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Short Stories




A Fortuitous Meeting by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series story 1. An emergency landing brings a pilot and a teacher together in a m... [16,996 words]
The Attorney's Assistant by Shelley J Alongi About a relationship between a U.S. attorney and an assistant. Emphasizes positive co... [7,617 words]
A Taste Of Death by Frank Dunsmore Dective Schmidt with Homicide of the Chicago PD is baffled by several arsenic poisonings. He a... [5,669 words]
The Animal Prison by L J Milakovic A zoo from an abused tiger's point of view. The abuse is too persistent for the tiger, and he... [823 words]
Resistance by Shelley J Alongi The actions and thoughts of a boy facing the bleak certainty of death in a Jewish ghetto in 1943. [1,414 words]
Hill Number 18 by Shelley J Alongi A major recalls taking his platoon out of a mine field in Vietnam. [1,225 words]
Timmya The Totter - And The Rise Of The Dead Part 2 by Rose Trimovski This next story has to deal with the next adventure that Ti... [6,731 words]
The Perfect Gift by T J Richards A woman goes to the middle east and finds the most unlikely of things while there. [1,681 words]
The Old Horse by Joan Bentley I wrote this one for my Dad and Arnold Palmer, believe it or not. Every year I would watch the U... [1,915 words]
The Magical Publishing Pen by Mila Strictzer Vegas and the devil. [4,596 words]
The Last Leaf by Abby Steed - [1,875 words]
The Gnome From Alaska by David Soriano A humorous short story involving... a gnome. [1,427 words]
The Cold Afterglow At The West End by David Soriano A short story involving mystery and some element of truth. [1,666 words]
The Band Played On by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,486 words]
Tangled Web by Sue (Sooz) Simpson Treat `em mean and keep `em keen. [596 words]
Taking A Chance by Leigh Berry A story about facing fears while traveling in the post September 11 world. [679 words]
Sweet Child Of Mine by Sue (Sooz) Simpson The old lady had been brutally mugged, her son was sucjh a good boy, but would his thoughts... [1,843 words]
Scorn, Thy Name Is Woman by Norman A Rubin This is a story of murder committed by a meek little man upon his nagging and complain... [2,360 words]
Room For One More by Sue (Sooz) Simpson The dream was haunting and wouldn't leave Mike alone. [1,728 words]
Return Of The Hellcat (Erotica May Be Offensive) by Sue (Sooz) Simpson Please do not read this one if easily offended. Or even not so... [3,390 words]
Pact Of Joy. by Sue (Sooz) Simpson Don't we all just want to be happy? [2,497 words]
Out Of Print by Sue (Sooz) Simpson A man, a boy, a love of reading and echoes of the past. [2,007 words]
One-Man Race by Sue (Sooz) Simpson He had only his nerves to rely on. One slip and the race would be lost. [664 words]
Etagere by Karen L Snyder Étagère--Set in the 1920's during Prohibition, a lady's husband is killed in a saloon brawl. She is wit... [9,649 words]
Dreamscape by Mila Strictzer A story about dreams. [4,963 words]
Death At The Conservatory by Frank Dunsmore John Benson watched Charles Manning sip from his water bottle. Throwing a smug, disda... [3,239 words]
A Darker Night by Albert Davis I think that in this world people all have dual identities and what you see is seldom the truth ... [1,507 words]
A Brush With Death by Frank Dunsmore Homicide Detective Schmidt with the Chicago PD visits the Art Institute to take a break from... [5,169 words]
Would You Like To Swing On A Star by Lisa Petro A short story of less than 1000 words about what is and what might be. [568 words]
The Pirate Ship by Kurt Kitasaki A short satire on employment practices. [230 words]
The Origin Of Our Five Senses by Stephanie Siegfred A children's story of how we came about to have the sense of taste, touch, hear, ... [591 words]
The Night Dancers by Moya Green What do you do when your best friend gets himself captured by the fairies? [1,522 words]
The Fantastical Adventure Of William Solney by Daniel Birnbaum A story to relive that freedom of youth which touches your heart an... [9,401 words]
