Elle's fictional prose

#1045286

July 26, 2023 at 9:18pm

“I’m sorry, you did what?” I looked down and then off to the side, trying to avoid eye contact. “I bought a rugby team.” Joe’s whole body slumped with the force of his sigh. “Pete, you don’t even like rugby. Why would you buy a rugby team? What do you even know about rugby?” “I know….” I paused to think. I knew what rugby players looked like in their short shorts and tight tops, with their thick thighs and broad shoulders, but I doubted that would satisfy J... [Read more]

#1045285

February 21, 2023 at 8:41pm

They tell me that this time will be different. That this could be my forever home. That these smiling people could be my new parents. But I have learned that nightmares aren’t tethered to one bed, to one room, to one house. Nightmares follow a person, stuck to them like the inverse of a shadow, only appearing in the quiet darkness. Nightmares take postcard-perfect families and warp them into horror stories. I’ve never liked horror stories, but I like fairytales even less. At least the... [Read more]

#1045284

February 21, 2023 at 8:41pm

She stole my heart and never returned it. Sometimes I wonder if she ever takes it out and plays with it, or if it sits in a jar on a shelf in a forgotten room where the only semblance of joy are the dust motes dancing in a stray beam of sunlight. Written 30 June 2019... [Read more]

#1045283

February 21, 2023 at 8:42pm

I don’t know why I left his room preserved. A shrine to a life that once was. Posters of rock bands adhered to the wall with blu tack, small participation trophies on top of a bookshelf overflowing with comics and science fiction novels. I dusted weekly, but otherwise the only thing to change since he left was the removal of the note he left me. Silly, really. If he’d liked things the way they were, he would never have run away in the first place. Written 28 February 2019... [Read more]

#1045282

February 21, 2023 at 8:42pm

The daily summer drone of cicadas, almost a white noise in its constancy, transitions into the familiar chirp of crickets that beckons evening rituals of rest and relaxation. The crackle of dry tea tree on the fire and the rustle of nylon sleeping bags in the foreground bring back childhood memories, and as I listen, the gentle murmur as water tumbles gently over the nearby creek bed comes into focus, reminding me of the farm. A lone morepork flying over the bush steals the show, sending an eer... [Read more]

#1045281

February 21, 2023 at 8:42pm

As I curled my bare toes into the warmth of the sun-baked sand, I watched a family of four picnicking near me. They looked so innocent, so filled with the magic of Christmas. Red and green tinsel wrapped around the handle of the wicker basket threw sparkles of sunlight over the scene, reminding me of evenings spent in the glow of fairy lights. I sighed. I used to love Christmas and everything about it. The anticipation, the decorating, the gifts, even the music. It wasn’t Christmas u... [Read more]

#1045280

February 21, 2023 at 8:43pm

I creased the edges of the wrapping paper, making the edges sharp and straight. The sellotape was uniformly cut to length, the ribbon perfectly curled. She'd been distant all week, probably to do with getting older, but this gift was going to snap her out of her blues. I hid it behind me as I went downstairs, then held it out with a beaming smile. She glared. "What is this?" "Um, your birthday present? Happy birthday!" She reached out, taking it with a casual disr... [Read more]

#1045279

February 21, 2023 at 8:43pm

Captain O'Leary instructed Mayor Writon to stay put in case his wife returned to the scene of the crime, and Dorothy positioned herself at the police station to await a possible call. Maybe it was a kidnapping, and the perpetrator would call with ransom demands? Mayor Writon was beside himself, and it was clear that the day's festivities would not begin until the mystery had been unravelled. The public announcement was kept relatively vague, but it was a small town, and it didn'... [Read more]

#1045278

February 21, 2023 at 8:44pm

She trailed her hand along the wall, feeling the coarseness of the stone bite into the soft pads of her fingertips. Her footsteps echoed, a hollow, lonely sound that spoke of her insignificance and mortality. Quiet, fearful pants turned to gasping coughs as dust swirled up in resentful swarms to protest her intrusion into their shrine to time. Then, without warning, the solid reassurance of the rock gave way to a gaping vacuum that reached out and jerked her in. Written 31 August 2017... [Read more]

