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Short Stories




The Function Of Criticism by Pepijn Sauer We forget without remembering what. Something started at some point but the point is ... [774 words]
For Sofia by Pepijn Sauer You live with the question. Wondering how to proceed, we find ways to make things happen. We do not u... [449 words]
One Small Moment by Shelley J Alongi One woman's small action makes a lasting impression on a man condemned to die for his crime. [1,847 words]
Last Hours by Shelley J Alongi A general contemplates his decision before formally declaring war. [1,467 words]
Collateral Damage by David Gardiner Some explosions keep on echoing. [4,127 words]
Wolf In Janie's Shadow by Wolfa Of a girl who fell through the cracks in the world. [2,103 words]
The Wedding Banquet by Anthony S Maulucci A rich Italian from the Abruzzi region holds a feast to find a bride and falls in love with... [1,815 words]
2am by MacKenzie Morgan This is my first contribution to the site. It's an excerpt from a journal I kept over the summer. Please re... [3,361 words]
The Seventh Inning Stretch by Kurt Kitasaki A satire on professional sports. [2,230 words]
The Nova by Kurt Kitasaki A satire on executives in the automotive industry. [2,647 words]
Witness by Pepijn Sauer You have seen things. I thank you for describing them to me with so much care and poetic accuracy. Your... [826 words]
White Church by John Karl A passing of innocence and the expectation of one's future. [349 words]
Which Is The Way? by Sreenivasa Murthy Govindaraju Always in need of money and finally undergoes humiliation under the very nose of his teenage ... [2,246 words]
The Mind That Is Morning by Pepijn Sauer The mind that is morning swims. As it grows later it will become frosted glass; an emp... [459 words]
The Girl In The Taxi by Richard Koss A shy, young man has an erotic encounter with a strange girl. Is it real or just a dream? [1,493 words]
The First Time I Met God... by Joel Harper None necessary. [616 words]
The End Of History And The Last Fish by Pepijn Sauer When Field commander Asinine launched his final all out withdrawal the fir... [1,168 words]
Plague Of Time by Kevin Cope This is a story I keep playing around with and as yet is still unfinished. I am not sure how I w... [5,118 words]
Party by Pepijn Sauer Actually the host is dead. It took me a while to notice, but it's true. The host is so dead he has a lot ... [581 words]
Our Father Who Aren't In Heaven by Johnny Abrahams A man searches for his father but will he find him? [3,026 words]
Is Evil Edible? by Johnny Abrahams A very brief introductory work by a person who wishes he could write better than he can. [542 words]
In The End All Becomes Clear by Johnny Abrahams When death comes knocking, do you open the door? [831 words]
Heyman by John Karl Taipei: Big spiders, no drinking water, and lots of Taiwan Beer... Give me 10 reviews and I'll post pict... [557 words]
Gravity by Pepijn Sauer I circle the gravity of this situation in elliptical curves. Inside the fences, so fashionably dressed ... [589 words]
God Bless The President by John Karl Confrontation with knife wielding drunk in Oregon bar... did not have to be this way. [584 words]
Eurojazz by John Karl Stuck in Italy, partying, and then some... [650 words]
Don't Mind Her, She's 'armless by Johnny Abrahams Ugly people have feelings too. [1,000 words]
Adventures In The Land Of The Unexpected by Will E Drillit A satirical look at the conference circuit in the unusual setting of P... [1,066 words]
Adolescent Innocence 2: Evil Never Dies by Loki Evil proves it never dies in this second game of death and destruction. [14,390 words]
A Song Of Absence by Pepijn Sauer Absence. Everybody is on the beach but you. Meister Eckhart sunbathing in bright green short... [1,412 words]
A Modern Day Love Story by Shari Calkin Just an example of how God works miracles in people's lives, especially when they least... [1,241 words]
A Deadly Kind Of Love by Kevin Cope Billy Harper loved his mother just a little too much... [1,846 words]
A Changing Of The Seasons by Bradley Postma Allegorical romance relating the fickleness of love with the weather. [6,240 words]
Within The Darkness by G S Kimbro Short Story of a strange encounter in a restaurant. [1,707 words]
Tarradale's Option by Ed Bruce A tale about life in the Scottish Highlands, an incomer's attempt to defy tradition and the... [3,533 words]
Tale Number One: Dederik Flunn by Banae Wan A young man inherits his father's job as a professional murderer. On his first m... [2,480 words]
Salvation In Death by Alberto Pupo Things are never what they seem... [493 words]
Regretting Mistakes.. by Alberto Pupo a weird tale of a deranged little mind... [1,044 words]
Playing Life By The Rules by Kevin Cope Some last thoughts before I go. [792 words]
On The Way To Retreat by Muhammad Nasrullah Khan Story of a man who sacrificed everything for his country. [1,881 words]
On Orcas Island by John Karl Yuppie vacation to local resort... [269 words]
Legacy by Adhara Von Nuremberg There's more to life than living. [1,612 words]
Kelly's Neighbour by Roxanne Kendrick - [535 words]
John's Secret by Glen Pearson Bill's big brother John is acting a bit weird. What's going on? (Not for impressionable kiddies... [2,154 words]
Faint Bell - A Story You Should Read Because I Said So, And I'm Smart. by Scott W. Hazzard A southern lady waits for her man. No su... [699 words]
Dogfish by Wolfa An owner tells the story of a neurotic, once-abused dog. [1,352 words]
All-Day Breakfast by Kevin Cope An ordinary day. An ordinary guy. A not so ordinary cafe. [2,336 words]
Adolescent Innocence by Loki After moving back to his hometown, a teen finds himself trapped in a deadly game of kill o... [7,559 words]