The Elves And The Preacher by Norman A Rubin A modern version of the fairy story which tells of a goodly cleric and how he copes ... [1,603 words]
Roch by Sunny Cybersex. [289 words]
Mourning Glory
Mortar Doesn't Breathe. by Sue (Sooz) Simpson The house was inanimate, dead ... because her child was gone. [1,114 words]
Making My Way Back To You. by Sue (Sooz) Simpson She'd told them a thousand times to keep the front door closed, now tragedy had stru... [1,926 words]
Madness Becomes You by Sue (Sooz) Simpson She used to be someone, now she's several people, or maybe she's nobody at all, it makes no... [394 words]
Little Bird by Sue (Sooz) Simpson He liked fragile things [1,406 words]
Knockers by Sue (Sooz) Simpson It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. [2,210 words]
Just The Ticket by Sue (Sooz) Simpson You pays your money and you takes your chances. [5,177 words]
I've Always Wanted To Write... But! by Sue (Sooz) Simpson There's always an excuse if you want to find one. [510 words]
Is The Toilet Roll Half Full Or Half Empty by Sue (Sooz) Simpson It's hard when you're at bursting point. [423 words]
Airport Interrogation by Bryan Caron Susan thinks all men are jerks and doesn't feel she will ever find the right man until on... [2,579 words]
A Story With No Beginning by Bryan Caron A young writer wants to tell a fantastical tale but canot come up with a good beginni... [2,120 words]
A Date With Destiny by Stephanie Siegfred A suicide victim reflects upon her life and her fatal decision to end it when she is given ... [1,996 words]
The Wishfish by Moya Green Doris stared down at the kipper. The kipper stared back. "Don't eat me," it said. [1,861 words]
The Waiting Man by Dave Furniss - [577 words]
The Troubled Sky by Caitlin Gallacher-Turner A girl by the name of Cira, recently turned thirteen, discovers that she has the ability for s... [3,565 words]
The Midget by Nathaniel Perhay A story about a midget! [604 words]
The Heart Of The Storm by C G L Davies A bad storm makes me think. [586 words]
The Ghost Story Of Yotsu-Ya by Norman A Rubin The reader is brought to Japan during the era of the emperors - The story, based on... [1,961 words]
The Day I Killed Ryan Watts... by Lawrence Peters Just a joke inspired by a fellow poet. [157 words]
Story Of My Life by Ryan Watts A very short story with a meaning so shallow you'll puke. But read it anyway! [246 words]
Sixteen by Eloise H Anson Story about finding love, and the confusion, pain and angst that walks hand in hand with it. [3,411 words]
P.S.-I Love You by Pauline A White Frankie was just a good old country boy.He felt honored when Della became his woman. She was sm... [6,861 words]
Peter by Nathaniel Perhay A boy and his day! [1,100 words]
One More Fallen' by Jordan S Wilson a shrt overview of the tragic shooting of Tupac Shakure threw the eyes of his bodyguard. [1,944 words]
Noone To Nowhere by Alina Marquez Short story about a woman on a Greyhound bus to El Paso. [1,294 words]
Jacks, Or Better To Open by Lawrence Peters - [2,139 words]
Ghosts... by Lawrence Peters - [572 words]
From The Backbay Chronicles - Revival Week by Pauline A White Sundays in August were special times in the South. You had Revivals... [1,551 words]
From Backbay Chronicles - Mama And The Po-Lice by Pauline A White This is a story for pre and teenagers. It is part of a series o... [2,981 words]
From Backbay Chronicles - Visiting Day by Pauline A White Sometimes the Spirit can hit you really hard... [1,337 words]
Eyes by Lawrence Peters For Parker. [339 words]
Dogsbody by Moya Green It was during the great thunderstorm that George decided to become a dog [940 words]
Blood And Honour by Bradley Postma A tale of skinhead life and death... with a killer twist. Critiques are welcome. [10,135 words]
Backbay Chronicles - Randy And Sandy by Pauline A White 'A boy and his dog' is an old theme. Love is even older, and more rewardi... [2,696 words]
Baby Secrets... by Lawrence Peters Something you always want but should never have. [762 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
Mourning Glory
DESCRIPTION
One of my favourite pieces. Please note *This is not a children's story* It's the tale of a little girl trying to be a child.
