The Painting of the House

…mooched round the tiny shop. The old fashioned store, sometimes called a second-hand shop, was one of those places that bought and sold everything and anything. In the front window was a random selection of products ranging from VHS video recorders, paperback books and pocket watches. He ignored the collection of one-legged Ninja Turtle figures and flicked through the stack of CDs from the…

By Chris Platt

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A Lynching for Justice

ALERT WARNING: Violence, sex innuendo, and language not appropriate for young readers.

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…had the experience of a lifetime. The hatred I saw in Mason Haggerty’s eyes assured me this was not a game. His squint, the tight colorless lips, and the bristly rope irritating my neck were the basis for that assurance. I was perched on a wobbly stool with my heels raised to relieve the…

By Dresden Fear

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Bitter or Better

Robben Island Prison - it was the closest thing to hell on this earth. He spent 27 longs years there in a 7' by 9' cell before becoming the country's President. Life's challenges make us bitter or better. It is our choice.

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…said to be closest thing to hell in this world. The small three square mile island, located a few miles off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, had been a prison for political dissidents since the 17th century. The prison was…

By Pete Black

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Edge of Eternity

A late-night attempt at short story writing

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…dreamed, flowing through the aether, lost, unsure and then… I found myself standing at the end of a corridor, and there before me sat a wizened old woman in a wide brimmed straw hat, and shabby clothes. She was smoking a long stem pipe watching me from underneath the brim. I stood there for a moment or maybe it…

By Wil McCarthy

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Saving Luna

With winter setting in, and Julia Hill up in the tree for a month, Earth First leaders instructed her to…

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…Julia Hill arrived at the Earth First camp, the focal point of the protest was a 1,000-year-old redwood tree, which Earth First had named “Luna.” The 200-foot giant sat high on the peak of a clear-cut hill where it was visible for…

By Pete Black

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Personal Growth

…stared in disgust at the arrivals board on the station platform. He had watched the display for the past forty minutes, as the arrival time of his train home was delayed further and further. Now the bright green letters declared Cancelled. Everyone on the rush-hour platform grumbled and swore to themselves and to each other. People shuffled towards the exit. Some reached for mobile phones, dialling for taxis or…

By Chris Platt

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Thank You for the Fleas

The flea infestation was so severe the prison guards refused to enter the building giving Betsie and Corrie the opportunity to conduct their secret Bible studies…

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…they had miraculously smuggled into the prison. After rising at 4:30 a.m. that morning, they had worked for 11 hours at a Siemens factory loading steel, before returning to the barracks to find hope…

By Pete Black

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