Category Archives: Very Short Stories

#19 Acts of War

They go from house to house, rounding up the innocents, while we stand, safety catches locked, doing nothing. It’s orders, policy. Doors are kicked in, wailing villagers extracted, herded like cattle into a corral by the market. Even up wind we can smell their sweat, their fear. Peacekeeper, I spit and the word seems to […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:54 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #19 Acts of War

#18 Tripping on trains

Some people enjoy drinking in parks, I like tripping on trains. An off peak ticket, a mild(-ish) psychedelic and a window seat and the trip begins. Beyond the verges of the city, we hurtle through the veins and arteries of the land, spectators in the midst of a moving feast, yet I’m the only one […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:53 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #18 Tripping on trains

#17 NPCs

“Here e’ comes, make ready.” “Alright I know. It’s only a line, it’s not like we actually have anything else to do except stand here and look rustic.” “Sush! e’s here!” “Noble peasants hail! I am Vortigen the Revenger. The land groans under the yoke of the evil Vortigrax, quick can’st tell me the hidden […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:52 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #17 NPCs

#16 Night Sky

The mysteries of the heart are like the deeps of space, untold and fathomless. Love explodes like the birth pangs of a star, or blinks out in a moment, leaving only the void. Yet most just decay slowly, until, like the light from a distant sun, we glimpse only a remnant from a thousand years […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:52 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #16 Night Sky

#14 Empire of the six gardens

I rule the empire of the six gardens, three roofs and two sheds and all therein unto the boundary of the great wall. Five wives are my harem, twelve fat neuters my courtier-slaves and here my dominion is absolute, unquestioned and unchallenged. The providers, in their great wisdom, left me intactus to rule this domain […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:50 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #14 Empire of the six gardens

#13 Retirement Plan

When I get older, I’ve decided I’m to go to go a little mad, not quite stark staring bonkers or anything but peculiar, eccentric and strange. I’ll develop weird obsessions and phobias, hoard bin bags or dig tunnels in the cellar. I’ll mutter in high streets and exude a malodorous smell. I’ll buy a walking […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:49 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #13 Retirement Plan

#12 Beyond the cheese course

“Hello, nice meet you, we didn’t get a chance to speak during dinner, I’m Letitia.” “Brian.” “You seem like a strong, handsome, charming kind of fellow Brian, tell me …do you swing?” “Aye lass, but it usually takes a new ball and’t right overhead conditions.” “I see …well not beyond the bounds of possibility.”

June 12, 2013 – 9:49 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #12 Beyond the cheese course

#11 Intruder!

“Hello, which emergency service do you require?” “Oh, the police please, dear.” “What’s the nature of the emergency?” “Well dear, I can hear strange noises coming from downstairs, I think we may have burglars.” “Okay, okay, stay calm and stay on the line, I’m dispatching a patrol unit right away, they’ll be with you in […]

June 12, 2013 – 9:48 am | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #11 Intruder!

# 10 A New Bank Holiday

“Hi I’m Dave Bland and you’re listening to BBC Radio Twelve. A quick reminder (as if you needed it) that today is National Fornication day, the one day of the year you can enjoy no questions asked, guilt-free sex with multiple strangers, with no comebacks, consequences or repercussions, safe in the knowledge your husband, wife, […]

June 9, 2013 – 3:37 pm | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on # 10 A New Bank Holiday

#9 Scrap Heap Challenge

Glancing up, he could see the gleaming city in the distance. His head went down again as he sifted through the refuse pile and to Azrael’s delight, he uncovered the tangled strands of a length of copper wire. A happy find, two or three days good eating at least. He tore and clawed at the […]

June 9, 2013 – 2:51 pm | By john-houlihan | Posted in Very Short Stories | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #9 Scrap Heap Challenge