[1,786 words]
TITLE KEYWORD
Drama
AUTHOR
Sue (Sooz) Simpson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I'm thirty nine, recently single again. I have two boys Cli' (pronounced clee) Real name Christopher and Mark. I'm a care in the community nurse and formerly (when I was married) an occupational Therapist working with the mentally ill on a secure unit. I love reading and writing and meeting people. I hate offal, seafood and intolerance. I keep dog, cat, polecats, rats and reptiles. And for seven years ran the second largest reptile sanctuary in Britain. Apart from having my lads, I think that's probably the most worthwhile thing I've ever done. Writing wise, I've been the main fiction writer for Legends magazine for three years.And have two books published 'Lizard's Leap' published by Quillusers, and 'Better the Devil You Know' soon to be released by Bestbooks.Um I drive a knackered old Astra, and ride a two litre trike. I live in the lake district of England, and am happy. :-)
[January 2003]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
sooz.006@virgin.net
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (84)
A Fork In The Road. (Short Stories) A paradox revolving round the lonely Holker Mosses in the dead of night. [2,835 words] [Mystery]
A Twist In The Tail (Short Stories) - [963 words]
Agony (Short Stories) The First in a series of Agony columns written by the unstoppable Aunt Nasty. (May be deemed offensive) [1,200 words] [Comedy]
Agony 2 (Short Stories) Morew from the irrepresible Aunt Nasty (May be deemed offensive). [1,077 words] [Comedy]
Angel Stew (Short Stories) The kitchens are in uproar. [826 words] [Comedy]
Anne (Short Stories) - [707 words]
Apple Of His Eye (Short Stories) Daddy's little girl, Daddy's little sweetheart. (May be deemed offensive). [1,742 words] [Drama]
Attractions (Short Stories) People stared at the sisters and called them freaks. [678 words] [Drama]
Bandit At Twelve-O-Clock (Short Stories) A sinister note drops through her letter box, but who is it from and what's it all about? [2,144 words] [Drama]
Barriers (Short Stories) Everybody's frightened of the prisoner in the cell at the end of the block. [2,913 words] [Thriller]
Breakfast In Bed (Short Stories) She loved her husband so much, and a sepcial man deserves a special breakfast. [1,633 words] [Horror]
Car Trouble (Short Stories) Boys will be boys. [496 words] [Comedy]
Cat's Chorus (Short Stories) - [1,332 words]
Cherry Blossom (Short Stories) - [435 words]
Cold, Cold Night.. (Short Stories) The night was beautiful but biting, she had to make her final farewells, a cigarette would help. [630 words] [Drama]
Creeping Up From Behind. (Short Stories) You can't ever really know what someone else is thinking ... unless they choose to tell you. [925 words] [Drama]
Dark Solitude. (Short Stories) A woman alone on the moors when a storm threatens, but this is no ordinanry storm and that is no ordinary lady. [1,434 words] [Drama]
Dawn Rising (Short Stories) He looked at his own personal sunrise every morning, yet longed for the warmth of the sun. [1,069 words] [Drama]
Deadly Persuit (Short Stories) Nature at its most cruel .. when it's interfered with by man. [1,541 words] [Drama]
Deep Blue Eastern Light (Poetry) I've never been to Budapest, but I saw an image on a postcard, it was misty and had a sort of dreamy quality about it. I wondered about the spirit of Budapest. Hope I've done her justicce. [204 words]
Different Road (Short Stories) Charlie is running scared. Will he find his way before his precious time runs out? [521 words]
Empty House (Short Stories) This had been her domain, now it was only a shadow. [649 words] [Drama]
Find Me A Place (Poetry) Everybody needs somewhere to run. [193 words] [Drama]
Finding Fleur (Short Stories) Katy desperately wants to find Fleur, but does Fleur want to be found? [1,727 words] [Drama]
Four Minute Warning (Short Stories) - [476 words] [Comedy]
Freedom By Another Name (Short Stories) He's an imposter [557 words] [Drama]
Furtive Glances (Short Stories) Always the last to know! [891 words] [Drama]
Galaxy (Poetry) Let Venus bear witness and Mars be our guide. [139 words]
Hickory, Dickory, Dock (Short Stories) - [991 words] [Drama]
Is The Toilet Roll Half Full Or Half Empty (Short Stories) It's hard when you're at bursting point. [423 words] [Comedy]
I've Always Wanted To Write... But! (Short Stories) There's always an excuse if you want to find one. [510 words] [Mind]
Jasmine And Gardenia Love (Poetry) - [417 words] [Erotic]
Jinny (Poetry) - [176 words]
