Ambleside by Tim Fellows

The old man leaned on the wall and looked at the house. It was, he had to admit, not the prettiest house.

The Guest Room Closet by James H Duncan

Castleton on the river where Dutch
sailors roamed with Henry Hudson
in an age of haunted hollows

Chimaera by Steven Bruce

Her slender fingers brushed the palm of his hand.
+++ ‘Your hands are rough,’ she said, kissing them.
+++ ‘Oh, thanks,’ he said.
+++ ‘They’re still my favourite part of you.’

Surprise! by Michele Alter Brenton

Anyone will tell you I’m a scream. I’m the life and soul of the party, me. I like a bit of banter, I like to shake things up. Get people going. It’s a laugh. They love it really. They get into the spirit of the thing, acting like they are upset and shaking and crying but they are just hamming it up.

Vitoria Xavier by Louisa Campbell

Angie lay like a corpse, flat on her back on the white marble floor, next to the barrier for Platform 17.