#1045277

February 21, 2023 at 8:44pm

I brush my thumb over soft leather that I guess a salesman would refer to as buttery. It is a classic brown, less intense than coffee, that reminds me of milk chocolate softened by the sun or the heat of a warm hand. The pages are edged with the tiniest sliver of gold, so that when pressed together, it adds an air of luxury and refinement, but individually is subtle. Each page is crowded with writing. I notice the propensity for blue ink, but there are smatterings of black, green and purple,... [Read more]

#1045276

February 21, 2023 at 8:45pm

Before a sleepy, disheveled sun even thinks about poking her nose over the horizon, the first calls go out. A cheery wake up song to start a day of industrious productivity. As the sky lightens, first to a dull charcoal, then slowly, persistently, to a stunning, vivid blue, the chorus of melody grows stronger and louder. Sweethearts are courted with flirtatious serenades, and materials are meticulously gathered for the construction of homes in anticipation of future families. Written 27... [Read more]

#1045275

February 21, 2023 at 8:45pm

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Holy shit, I was really doing this. The door opened and he smiled, gesturing me inside. He wore leather pants and a black t shirt that showed a slim, leanly muscled figure. "Hey," he purred. "I'm James. What shall I call you?" His voice wasn't as deep as mine, but oh so smooth. I wanted to close my eyes and just listen to him talk. I turned when I was halfway across the room and looked at him. "Shall I... [Read more]

#1045274

February 21, 2023 at 8:46pm

Each piece of armour, selected with precision and ridiculous overthought, sat in a pile on the corner on my bed. I stood in my underwear and tried to inhale peace and tranquility, but only managed to suck in a faint taste of dust and desperation. This was it. This was the point of no return. I drew on a pair of jeans that were so tight they redefined the term 'skinny jeans'. I nearly fell, and ended up in an ungainly sprawl across my unmade bed. I tugged until my fingers ached, i... [Read more]

#1045273

February 21, 2023 at 8:46pm

"It's a bad break. We need to get him to a doctor." Sam gritted his teeth against the pain while he listened to the McKenna boys argue over what to do with him. "I know," replied Jack, "but it's a good half day's ride to the house and it's damn near dark now. It's not safe. He's going to have to wait until morning." Sam breathed deeply, trying to find the strength to fight the pain. The last thing he wanted was to look like a weakling,... [Read more]

#1045272

February 21, 2023 at 8:47pm

I jolted out of my daydream as a foot caught me across the shins, sending me sprawling. The heels of my hands skidded along the grass as I tried to break my fall, smears of green and brown streaking up my wrists. My breath wooshed out as I landed, my backpack thumping into my lower back. As my chin thumped down on the ground, I was grateful I hadn't been standing on concrete. A shoe-clad foot smacked into my ribs, dislodging the left earpiece of my ipod, and the jeers and taunts filt... [Read more]

#1045271

February 21, 2023 at 8:47pm

She spoke of charcoal lies and black beetle pies, of interstellar flight and the thesis she'd write. She ranted about spiders and how they're entrapping the nation, and the plight of the seagulls that pillage the waste station. Her long fingered hands flew as she gesticulated admonitions, and used her cutlery to conduct invisible musicians. I watched as three perfectly spherical green peas rolled off the table in a bid for freedom, and I felt a curious empathy with them. Written ... [Read more]

#1045270

February 21, 2023 at 8:48pm

Squelch. Hope paused in her walk across the paddock and looked down. One of her sneakers, previously a pristine white, was submerged in a large circle of cow dung. She gagged. Very smelly and, ugh, squishy cow dung. She stepped onto some clean grass and tried to wipe off the mess. The more she smeared it over the dandelions and buttercups, the more she fought the urge to throw up. Please don't let this be an omen, she prayed. I need this new move to work. At 30 years old, Hope M... [Read more]

