Short Stories by T&L Readers
Epsom, Sutton & Cheam Time & Leisure teamed up with Sutton Writers’ Circle and Waterstones bookshop, Sutton to launch its first Short Story Competition. Below are the entries from our readers.
Jeremy Golding, Thursday 10 May 2012
The bees were there when we decided to buy the house.
Mary and I stood together on the lawn, the estate agent out of earshot on the patio, and we talked about the finance. The money her grandmother had left her, a small pot of savings we had built up together, the prospect of a promotion and pay-rise at work: it just about added up...
This winning entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Jeremy Golding
Louise Hayes, Thursday 10 May 2012
I lie with my cheek on the smooth, cool glass, curled up in a gap of space, almost as small as myself.
The glass flows around me. I am part sitting, part lying, my bare feet pushed into the rounded teardrop bottom. Sometimes I study the flaws and bubbles in the glass. There’s a big one that creates a little mini-rainbow, when the sun hits at just the right angle...
This runner-up entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Louise Hayes
Deborah Hall, Thursday 10 May 2012
I wanted to be a crow.
My desire lasted twenty seconds, but by then it was too late. I was a crow. He had been staring at me in the park, I seated with him at my feet. His head cocked one way then the other. He looked me in the eye and he must have thought, ‘I want to be a man.’
This runner-up entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Deborah Hall
Colin McIntosh, Thursday 10 May 2012
‘Harry. Wake up!’
‘Okay mum, I’m awake.’ Harry had been awake for some time, considering the day ahead. The long summer break was over. A new school year was about to start...
This entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Colin McIntosh
Craig Phillips, Thursday 10 May 2012
‘Teddy’s not scared of flying, Mum.’
‘That’s good dear.’
‘Teddy’s my friend. He’s holding my hand. To keep me calm.’
‘That’s good, now Mummy needs a Gin and Tonic. That’s what keeps Mummy calm.’
This entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Craig Phillips
Sarah-Jayne Windridge-France, Thursday 10 May 2012
Just outside the playground a group of seven daffodils sway in the sunshine.
One bloom braces itself against the others with a kink in its stem. That daffodil, for all intents and purposes, is me...
This entry to Time & Leisure’s short story competition was written by Sarah-Jayne Windridge-France