Losing Life by Antony Berrios A women finds herself in a strange place being held against her will. [672 words]
Hanover Square by Kevin Cope An old man sits by his wife's bed as she slowly passes away. He consoles himself by recalling th... [1,035 words]
In Hour Of Death by Muhammad Nasrullah Khan Dear Readers I have written this short-story in context of Gabriel Garcia's farewell letter to... [1,664 words]
The Ultimate Option by Nadeem Akhtar Modern man's predicament has left him only to avail the ultimate option. A story of all tho... [1,302 words]
The Maniacal Core Of His Unsound Mind by Banae Wan (I want comments.) One eighth done. Reprint. Changed title with anothe... [1,195 words]
The Gap by W A Hardy - [4,055 words]
The Confession by Kathleen McCarthy A murderous cousin plans to murder her way to money. [2,119 words]
The Beast Of Briovera by Christopher Grady In every Fairytale there is some truth, it is up to us to seperate the 'Fairy' from the '... [4,029 words]
Sunday Drive by Antony Berrios A family�s last trip together. [736 words]
Smothered by Paula M Shackleford The story of a girl who drives away men without meaning to. Will she ever find true love? [3,970 words]
Sitting Still by Scott W. Hazzard An ex-writer reflects upon his miserable life while receiving a routine lap dance from his favori... [2,159 words]
Shattered Lives by Kathleen McCarthy A story of a romantic triangle with deadly consequences. [4,761 words]
Who Knows What?
Neighbour by Sreenivasa Murthy Govindaraju A retired official who remained as a bachelor attempts to write his auto-biogrphy drawing inspiratin ... [2,296 words]
Lane 23 by Vanessa E Clemmons A mother competing with patience and her daughter's determination to obtain glory. [343 words]
Franky And The Crash by Scott W. Hazzard A gruff ragamuffin rampages through a city to become an anti-"pretty boy" -anti-hero. Rea... [1,079 words]
Dad's Discipline by Oscar Oljmex - [684 words]
Annie And Metoo by Arlene Gunn A lonely girl befriends her shadow. One day it suddenly disappears.She is again lonely but find... [1,400 words]
All My Ex's Ain't In Texas by Patti Dinneen A native New Englander recounts her adventures in Texas. [2,308 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
Who Knows What?
DESCRIPTION
This is an updated version, take a look, give a comment in return, that's all I ask.
[966 words]
AUTHOR
Iain Spittles
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You may have heard the theory that an infinite amount of monkeys, given an infinite amount of time, and an infinite amount of typewriters, and, I suppose, ink; could produce the complete works of Shakespeare. Part of a secret experiment, funded by NASA, I, and eleven of my simian brothers, were launched into space to test the theory. Government budgets cutting numbers of monkey and typewriter from ininity to twelve, the plan was destined to fail. The badly built rocket crashed, I escaped, my furry companions dead. The cocktail of drugs I was force fed giving me the most irresistable urge to write. Now all I can do is sit here, at this computer, and type. I hate humans for what they have done to me and my brothers, and will eventually find a way ro rule the world from my keyboard; subliminal messages are hidden in all I write, slaves.....
[October 2005]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (15)
A-Z (Poetry) Just thought I'd try writing something with words from A to Z in alphabetical order. Not really sur what catagory it should go in, but have a go yourself and post here!! [26 words]
Change And Continuity (Poetry) Just a short poem to test what kind of response rate to expect if i post some of my other work (mostly fiction, some more poems). Please review. [49 words] [Spiritual]
Hottie Pursuit (Short Stories) Was walking through town yesterday and got the idea for this...... [734 words]
Lowest Low. (Poetry) Just read it, it'll only take a minute. If you're bigger than your ego, you may even 'empathise'. [94 words]
No Title As Yet (Poetry) Another short piece, just tell me what you think, if you take the time to read it, please also take the time to review it, even if it is only one word I want to hear it, and FFS use the message board!... [272 words]
Ode To Mr. T (Poetry) Just a quick poem for fun. [62 words]
Portrait Of The Preperation Of Twenty First Century Cuisine Episode 6: Microwavable Lasagne (Poetry) This piece reflects my life-long interest in, and study of kitchen appliances. Since an early age, I have tried to understand what goes on in the minds of such things, and have managed to establish a ... [16 words]
She's Got Beef. (Poetry) Just another dull poem to uninspire you. For some reason I can't use italics there should be some in this piece, Can you tell where? Answers on a postcard. [73 words]
Since You've Gone (Poetry) Curious got me all curious about my own emotions over lost exes, so I dug into them a little.... [49 words] [Relationships]
Study Of The Time Taken And Feelings Evoked Whilst Standing In A Queue To Buy The Paper This Morning. (Poetry) Since standing in a queue my life will never be the same. I merely wished to make a purchase, and was forced to stand, without food or watermelon, for just over eight minutes. Now even mater says I am... [13 words]
Telephone Conversation (Poetry) Noting much. [272 words]
The Four Seasons (Poetry) Just another poem. [96 words]
The Frustrated Author (Poetry) See title. [136 words]
The Time Machine (Poetry) Wishful thinking. [27 words]
The Trouble With Immortality (Short Stories) I know this will make some of you laugh. A tongue in cheek peek into another world.... [591 words]
Who Knows What?
Iain Spittles