#1045269

February 21, 2023 at 8:48pm

He proffers a drink of cold milk, condensation beading on the glass and wending down to his chilled fingertips. But part of me can't move past the memory of collecting fresh milk from the cowshed, so creamy we'd stir it before pouring it over cornflakes. It would slide into my mouth, the silky warmth reminding me that just moments earlier it had been inside that nameless, faceless cow. I shudder, declining his kind offer. Written 16 June 2016... [Read more]

#1045268

February 21, 2023 at 8:49pm

"Surely it's not true. Imagine the scandal. He'd never be able to show his face again. He'd be ruined ." The scandalised whisper crept around the edges of the potted plants to reach the interested ear of Mr James Devon. He straightened from his lean against one of the pillars edging the small country ballroom and strained to hear more of the conversation. "Of course it's not true," snapped a matron's deeper tones. "He's a duke. And imminen... [Read more]

#1045267

February 27, 2023 at 8:20pm

I'm still waiting. As the seasons change and tattered scraps of autumnal leaves lie discarded beneath skeletal branches, I still watch for you. The cold rain slides in miserable drips down the splintered wood of this dilapidated park bench, skirting cracked paint and jagged splinters, to dampen my spirits, but not my skirts. The nights grow longer and frigid, and a wet fog lurks around the naked ankles of the holly shrubs, but my breath takes no form despite the chilly air. I have lo... [Read more]

#1045266

February 21, 2023 at 8:50pm

This one didn't scream. I was kinda disappointed, you know? I had set the scene perfectly, just as I outlined yesterday. A sumptuous bed of blonde hay spread across the hard ground of the barn. I'm not sure she appreciated my efforts to keep her skirts clean though. Ungrateful wench. I didn't bother sprinkling the lavender this time. I loved the amethyst tones, but the perfume was wasted when darker aromas permeated the space. Shame I couldn't control the weather. Th... [Read more]

#1045265

February 21, 2023 at 8:50pm

Someone knew. Gabe picked up the bright, rainbow-colored sock from where it was resting on his gym bag and tossed it over his shoulder without looking to see where it landed. After gathering his clean clothes he glanced around, but no one seemed to be watching him. Even if they were, that would hardly be an admission of guilt. Damn it. Gabe shrugged wide shoulders with a nonchalance he wasn't feeling and got dressed before trudging out of the changing room with his bag. It wasn't... [Read more]

#1045264

February 21, 2023 at 8:50pm

The door chimes to indicate a customer, and I stroll out to the front desk. He's a young guy, maybe late teens, although I suppose he could be early twenties. He looks to be a little shorter than me, maybe a fraction under six feet, with his straight brown hair cut conservatively. Jeans, t-shirt, hoodie and sneakers. Pretty typical for this neighbourhood, but he doesn't look like trouble and that's something. "Can I help you?" His eyes flick to me, then back to the... [Read more]

#1045263

February 21, 2023 at 8:51pm

Aonghas blinked open gritty eyes and saw a young lass with horror written all over her face. Her face was pale as milk, her mouth and eyes wide with shock, and she was staring at his mouth. A dawning realisation that he had compromised his identity began to filter through him, urging him to action, but his body was weak. What had happened? Where was he? Who was the young woman? He struggled to remember. She placed a hand on his chest and he absorbed her warmth. How long had it been si... [Read more]

#1045262

February 21, 2023 at 8:51pm

Walter rewound the tape, tapping his pen against the edge of the desk until he reached the beginning of the scene. Eyes narrowed, he watched the action play out again. He had seen it so many times it was as familiar to him as his own face in the mirror, yet he knew he was missing something. Still he noticed nothing new. He rewound it yet again. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Walter sat bolt upright and reached eagerly for the play button. Of course! He needed to close his ey... [Read more]