Just The Ticket (Short Stories) You pays your money and you takes your chances. [5,177 words] [Drama]
Knockers (Short Stories) It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. [2,210 words] [Drama]
Little Bird (Short Stories) He liked fragile things [1,406 words] [Drama]
Lizards Leap (Novels) Four children buy an intricately carved frame from a school fair. A crazy old woman chases them desperately wanting the carving for herself. What is the mystery surrounding the strange frame? [5,753 words] [Adventure]
Long Walk Back To Jurassica (Poetry) Evolution and progress or three million steps backwards? [323 words] [Drama]
Lookingthrough The Window (Short Stories) - [401 words]
Madness Becomes You (Short Stories) She used to be someone, now she's several people, or maybe she's nobody at all, it makes no difference. [394 words] [Drama]
Making My Way Back To You. (Short Stories) She'd told them a thousand times to keep the front door closed, now tragedy had struck. [1,926 words] [Drama]
Memberwhen (Poetry) Memberwhen that mystical word of long ago memories. [189 words] [Drama]
Mortar Doesn't Breathe. (Short Stories) The house was inanimate, dead ... because her child was gone. [1,114 words] [Drama]
Mumbles From The Madhouse (Novels) It was her first day on the secure unit and somehow she had to see it through. [2,215 words] [Drama]
My Friend The Tiger And Me (Poetry) I wrote this for my little boy when he was having trouble at school. [942 words] [Animal]
Naughty Bunny Goes To Ibiza (Short Stories) - [552 words]
One-Man Race (Short Stories) He had only his nerves to rely on. One slip and the race would be lost. [664 words] [Drama]
Out Of Print (Short Stories) A man, a boy, a love of reading and echoes of the past. [2,007 words] [Drama]
Outrun The River (Poetry) The snow was melting fast and he owed it to himself and his seld of dogs to make it to safety. [145 words] [Action]
Pact Of Joy. (Short Stories) Don't we all just want to be happy? [2,497 words] [Drama]
Play With Me Please. (Short Stories) - [322 words]
Return Of The Hellcat (Erotica May Be Offensive) (Short Stories) Please do not read this one if easily offended. Or even not so easily offended. Continuing sexploits of Dark Solitude. [3,390 words] [Erotic]
Room For One More (Short Stories) The dream was haunting and wouldn't leave Mike alone. [1,728 words] [Drama]
Rush Hour (Short Stories) - [419 words]
Sally (Short Stories) - [2,268 words]
Sinister Music (Novels) She had no psychic ability, so why had fate chosen her to foretell of the spate of brutal murders? [6,114 words] [Drama]
So This Is My Life Then (Short Stories) - [517 words] [Comedy]
Space Walk (Short Stories) May Cause offense. [1,290 words] [Drama]
Spirit Dancer (Poetry) - [514 words]
Sweet Child Of Mine (Short Stories) The old lady had been brutally mugged, her son was sucjh a good boy, but would his thoughts now turn to revenge? [1,843 words] [Drama]
Tangled Web (Short Stories) Treat `em mean and keep `em keen. [596 words] [Drama]
The Band Played On (Short Stories) - [1,486 words] [Drama]
The Big Picture (Short Stories) The little girl was a great artist, but her subject matter was giving cause for concern. [776 words] [Drama]
The Comet. (Short Stories) Remember! [796 words] [Drama]
The Dinosaur (Short Stories) - [1,523 words]
The Half Empty Glass. (Short Stories) They had no idea of the horror they were walking into. [3,030 words] [Drama]
The Hhmmm Efect (Poetry) - [783 words]
The Iceberg (Short Stories) She had to break the hold they had on him... release him from his parents grip. [410 words] [Drama]
The Joker (Short Stories) - [2,032 words]
The Lovers (Poetry) - [124 words]
The Mark Of Jack (Short Stories) The start of something maybe. [1,044 words] [Drama]
The Old Enemy (Short Stories) I just hope I've got the names right. [253 words] [Drama]
The Rosary (Short Stories) May cause offense. [422 words]
The Spark (Short Stories) - [557 words]
The Thirteenth Station (Short Stories) - [8,024 words] [Horror]
The Village Green. (Short Stories) - [559 words] [Drama]
Three Mile Gap (Poetry) So close and yet... [285 words] [Drama]
Tomorrow Lies Beside Us (Poetry) - [239 words] [Drama]
Tusk (Short Stories) - [1,012 words] [Drama]
Under The Whether (Short Stories) - [1,626 words]
Watching And Waiting (Short Stories) - [1,253 words] [Drama]
White Icing (Short Stories) - [1,385 words]
Worlds Biggest Loser (Short Stories) - [114 words]
You Are My Sunshine (Short Stories) - [1,285 words]
READER'S REVIEWS (5)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.