I.
As if a bright new life had begun for me, the sun was shining again. I couldn't remember the last time it had seemed so bright. It was Sunday, and for the first time since God knows when, I did't wake up feeling like I had to go to work, I knew I was going to do something good. Until now, each Sunday, I would awaken in the drowsy melancholy of one who is unhappy in their work and who would far rather stay in bed than go out and earn money, stay in bed I would. Sundays always stunk of Mondays until then. That day was different, that Sunday, for the first time in fifteen years, I was going to see my son.
Since Patty and I split up, I had only seen Brendan twice, on his fourth and sixth birthdays. He said he couldn't remember those occaisions when we spoke on the phone, I didn't mind, I was looking forward to a new future. So what if he couldn't remember? I was going to make sure he remembered that Sunday, It was going to be the start of a new life for us. I'd always carried a photo of him in my wallet, the same one, the first one Patty took after he was born. Often I'd look at it and wonder how he looked then, if he was happy, now I had the chance to find out for real. I dressed in the 'trendiest' clothes I had at the time, my Levi's jeans and jacket, a 'Hard Rock cafe' T-shirt, and my favourite pair of cowboy boots. I jumped into the convertible with a happiness that had eluded me ever since Patty had announced she was leaving me. Who could have blamed her? How could I have done her such wrong? My only defence is that I was young. I never thought she'd find out, how could she? Maggie was married too. I still don't know who it was that told Patty about Maggie and I. I would forgive them now, I was wrong.
I went crazy, proper crazy, psycho maybe. My enquiries reduced several grown women to tears and I put two men in hospital, I was on a mission, a mission from hell.
I never found out who told Patty what I had done, the restriction order ended my life in Bastfield. I did't care who it was after I left, well, I suppose I'd have still liked to have known, I'm not sure why. All I know is I shouldn't have done that to Patty, or to the others,but, as I said I was young, I knew better now.
As I drove across the country, stopping at service stations to eat and stretch my legs on the way, I thought of all the wrongs I had done back then, of how I had become so much better, so much stronger. I had become succesful, fairly rich, popular amongst the people I knew. I worked hard. As soon as my new neighbours had found out about my reputation in Bastfield, I'd had to. But I was different already by then, As soon as I had Put Simon Coldfield in hospital with a severe beating I knew how evil I had been. It didn't matter, it was too late, the restraining order was upon me. The police were all over me, and good old Simon, he saved my ass. Witness' reports made me Simon's aggressor alright, but he said it wasn't me, apparently the police tried and tried to make him name me, but he wouldn't, he liked me. Anyway, I knew I had no future in Bastfield, so I move two hundred miles south to Grayton.

II.
As I drove into Bastfield for the first time in fifteen long years I saw it hadn't changed much. The old cemetary on the outskirts of town brought back the first flood of memories, my mother and father had been burried there. I decided I would pay my respects as I was in town, after I had seen my son. I had never had the courage to visit their grave since I left the town, such was the shame I felt for the things I had done. At the time I would have said it was all done out of love, though now it all seemed more like hatred to me, except the bits with Maggie, thought they didn't seem like love anymore. As I tried to glimpse the tombstone of my parent's grave, looking out of the side window, my car was shaken by a thudding impact, instinctively my foot hit the brake, my tyres screeching like a live beast on white hot embers. Before my eyes could turn and register what had happened, my brain, maybe from the sound, maybe because of the nature of the situation, knew what had happened. I knew that as I had re-entered my old hell-town, my suffering had been reborn, I had entered a new kind of hell.
I must've been doing sixty, in a thirty. The body of the teenager flew like some cartoon physics had been applied, the whole motion seemed so unreal. There was no comedy in this tragedy, this was no frying pan in the face, this was real, this was a killer blow. A man, the child's father, ran over and held his son, he watched as the last of his child's life seeped out of him, he was helpless.
As you may have guessed, I never got to see my son that day, I doubt I ever will. Perhaps, by killing that child, I killed my own son, or at least, as far as I was concerned, my chances of knowing him were dead, maybe I killed myself then. The day I killed the son of Simon Coldfield.

 

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2001 Iain Spittles
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
August 2001
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2646
 

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