His Gift

…palpable excitement rings the atmosphere. The two pairs of yearning eyes meet covertly under the marquee; the first delicate touch of alien hands creates ripples through the spines. The heart pounds at the fragrance of a fresh commencement. The appetence for the anonymous swells in their bosom with each passing moment of their ebullient life. The mystery of the undiscovered selves gradually…

By Alipi Das

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Rebecca’s Diary

…been exactly twenty three days eight hours forty one minutes and eight seconds now. I’m sitting on the same bench in the same corridor outside the same room with a white door reading the same letters - ICU. Mom is in there, on one of those lined up beds with people lined up to die. She has spent quite a lot of time in the hospitals and I’ve spent exactly the same and eaten more hospital food than her but this…

By Tamanna Malik

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Train to Zaandam

A short story from a work in progress called Little Crimes.

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…day was an early start for Kurt and Regalia. He was waiting for her, as usual, stamping his feet and blowing into his cupped hands. When Regalia finally arrived, tall and scruffy, she was wearing her usual green cardigan. Her brown hair was in a messy knot, and she didn’t look…

By Jessika Jenvieve

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Finding Dad

Be a part of Ryan's journey to find his dad. Was he able to find his dad or did he give his…

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…multiple fathers and only one mother. While playing on the block with kids from the street one day, Chris came up to me. Chris lived two blocks away from me and was always into music. That day was Chris's birthday and his dad gifted him a flute. I remember being envious but I wasn't sure…

By Renu Thapa

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The Lesson

…walked down the aisles of the classroom, returning the marked exercise books to her pupils. The seven-year olds flicked to the latest pages to see what marks they had been given. Some were happy with the marks they had been given. They waved their open books for their friends to see, boasting about their mark. Others huffed and tutted, closing their books flat on the desk and saying…

By Chris Platt

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Mister Smith

…shuffled across the office. He avoided eye-contact with his colleagues but mumbled good morning as he went by. He dropped onto his chair and sighed in relief once he was safely hidden from view behind his computer monitor. He booted up with computer as the others on his bank of desks drifted into work. They bid him good morning and asked if he’d had a nice…

By Chris Platt

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When The Mist Clears

…drove along, making the routine, daily drive home from the office. He was mulling over what to have for tea. It would be something sent in, that was for sure. He had earned a takeaway after a rubbish day at work. It was a toss up between a curry with all the sides and garlic naan, or a kebab the size of a roll of carpet. He turned the car-radio volume up and sang along with the rock radio…

By Chris Platt

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