Edinburgh to York. He - whoever he was - was driving to his home in Orpington, which was then in Kent. He was making the return journey, having followed a girlfriend to Edinburgh who had told him she didn't want anything more to do with him. He was there one day, back the next. I wouldn't have remembered the lift but for that detail. At that time, in my mid to late-teens, I was i ..read more
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Dr. Lifesaver by Sabahattin Ali, translated by Aysel K. Basci
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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6d ago
When farmer İbrahim's young wife struggles in childbirth, he appeals to the maligned and bitter local doctor for help, in this new translation of a classic Turkish short story. Image generated with OpenAI Asiye went into labor in the middle of the afternoon. She stopped threshing immediately, and went home. İbrahim returned home from harvesting after nightfall. As he was moving his two oxen to shelter near his house for the evening, he saw many children congregating in front of the house. Without even closing the gate to the shelter, he ran to the house, but the women did not let him ..read more
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Air Mail by Nathan Toplis
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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1w ago
A young woman recalls a life-changing romance conducted almost entirely through letters. Image generated with OpenAI The last letter he ever wrote to me just said, 'goodbye Lil.' Nothing else. He had always been dramatic like that. I took it outside and tried to burn it on the curb because I didn't have a fireplace or a garden. I tore it up into little pieces and tried to burn it with a plastic lighter that I'd bought from the drugstore. I had to stop though, because the pieces kept blowing away and I was worried that they would land on the fresh tarmac. They were only smoking but I ..read more
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Their Night Sleeps With Me Still by Talia Levy
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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1w ago
A couple climb Annapurna II in Nepal, and progressively surrender themselves to the mountain. Image generated with OpenAI What if I live no more those kingly days? Their night sleeps with me still. I dream my feet within the starry ways; My heart rests in the hill I may not grudge the little left undone; I hold the heights, I keep the dreams I won. - Geoffrey Winthrop-Young 'The Old Hill Climber' As the lovely young woman brings me my plate, I can't help but remember the old Nepali man who had smiled broadly, celebrating his T-Shirt: Daal Bhat Power 24 Hour. I have been converted ..read more
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A Four Course Lunch by Rozanne Charbonneau
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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1w ago
In 1970s Paris, 18-year-old Mademoiselle Sophie is captivated by a recalcitrant American child in her care. Image generated with OpenAI Paris, April, 1972 "Mademoiselle Sophie, je dois pisser!" shouts the American girl in French slang. Her haircut looks like a boy's. Did her mother go mad with the gardening shears? The other children in the dining hall howl with laughter. I have a choice. I can feign outrage at her use of the word "piss." Or I can ignore her antics and savour my crème caramel. I opt for the latter and dip my spoon into the flan. Chef Jacques, the cook at this priva ..read more
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House Rules by Salvatore Difalco
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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2w ago
Tim Peters passes time in an isolation unit near the Canada-USA border by trying to get better at chess. Image generated with OpenAI I play chess with Sam A in the isolation unit. Sam A looks like a linebacker, but he's smart. Sam B, who looks like a tub of shit, doesn't play chess. Sam B is a prick, but that's another story. I learned to play chess at Lackawanna Elementary. Mr. Oddi, the science teacher, taught me the moves and beat me thirty times in a row before I finally beat him. Then he never beat me again. I became the best chess player at Lackawanna Elementary. Other kids cal ..read more
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The Shoes of Kings by David Lanvert
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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2w ago
Two mall employees become friends, but one harbours a surprising secret.  Image generated with OpenAI My friend Jake sold men's shoes at the Florsheim shop. Talk about the lowest rung of retail. I was a few spots higher, working at a designer jeans store in the same mall. At least girls came into my place. Malls, back in the 70s, were like small towns. Everyone's aware of the pecking order. We always had the lonely Fotomat kiosk guy in the parking lot to make fun of. I met him one day when I needed change; we'd taken in a lot of big bills, and he was the only guy around who wou ..read more
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Half a Creamed Chicken Sandwich at the Airport by Paul Sharville
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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2w ago
Two strangers strike up a conversation at the airport, and make a connection that will linger even though they may never meet again. Image generated with OpenAI For the past five years, since 1946, Vincent had attended the November dinner at his grandmother's house in Sheldon, Vermont, east of Lake Champlain. His grandmother was widely regarded as the most well-connected woman in Franklin County, at least by those less well connected than she, and she held the dinner at some considerable expense each year. Vincent was seated at the counter of the Shoo-Fly bar at the Ethan Allen Air ..read more
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Too Much Knowledge by Gary Ives
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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3w ago
An anatomy student recalls being thrilled and traumatised by an extremely intimate encounter. Image generated with OpenAI Fifty years ago, and still I think about Him; the Him whose real name I will never know, but the Him with whom I became more intimate than with any other man. Ever. Anatomy class met twice weekly. Our class of 40 shared ten cadavers, each assigned to four students. Erla Johanssen, twins Sven and Bridget Thorkelsson, and I were introduced to Him on a rain and sleet-blown winter morning. Always conscious of my size, at 160 centimeters and 40 kilos I was by far the ..read more
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Angeleno by Frank Richards
FICTION on the WEB short stories
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3w ago
When postal workers go on strike, Delmore gets a chance at a promotion, but is that as far as his ambition extends? Image generated with OpenAI 1. The City Primary I finished counting the parcels on the second floor of the Los Angeles Terminal Annex and then headed to the Pony Express cafeteria to grab a quick coffee. I took a shortcut through the rows of city primary letter distribution cases, mail-sorting shelving units aligned perpendicular to the wall in strict formation, not one out of line. It was that sort of place. Even after working here for seven years, I had the feeling I ..read more
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