Beyond the veil, where secrets hide, A world unknown, where dreams reside. In gentle whispers, shadows play, A land unseen, where spirits sway. What lies beyond this hidden door? A place of peace, forevermore? In twilight’s glow, we hope to find, The echoes of a heart aligned. Yet as we stand upon the brink, We ponder what the darkness brings, The pull of mystery's thread we feel, Drawing us to where dreams are real. Fear...
He reached the top of the stairs and paused to regain his breath. He sometimes wished that the small block of six flats had a lift, but then walking up and down to his home was, other than sometimes walking up to six miles a day, his only form of exercise at seventy-two. Switching on the hallway light, he made his way across to his flat door. The light barely illuminated the hallway, but it was enough for him to see what...
“Eddie’s dead,” said the female voice on the other end of the line. My caller did not identify herself, but I recognized Emma Lawrence’s voice. She was engaged to my old friend Eddie Blake. “What happened, Emma?” I asked, dreading the answer. “He went paddling on the lake, Alan,” she said quietly. That alone was enough to make my face turn pale, but I let Emma go on. “I told him not to. I refused to go myself. But he stil...
No matter how long he stared at the fuel gauge, he knew that it would not budge. Out here in the middle of the countryside, in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the track that doubled as a footpath and road, he was stranded in his brand new Vauxhall, faced with a long walk. He'd even forgotten to bring his mobile phone, so there was no way of communicating with anybody unless he walked to the nearest phone-box, or...
It was, and still is, one of the great mysteries of its time. ‘The Bazookas’ were a rock and soul five-piece band, who, in the late sixties, simply vanished. Books were written, documentaries made, and even a TV docu-drama was made, but they’re still out there, their legacy written in the history books. There were bands that were bigger than them, but they towered over all other bands below them. Three number ones and two...
He noticed it as soon as he walked through the door, and was about to mention it, but then thought better of it as the youth settled behind his desk and set about turning on his computer. His black eye looked angry and painful, spread across the cheekbone and blending away on his right temple, as though prior to coming into work he had gotten himself into a nasty fight, him on the losing side. He seemed to get on with his...
Turning the key in the garage door, there was a satisfying click as it locked. His left hand held a claw hammer which was swung at it. It took three swipes to break the key. He nodded in satisfaction. “There, now we’re locked in,” he said, dropping the tool, then turning and walking across to a full-length Hanoi mirror, leaning against a drawer chest. In its reflection he could see the object of his disgust, Kenneth May,...
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...
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...
Thank god you’re here, I wasn’t sure you’d come. Sit down and look natural. I have something very important to tell you. Someone needs to know, you’re my son, the only one I can trust. Where do I start? Okay, it was the last week in March. You remember, it was unusually warm for that time of year. I woke up early as I always do. Five past seven and the sun was just starting to rise. I left mum in bed and went downstairs....
1940: The bombing of London, (The Blitz) started in September. By December 1940, many thousands of bombs had dropped on London. Countless homes and businesses were destroyed. London had become a very dangerous place to live, especially for the children. A mass evacuation was organised. Special trains were laid on to move the children to safer locations around the country. One such child, Mary, called so because she was fo...
Time for work, even though I’d rather stay here, sitting in my chalet, in my armchair. I only work down the road in the greenhouses, so there’s no rush, just another few minutes to observe my abode where I have lived for five months. I really do like it, even though it’s nothing more than a bedsit. Below the main windows is a maple sideboard upon which are three vases, no plants in them yet, and a cream coloured dial tele...
There once lived a little girl, named Anastasia in a tiny village. Her soft silky hair harmonized with her smooth black skin. Her sparkly big blue eyes filled with innocence and love; one could only see and get lost in the sight of hope. Her life appeared picture-perfect. A father who loved her dearly. A mom who was always ready to listen. Older brothers protected and treated her like glass. Everything felt ideal, but A...
As the wind carved its way swiftly across the sand and rocks of the Wirral side of the River Dee, seagulls tried desperately to maintain some sort of stability as they circled in the air, and a few dogs that were out still played and jumped around as though not affected. One of those dogs, ‘Baron’, a three-year-old border-collie sniffed around the rocks and pebbles for nothing in particular, its owner near the shoreline,...
Cal Zone knew he was in trouble. His partner, Justin Case had been taken hostage by the biggest crime boss in the Midwest. Carmine (Itchy) Ricketts controlled all of the corruption in Trippen Falls, South Dakota. Cal sat in his favored 4-door, Canary yellow 1959 Chevy Impala, given to him by his father the day the FBI arrested and took him away for bigamy. Justin was not only his partner in End Zone Bail Bonds & Keychain...
