Tag: Fiction
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The Last Selfie
The last moments are the scariest, he thought. As he had been told. Apparently you first bob like a cork. Then you are swamped. Then you stretch your arms out to push yourself out of the water. And giving up, your arms and legs climb upward. Then downward. Thus overloaded you sink to the bottom […]
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Baby Crush
A bald head crowned by a few curls peeks out. Two eyes large and watchful wait and see what I might do. I’m not moving. I stand silent. I’m a daddy statue. Tiny hands cover her eyes. She tries to catch my gaze. No way. I’m having no part of it. Not yet. She opens […]
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The Great Blow
I couldn’t feel the heat through my uniform. I couldn’t smell the smoke that made me cough. I couldn’t even hear the roar of the wildfire. The hell and brimstone I heard preached so often is happening to me. And I pray. I place myself in front of God, in faith. It’s like the book […]
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The Happiest Dental Patient Ever
Was this the last one? I went to the surgery door and called his name. He looked up at once. And his eyes twinkled at me. And he smiled as if he had been in last week! He walked in arms swinging by his sides as if it was too easy. Tall, thin and vaguely familiar. […]
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Three Steps Too Many
Everything seemed perfect. Nothing had changed in years. So much so I forgot where I’d put my wallet and keys. But only momentarily. Everything was as it was. The carpet, that dull dirt brown, with sickly flecks of grey. Brighter than I remembered. No fading, no wear, no patches yet needing repair. The walls too, […]
Andrew Whalan
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The Glass Slipper (3)
Celebrities, I now realise, live in a perpetual fog. And nowhere more so than on the red carpet. This night I’m slow prancing through a warming mist of light. Camera flashes and phone selfie stick shots leave me blinking rapidly and staring dumbly. Further along, the spotlights surround me like a hot cloud. I’m suited […]
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The Glass Slipper (2)
The TV screen went black. For three seconds. A sliver of white light appeared. It flickered, flashed and exploded, filling the screen. It was a white out. For three seconds. The screen panned back. The torch started searching the room. Spotlights painted the walls, shadows wavered and stopped. It found two shiny high-heeled shoes floating […]
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The Glass Slipper (1)
“You broke the fucking glass slipper.” “I didn’t hear that. She didn’t say that. I’m still asleep. I’m in a better dream right now and can’t be disturbed. Leave a message and I’ll talk to you later.” Her hand on my shoulder. I sigh. The loving touch of my bride. I relax. I start to […]
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The Longest Match
I saw white. I’m supposed to see stars. Not me! Not now! White light, sound and impact merged into a wall of noise and pain. I didn’t feel myself fall. No, I feel myself float. I saw myself glide to safety. And there in the calm and silence I slept. I then woke up and […]
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Writing Isn’t Safe
Last week I came across this article from the Wheeler Centre by Jessie Cole which talks about the self revelation of writing fiction. As an author, I’ve had that happen to me. I didn’t pay much attention to it until this afternoon. I’m writing about two characters. They’re not getting along so well. I’m trying unsuccessfully to […]
Andrew James Whalan 