Archives: Creative Writing
The twelve creations of the Wizard Humphry Smith
Humphry Smith was a wizard. Not on purpose you understand, purely accidently. Humphry made the common mistake of wishing out loud that the magic in the books he loved was real. A magical entity too strange to actually comprehend was using reality as a shortcut on the way home from …
With a whimper.
There was once a man named Barry. A detective from England who drank too much coffee to counter insufficient sleep. He was, it has to be said, a drab figure. Hardly likely to inspire even the easily lead to anything beyond deep disinterest. Nevertheless, Barry was good at his job. …
Terminal Proof
“I have a reality overflow problem,” I write. I hit send. I stare out of the window and try to work out if the trees that I see are real or imaginary. They said that a degree in maths would change my view of the world but this was not …
When it stops
This story was first written for an online writing competition. While it didn’t win, it did receive some high praise and one writer (from America) was very enthusiastic about adapting it as a short independent movie. This is the first time in nineteen months that the station and the Earth have …
Introduction
Over the years I have written some pretty odd short stories. Most of them have a slightly scary twist. The first story, for example, “When it Stops” – that was written for an online competition. I’ve given it the once over, brushed a few lines up and fixed a few minor …
Throne Room
Like many dark paths, Malial’s started with light and hope. Of course, in his case, the light was coming from glowing undersea plants but, nevertheless, my previous statement still stands. Malial (in the form of a hideous undersea beast) and the mermaid Cantrelle (not actually her name), swam along a …
Mermaid
“Am I doomed to live in the sea forever?” Malial asked. “If the answer exists,” said the old man, “it exists under the ocean where your mistake was made.” “Wait for me?” asked Malial. “I will wait until dawn,” said the old man. “Then, I will take these oysters and …
The dive
Malial did not drown if that is what you are thinking. He encountered some of the pitfalls that come with following plans of some old man that you met in the middle of a haunted woods two days ago. With a tiny enchanted clay tablet that he knew nothing about …
In which much tea is consumed
The hot water ran out again, halfway through making a cup of tea for Doc. That’s the second time that’s happened, Jack thought crossly, how many people are in this house? Somehow, no matter how many cups of tea Jack made there was always one more thirsty person demanding Jack …
Mermaid’s Purse
The four ancient sisters gathered around Malial. There was no escaping the singular fact that each of the old ladies was equally, yet differently, repugnant and deeply offensive to all but the bravest of noses. Malial, who had dealt with many a goat which had eaten something that had upset …