"Very powerful and memorable story, beautifully told. Evokes the pain of growing up and letting go of dreams and facing an ugly adult reality. One of your best (which is saying a great deal)." -- David Gardiner, London, England.
"Thanks David this is one of my very early pieces, but it's always been one of my favourites. I'm reading at the ABCTales do and this is one of the pieces I'm considering. Wish I could make my mind up I haven't a clue what to read. Thank-you. " -- Sooz, Dalton-in-Furness, England, Cumbria.
"Sooz, Another winner here mate! Read this story Sooz, the world has a way of stealing away the beauty and innocence of the child in all of us! The message here is painfully clear, well written, flows well and concludes with a surprising a powerful punch! Great Job!!! :-) " -- Monte, USA.
" Homespun’s Review: Mourning GlorySue (Sooz) Simpson The raggedy little girl, who was really a beautiful princess but didn’t know it, walked into the golden meadow where all the delicate flowers turned their heads to the gilded sun. She called out the name “Glory” twice and her voice tinkled on the wind like the sweetest bell.And so he came.The magnificent stallion rose to the crest of the hill and came into view. He stood for a moment, a dark silhouette against the sun. His eyes cast over the meadow that he patrolled as his own, and he saw his beloved raggedy princess.And so he was motion.His flaxen mane and tail, crimped and flowing, blew behind ***Ain’t nobody gonna know what the heck you’re talking about*** him in the breeze that ***the word “that” usually drags any sentence down when it is an extra-baggage word, rather than being useful*** was purely of his making. The tensioned body blurred as he thundered down the meadow, his flight lightning fast while his gentle feet never harmed even a single flower head; for they were his flowers ***This reeks more of fantasy rather than drama, where you’ve purposely placed it by the way. If it were based on any kind of reality those flowers would be mashed regardless.***. A cone of exertion ***”A cone of exertion” bizarre description that doesn’t allow a reader to form an image in their mind.*** steamed from each of his wide, soft nostrils, and his eyes never left the little girl who meant everything in the world to him.And so he was still. ***Hopelessly broken sentence.***He nickered ***”nickered” what’s that????*** as he came to a stop in front of her, bowing his head and easing his velvet nose towards her stubby fingers.“Oh Glory, I have missed you.”The huge white stallion, fully ***putting “fully” in there like that makes this passage read all wrong, I’d reword it.*** two times taller than the raggedy princess, nuzzled her with all the gentleness of a kitten. She stood on tiptoe to run her hand down his warm, damp neck, his silken mane cascading over to tickle the back of her hand, the horse nuzzling his lips over the little girl’s leg. She giggled as the sticking-out ***odd non-standard word, ill-placed.*** hairs tickled her kneecap, and she let her face fall gently against his withers ***keep in mind your audience. Is this piece written only for horse people who would know what “withers” is?*** , listening to the great lungs as they drew in and expelled air.And so they were loved. ***Broken and oddly worded sentence.***The raggedy princess grabbed a handful of hair that was as soft as spun wool. “Ready boy?” she asked, and then she vaulted, light as confetti and as ***eliminate “as”*** graceful as a ballerina, onto the stallion’s back. She leaned forward and hugged the gentle beast around his pure white neck. He pawed ***horse’s have hoofs, can an animal void of paws, paw anything?*** the ground, anxious to be off, flying towards whichever adventure awaited them. The raggedy princess was the best rider in the kingdom. She adjusted her seat, moving forward onto her pubic bone ***this description has no place in this story “pubic bone”????***, she dropped her lower leg, extending the calf muscle so that the horse’s body was in contact with her own from seat to ankle. She sat erect but loose, ready to cushion the pressure of the tumbling ground through the length of her spine, and her hands tingled as she loosely grasped the horse’s mane. She was ready. He was ready.And so they were ready. ***Oh look yet another broken sentence, that adds no information to the story, what a surprise.