list of stories

Jilted - a woman confronts the man who left her at the altar

To Bosket – a recently widowed man persuades his reluctant new lover to go on holiday with him

Stephen’s Funny Ideas – a woman suspects her lodger of plotting to overthrow the town’s mayor

The Soprano’s Brother – gossip at an amateur dramatics society

The Siege of Areaaaepdapl – a girl receives a posthumous letter from her brother who was killed in a siege

The Jaffa Boatmen – a man vows to avenge his friend’s attackers

What Really Happened to Dove – two friends discuss a recent suspicious death

Trouble at the Theatre – a director’s homophobia is challenged by his chorus mistress

The Lady Papillion Affair – two ladies discuss the murder of a local celebrity

Two Influential Southerners – subterfuge on a country estate

Of Drugs and Money – a Boston cafe scene

Recovery – a rehab clinic doubles as an old people’s home

In The Broom Cupboard – a couple discovers that an old friend has gone insane

Among the Ascenzos – a father tells his son about his adventures

Repartition – dignitaries discuss the political ramifications of the Repartition

In These Hills – two women revisit their home town and discuss a local hussy

The English System - two jeweller brothers are debating the state of their nation

The Inquest – a woman searches for her daughter’s killer, but the culprit is closer to home

The Renin Attachers – love traumas in the laboratory

To Galleran – a quango hundreds of years in the future discusses society’s demise

The Desire of Fruit - an explorer returns from his travels in the East

No Rock, But a Wall – a disagreement between a mathematician and his daughter

The Secret Document – a Canadian senator and his assistant discuss a secret file

Manikins – a Lieutenant plans the closure of a Texan brothel, but his junior has other ideas

Symore’s Spirit – the body of an embalmer’s former lover is delivered to the morgue where she works

The Red People – workers in a frame shop plan a Communist revolution

The Compiler - a journalist interviews a monosyllabic Scottish wrestler and his loquacious assistant

A Leash of Morality - two guards discuss the civil war that is raging in their town

The Kennel Huntsman – in the era of the Ubernet thousands of years in the future, a dog-robot keeps tabs on archivists

Princess Chitrangada – delusions, ex-priests and human sacrifice…

Converting the Nushkites - two Christian missionaries plan to convert the residents of a Eurasian citadel

The Forbidden Ritual – a Christian preacher tries to stop a pagan ceremony

Summoning Spirits – three friends try to contact the dead

Domestic Serpent of Morocco - a philanthropist seeks a location for his new men-only colony

Stranded – two army officers have hidden from the enemy in a cave, but can’t find their way back to camp

Pink Roses for the King – kitchen disagreements before a state funeral

Fuss About Some Sheep - backstage chat at McCloughry’s theatre

Job’s Warhorse – two petty criminals plot to take over a country house

After the Battle – beginning of a Hindu funeral rite

Trouble at the Taxi Rank – a disagreement between employees of a taxi firm and a local madam

Deserters – two soldiers escape a battle in a stolen boat

Spring Cleaning and Secrets – an old man’s secrets are revealed when his care-worker cleans his bureau

Blair’s Generation – two friends discuss town gossip and politics over dinner at Zeppa’s Restaurant

Opium Tales - a smoking session in a Mumbai expat bar

Trouble at the Laundry – a former client appears at McFarren’s laundry

Bulls and She-Elephants - three devotees of Stonewall Jackson plot revenge on his killers

Roasted Beavers – the bored occupants of a New Mexico cattle station in discussing local happenings

Mormon Wives – an investigative journalist visits a Mormon commune

Cellmates – a murderer and a political protester discuss their crimes

The Breakdown - two friends are leaving a wedding when their car breaks down

Casanovas on the Roof – two Italian lotharios try to rescue an English countess from her unhappy life

Sophie and the Spirit - a conversation between a girl and a ghost

Unavailable – an ex-serviceman in India talks to a beautiful young missionary about absent friends and tribal conflict

Johnson’s Dream – a Republican senator discovers a talented young actor at a Boston theatre

Beanball’s Bad Idea - the office clown ruins a team-building excursion

The Kitchen Boy’s Love – a kitchen boy falls in love with his master’s daughter

Death of the Ormond Master - when the leader of a heretic Baptist cult falls ill, his friends debate how he can be cured without revealing the secrets of their religion

Forbidden Love – a student tries to persuade his professor to continue their affair

The Janet Letters – when a student goes missing her friends lay the blame on the college recluse

The Chancellor’s Daughter – a mayor discloses a scandalous secret to his assistant, jeopardising his career

The Meat Thief – a Scotsman faces charges of meat theft in a Delhi high court

The Lesson – teacher/pupil tension at a school of architecture (by Helliebell)

The Outsider (a drama) – murder on the mountainside

The Earth Will Become Her – an Inca chief addresses his people after the kidnap of his daughter

Von der Tann’s Puppets – two Berber safari boys are put in charge of guarding a colonel’s daughter

The Gentleman and the Courtesan – a New England gentleman hires a mouthy courtesan to accompany him on a sojourn to Central America

Men, Gods and Peacocks – two Americans exploring the wilds of Burma decide to re-invent themselves as gods

Put to Sea in a Cockboat - a father and son take to the sea following the scandalous death of the family’s matriarch

Lovebirds – two veterinary researchers discuss the shortcomings of the lab assistant, leading to a confession of love

Found it! – two sisters plot to kill their mother, a woodcutter (by Helliebell Spamsson)

What Women Want (NSFW) – a father teaches his reluctant son the secrets of attracting ladies

Ghosts and Soldiers – a group of anthropologists visit a haunted army camp

The Demise of my Aunt – a man dines with his demented aunt

Vodka at Sea – prisoners of an apocalyptic war drink on board their jail ship

Scandal at the Abbey – a young nun is caught in flagrante delicto

Colonel Gardner’s Last Stand – a vicious battle is waged in colonial India

The Devil’s Clique – a brave warrior of Satan battles to overthrow God

Tales from the Mental Unit – a scene set in the day room of a mental hospital in Akron, Ohio

The Problem Child – two friends discuss a childhood acquaintance who is on trial for murder

The Affair – an Irish poet returns home drunk one night, filled with anger and suspicion

Prohibitive Hydrophobic for Dixieland – three friends on an acid trip

Sinners – a cult preacher denouncing members of his congregation for their sins

The Fight - a burly tradesman argues with a Burmese merchant in Victorian London

Kitchen Crimes – secrets and lies among Deep South house staff

Ants in the Palace – an infestation of ants at the king’s palace after a bacchic festival

Barraclough vs The Crown – gossip in a legal chambers

Gods, Saints and Soldiers – a war hero exiled in Kerala believes himself to be a saint

The Battle – two 15th century Goan teenagers set out on a mission to serve their commander

As Sacred as Ramadan – a nameless woman discusses religion with her friend

Viagra – a rap

Haiku – a haiku…

Filling Orders – a World War II drama (submitted by Helliebell Spamsson)

Sthunakarna – two nymphs discuss escape from the dictator who rules their paradise land

The Standard Brown Rider – another submission from Helliebell Spamsson

Mahasena – an Old Testament/Koranic world where gods, minstrels and monsters run amok

Helen’s Letter – antebellum Deep South epic meets Woolfian stream of consciousness

Lance & Seward’s Mother – stockbrokers, friars and mothers

A Few Loyal and Loving Friends - an argument among friends of Hercule Poirot

Monarch – a Persian king questions his vocation

Down by the River – the tale of Captain Fitzgerald and Sergeant Lamb