Muriels' Bear
At the age of eight, Muriel Bradshaw lost her parents and little sister in a devastating fire which left her horribly disfigured. Her life and her face were left in ruins. A lady from the Red Cross gave her a knitted teddy bear which became her only friend.
In her eighties, Muriel finds the bear again when packing to live in sheltered accommodation. When she and her bear arrive there, she finds someone who knows about the fire. A short story of twelve thousand words, it can be read in under an hour. |
The Novice's Demon
It’s the 14th Century, and in a Benedictine priory near York, the novice Breage is tormented in her cell each night by a visitor only she can see.
She becomes drained, fading away before the eyes of her community, who begin to fear it may be too late to save their most vulnerable sister.
Night after night, a monstrous creature emerges from the shadows, putting Breage in terror for her life and her virtue – and perhaps even her soul.
A short story of around twelve thousand words.
Stir-up Sunday
As tradition dictates, Hannah is making the family Christmas pudding on Stir-up Sunday. Over two hundred years previously, Lizzy had been doing the same job, in the same place, but she stirred up more than a pudding.
Hannah now feels her own life slipping out of her control, as she is drawn helplessly to a Christmas past and its dark secret.
A short story of around twelve thousand words.