***She twitched her calf muscle almost imperceptibly into the horse’s flank, but it was the only aid Glory needed to be given. Child and horse merged into the scenery of the enchanted kingdom and they outran the wind just for the pure joy of flight.Shortly they came to the King’s Castle. “Oh no Glory, the castle is on fire, whatever are we to do?” ***This line of dialogue comes out of left field. I’d put in some minor exposition about a fire, before erupting into dialogue.***They charged across the lowered drawbridge, a guard of honour ***misspelled that, remove the “u”*** of crackling flame overhead. ***That line makes no sense.*** Paying no heed to danger -- for together they were invincible -- they set about saving people’s lives. One by one the raggedy princess lifted the castle occupants to safety. Again and again they thundered over the blazing drawbridge carrying people to safety on Glory’s broad back.The Crown Prince was so grateful to the beautiful raggedy princess that at first he didn’t notice her stunning beauty. When he did, he fell instantly in love with her. He held her in his arms and swore that she would be his bride…just as soon as she was old enough!But for now the girl and her horse had more adventures to ride and more lives to save in the beautiful kingdom, and so they rode away into the sunlight. ***Typically you say riding off into the sunset, sunlight fails to make much sense.***~*~The little girl breathed a contented sigh and snuggled into her father’s deep chest. She kept her eyes tightly closed so that she wouldn’t notice that the kingdom had vanished. She didn’t want to see the dingy, cold room, lit only by a single naked lightbulb. She wanted to continue riding her horse so as not to notice the fingers that rose from her knee. ***…the finger that rose from her knee” ???***She was the raggedy princess; that was her life, in the meadow, with the flowers and Glory. This was only her waking nightmare, something to be endured until next time her father breathed plumes of whisky and was ‘in the mood’ to take her to the enchanted kingdom. What came after wasn’t so bad really; ***this is truly sick. I’m trying very hard to critique the story and only the story, but it is really hard not to make comments about what kind of mind would’ve written something like this.*** it was better than the other bad stuff when he hit her until she couldn’t remember anything. No. it wasn’t so bad, because all the time that it happened he would promise that one day she would really own Glory. He would be her own real-life horse.Glory stayed with the raggedy princess through all the early years, and one day, one wonderful glorious day, she was given a date when Glory would be hers. On her sixteenth birthday he would be brought to the gate with a big yellow ribbon round his neck. That made the ‘thing’ bearable for a few more years.They never found out about the ‘thing’. She never talked about that for many years, but they did find out about the other stuff, about him hurting her when he lost his temper and she was taken away. Glory went too, and the raggedy princess and her horse rode in the meadow and roamed the kingdom while the doctor spoke about detachment.He was allowed to write sometimes, ***Who wrote sometimes?*** and sometimes he did and sometimes he didn’t. The routine was always the same: in from lessons and get changed and then run down to the common room to see if there was any mail. The queue round the mail table was usually huge, and she would be pushed out of the way. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered really.She didn’t need to look for her name on an envelope as the others did. He was the only person who ever wrote and then only about four times in five years, but every single day she would go through the routine of looking to see if there was a letter for her. When there was she was never surprised, just as she was not surprised if there was not, ***Reword this*** because it didn’t matter one way or the other really. On those few occasions when there was a letter, there it would be standing right out from all the other kids’ letters, the sloping writing big and flamboyant; the showman on display. She knew how it would begin.“To my Dearest Darling Daughter.” And it always signed off with“All my Love and XXX’s Your Ever Loving Dad.” ***I just though you should know that this line reminds me greatly of the Fantastic Four’s Thing, where he says “I’m the ever loving Thing.” Do you really want to confuse the two?