Death, the great unknown, the final journey we must take alone. It comes to us all, without warning or delay, and leaves us with nothing but memories to stay. It's a journey we can't escape, a fate we must all embrace. It's the end of our mortal coil, the release from our earthly toil. It's a mystery, a question mark, a shadow that looms in the dark. But it's also a natural part of life, the end of our struggles and strif...

It was love at first sight for me. The minute I saw her, I knew I wanted her. Her curves drove me crazy. She could stand out in any crowd. Alas, like most young men, I soon got bored and wanted to move on. It wasn’t long before I started jumping from one to another. Somehow, none were as satisfying as my first love. Despite her many faults, she was still my first. Now that I’m older; I would give anything to have her back...

Not all witches are ugly. That may sound like an odd thing to say, but it carries a certain truth. When we were young, it was easy to tell the good from bad. Villains were easy to spot. Witches were ugly, robbers wore a mask and monsters looked like monsters. Con men would invariably sport a long thin moustache, constantly sharpening the tips between finger and thumb. The people we could trust were just as easy to find. P...

I had never been to a Mardi Gras before, but it sounded like it could be fun. In fact, I was quite excited about it. I hadn’t long been out of the army, so could do with a change of scene. It wasn’t at all like I expected. At first, I was a little hesitant about going on my own, but everyone was so friendly. If fact, most people were very friendly. Friends did warn me that going alone may be a problem as I could fall vict...

My name is James Briggs, and I have a story to tell. My life was changed forever by a set of carefully chosen words, spoken in a carefully chosen manner. Those profound words were to influence the path I chose. In life, we all make choices; some of these are wiser than others. Only with the vision of hindsight do we know which was which. My story begins after I left university. Actually, I couldn’t wait to leave universit...

“I saw Sally in the butchers the other day.” “Oh yes.” “Yes, she’s really piling on the pounds.” “I noticed that. She told me that her doctor said that she had an underactive thyroid.” “Ha, and overactive knife and fork if you ask me.” “Yes, you are probably right.” “I am right. I’ve seen her in the sweet shop buying bars of chocolate. You know, those giant bars, not the little ones.” “Well, I suppose eating lots of choco...

We have finally reached the twenty-first century. What a time to be alive! I never speak to my neighbours, and they don’t speak to me. An old lady, who lived down the road, died in her apartment and wasn’t discovered for three months. The city streets, once empty at night, are now busy. I can walk around freely and wear what I like; nobody looks up or makes eye contact. People go missing all the time. Nobody looks for the...

It may be fifty years since we got married, but it only seems like yesterday. Half a century has gone in the blink of an eye. Five decades of happiness and woes, triumphs and failures, laughter and tears. Memories come and go, but one day I will always remember was our honeymoon. We didn’t have a lot of cash at the time, so we took any deal that was offered. It being winter, we hoped for a flight to somewhere warm. Alas,...

I’d known Martin for over thirty years, since I was a boy, in fact. He has always been like an uncle to me. There is no blood relation between us; he just kind of took me under his wing, so to speak. Perhaps I should explain. I live in a small village, Altham, in the county of Kent, England. Having moved here with my mother shortly after my father died. I was ten at the time. My father worked for the financial sector in L...

You may think me a friend From the moment I started But my wonderful gift You just took for granted You wish me away At times of great sorrow Put off from today The things for tomorrow With each passing moment The stronger I get Only when I’m gone Do you start to regret I move past so quickly I’m here and then gone One moment in time That doesn’t last long You look back in anger You start to lament All the time that you s...

I can’t remember exactly when I first saw the factory. I know I always passed it on my walk to school. Even without looking at it, you were aware of its existence. For a start, there was the smell. Not a smell that is easy to describe, just a smell. It wasn’t there all the time, just when the prevailing winds allowed it to drift over our house. And then there were the sounds. Once again, I find them hard to describe. If I...

As good as I can remember, I was somewhere between four and five years old. Easter was fast approaching. In a matter of weeks, I would be starting school. My dad was at work and my mother took me for a walk in the park. It seems funny how I can remember that day so vividly. My mother was holding my hand as I skipped along to keep up with her. One hand held on to her, whilst my other gripped hold of a bright red balloon sh...

When you kill a man, you take away everything they have, and everything they will ever have. It’s a big responsibility. It’s not something I enjoy, but it’s the only thing I’m good at. I don’t just go around killing people for fun. I work for my government, I’m a cleaner. Well, that’s what they euphemistically call me. I was recruited after I left the army. My job prospects were poor and my employment somewhat intermitten...

Oh no, he’s about to recount the story of me falling out of a rowing boat. I told my brother that story always embarrassed me, he never listens. For god sake, I was only ten at the time and had never fished off a boat before. Oh well, at least it gave everyone a laugh. I suppose it is funny looking back. Mum looks happy, sitting there in her floral dress. She always loved that dress. I remember buying that out of my first...

On the 21st of June 1935, a murder was committed, a murder that would go down in history as one of the great mysteries of its time. John Simmons was shot and killed inside a locked and bolted room at his home. No weapon was found and the killer was never caught. As a man, Simmons was not known to have had any enemies and this strange crime appeared to have been committed without a motive. What made the mystery even more e...