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    Shorts
    Shorts
    Shorts
    Ebook90 pages1 hour

    Shorts

    By Sian Turner

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A collection of short stories, poems and 'other scribblings' by Sian Turner.
    Read 'Hot Under the Collar,' a tale of jealousy and its consequences, 'Poor Law,' the story of young Will Thompson's life in a 1903 Cottage Home (or workhouse for children) and what happens when he is unjustly accused of theft, 'Watching,' the story of Luke Peterson's ghostly encounter in the woods, plus other stories, poems and what the author describes as 'other scribblings.'

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSian Turner
    Release dateJan 22, 2015
    ISBN9781310210815
    Shorts
    Author

    Sian Turner

    I've lived most of my life in East Sussex, but was born in South Wales.My early career was in finance and administration. Then I worked as a secondary school teaching assistant for three very rewarding yet challenging years. I began writing fiction in 2010 and am a member of Shorelink Writers.Having started my self-publishing journey with two historical fiction novels based on a true story, I now write magical realism/speculative fiction novels (contemporary stories with a paranormal twist). Go to my website to sign up for my monthly newsletter and get free book offers. I'd be happy to hear from readers via social media or email too.People rarely review books, so I would be extremely grateful for any positive reviews and ratings. Thank you!

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      Book preview

      Shorts - Sian Turner

      Shorts

      A Selection of Short Stories and other Scribblings

      Sian Turner

      Copyright Sian Turner 2014

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

      The pieces in this book are works of fiction. All persons appearing in this work are, therefore, fictitious (including their actions, characters and motivations). Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

      Table of Contents

      Hot Under the Collar

      Lola’s First Christmas Eve

      Poor Law

      Road Traffic Accident

      The Chair

      The Promenade

      Time to Go

      Watching

      7th May

      Muuuum?

      I Wish

      Only a Dream

      Other works by Sian Turner

      Dedication and Acknowledgements

      Hot Under the Collar

      I knew I was lucky to have Dan and, having heard the saying, ‘All good things come to an end’ quoted so many times, you’d think I’d have realised that something would happen to take him away from me. But no; you always think that the bad things will happen to other people, rather than to you, don’t you? You think you’re safe and comfortable and then – wham! – something unexpected knocks you for six because you just weren’t ready for it.

      For me, that moment was two weeks ago exactly, at twenty past two in the afternoon when I popped out of the office and into the town centre to grab an unusually late lunch from the little baked potato outlet round the corner from my office building.

      I never did get lunch that day because, as I rounded the corner, a courting couple caught my eye. They were sitting at one of the benches opposite ‘Big Pete’s Baked Potatoes’ and they were all over each other. Really!

      A grey-haired lady in her seventies gave them a look of total disgust and I was just thinking that someone should tell them to get a hotel room when the cold dagger of realisation hit me right in the heart: the boy was Dan. My Dan.

      Well, he hadn’t seen me – he was too busy ‘exploring the terrain’ of the girl he was with – so I made a hasty retreat around the corner, my heart thumping so hard that I thought it would burst right out of my chest.

      I thought about going back and confronting him, but I didn’t want to make a scene in the middle of the shopping precinct; I’m not the type who likes to be the centre of attention. Perhaps that’s what he likes – the girl he was with didn’t seem bothered about making a spectacle of herself in public. So I just trudged numbly back up the hill, across the traffic lights and back to work.

      All afternoon, I sat at my desk wondering what I should do.

      Dan had moved in with me two years ago, and I loved having him around – I loved him. We had such good times together: the holiday in Morocco last spring, meals out, trips to the cinema – and we’d made plans for this year’s holiday, too.

      I spent the afternoon sitting at my desk staring blankly at my computer screen unable to get the image of him with his hands up the back of that girl’s top, and the seductive look on her face, out of my head. I wondered where they were now and what they were up to? Perhaps they were still sitting there engrossed in each other, or perhaps they’d gone to ‘get a room’ after all. The thought was unbearable.

      I’d been sitting there for about an hour when Sue from Human Resources walked past my desk. Are you all right, Jess? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! she remarked, coming over and putting a hand on my shoulder.

      I flinched slightly at her touch; hadn’t she heard of personal space? I’m fine. Just a bit… distracted this afternoon, I said, smiling weakly.

      Well, she responded, trying to look sincere, just come up to my office if you need to chat. You know where to find me.

      As if she was bothered. I hate people like her – all false sympathy and petty gestures. Didn’t she have someone else to hassle?

      For the whole afternoon, I sat there, not getting any work done at all, despite the upcoming deadline for the management accounts.

      And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I should have noticed the signs: he’d been smiling a lot lately, especially when he received text messages on his phone. He’d been dressing more smartly, too; I’d hoped it was for my benefit, but now I could see all the evidence coming together: Out with his ‘friends’ twice a week leaving me at home in front of the telly; getting back late, long after I’d gone to bed.

      Eventually, it was time to go home. I climbed onto the bus, sitting in one of the spaces that you have to give up if a disabled or elderly person gets on, and wondered what I would say to Dan about the girl.

      Nothing. That’s what I said to him; nothing. I knew he loved me – he did so many things to show it. So it must be her fault; that girl had seduced him and was planning on taking him from me for good.

      So I decided I’d have to do something about it.

      The next day, I left for work as usual, leaving Dan still munching his way through a big bowlful of breakfast cereal. But I didn’t go to work; I rang Sue from Human Resources and told her that I had some things I needed to sort out and she agreed I could take a day’s holiday. Some people are so gullible.

      I hid just around the corner to the left of the house and waited for Dan. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, he appeared

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