***It never varied. She would read the letter over until the paper wasted beneath her hands. This was not to glean every word, or to search for love in the carefully blotted ink, but merely to have something to read. It didn’t really matter what. They had stopped her from reading. Initially she had spent too much time reading. In fact she had spent all her free time reading, never talking or interacting with anyone, just reading. It didn’t matter what really, anything would do.She carried his letter full of woe in her pocket, taking it out and reading it although she knew every word, every syllable and every punctuation mark off by heart. Then she would carefully fold it up, slot it into its envelope and put it back in her pocket. She would count to a hundred and then take the envelope out of her pocket, carefully read the letter through and then fold it up and put it away again.The letters would tell her that he thought he was going to die soon. He always said that he was going to die soon. She didn’t want him to die soon. He couldn’t die soon. He had promised to buy Glory for her on her sixteenth birthday; after that it didn’t matter really, but he couldn’t die yet. So she continued to read his letter and to worry about him dying soon.There would always be a paragraph about Glory. This was her favourite ***favorite*** bit. “Have saved a carrot for Glory” he would say. That meant that ***eliminate “that”*** he was going to buy the horse didn’t it? He wouldn’t save a carrot for a horse that wasn’t coming one day, would he?***Nowhere in North America that I know of would they allow a known child-abuser to have “any” contact with his/her abused child.*** She was released from that hateful place three days before her sixteenth birthday. For three days she went to stay with temporary foster parents; her fifteenth set to date. And then a placement was found for her in a half-way house if she wanted it.“Ooh,” said the foster “Mother”, who’s name she couldn’t remember, “that’ll be nice dear. Just think, all those other young people your age starting out with their whole lives ahead of them. How exciting eh?”She chose not to take the placement. She was an adult now. Free of the welfare state. There was a provision order against him going anywhere near her. But she went to him. It was her birthday. She had dreamed of this day since she was six years old and Glory had first become real.He wasn’t tied to the gate yet. No magnificent white stallion with a pretty yellow bow. Someone must be delivering him. He would come soon. Today was the day.Her father was drunk, she made him some lunch. She hadn’t seen him in over five years. He hadn’t changed. She waited for him to mention Glory. Surely he must know it was her sixteenth birthday today. He hadn’t really known who she was, but it didn’t matter really as long as he had remembered to buy Glory.“Dad?”“Yes?”“When’s Glory coming?”He laughed. He laughed until he hawked, ***He became a hawk???*** and then he spat a huge length of cloying phlegm into the back of the open fire. It hung on the flue-pull like some malignant epiglottis ***This word is going to be far too highbrow for the average reader. Who are you targeting this piece to?*** swinging in a blackened throat. She watched it transfixed.“them psy…psy … psy-cho wotsits said you was nuts. It was a fairytale you stupid bitch. Don’t you know that? It was just a story. Jesus! You are one stupid bastard aren’t you? It was just a story. Hey and don’t think you’re staying here, I had enough of you when you were a whining kid. Go on, bugger off.”The raggedy princess lay beside the still form of the beautiful white stallion. His chest was stained red from the spear that the black knight had killed him with. The knight rode away on his black horse, laughing. The raggedy princess hugged Glory and wept ten years of misery upon his neck. And so she was alone. " -- Cam Davis.
"Firstly homespun thank you for taking the time to review my story. I agreed with maybe a fifth of what you said ... but hey it's my story so I'm allowed to! I found your tone insulting, your ego immense, and the world you live in to be far too pretty to allow an abuse-victim anywhere near. How the hell dare you call me sick for wirting about a subject that I know inside and out.In my opinion and it's only my opinion but this is one of the best things I have ever witten because it's written from life and truth .. and if it's not pretty enough for your clean litle world then I'm so very sorry. Shit happens lady (or man) ... and this is my way of dealing with it. Thanks Cam. " -- Sooz, Dalton-in-Furness, England, Cumbria.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2000 Sue (Sooz) Simpson
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
June 2002
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
698
 

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