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Short Stories




Operation Hausberg by Bobby Cude "Operation Hausberg" is a fictionalized action filled suspenseful drama thriller about an Am... [1,667 words]
Kissed By The Wind by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series story 2. Andrew, involved in his piloting work, and Anne, living her life as... [2,664 words]
The Settlement Project by Ian Goodall Memories of a time not so long ago, something funny to scare children about high school ... [583 words]
Uncharted Skies by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series story 7. Time has passed since Andrew's admission to Anne. Now a crucial decis... [4,715 words]
Preflight by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series Story 5. Andrew on one of his cross country flights begins a lively correspondence wi... [4,411 words]
Wine Coolers And Chocolate Chip Cookies by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series Story 4. christmas serves as the backdrop in which we ... [4,067 words]
Accident by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series Story 1A, Flashback. We step back in time to the day of Andrew's accident and the beg... [2,756 words]
Course Correction by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Series story 3. Can one night change Andrew and Anne's relationship from friendship ... [3,369 words]
The Fighter by Ian Goodall Gary, a boxer who lives in a Dome in space in the distant future is fed up with his life. Little do... [2,283 words]
Who's Who by Achmyd Uajay A weird story about relationship and human nature. [1,756 words]
The Wind Blew by Ian Goodall A world that is only a prison, a man who hates it. He wants to escape... [235 words]
The Whole Truth by Ted A suspenseful mystery in which a man with memory loss is accused of murder. Did he do it? Even ... [2,507 words]
The Visitor by L A Winterburn Short horror story. [4,918 words]
The Journey Home by Samuel Lamar Williams A short story. [799 words]
The Apartment by Kirsten McManus - [535 words]
That Time I Died by Gina Jauregui I fear that my writing only amuses me, if you read my work and this is the case, try not to be... [2,438 words]
Promise by Lawrence Peters For Monica. [355 words]
Murder By The Numbers by Norman A Rubin - [2,227 words]
I'm Psychotic And So Is My Friend Episode Six by Branson Storm From a collection of 'episodes' following two lifelong friends; o... [1,352 words]
... Die By The Sword by Rowan Davies Victor loves TV... His obsession with a certain cop show gets him in more trouble than he ... [2,335 words]
A Usual Evening Walk by Simi Purkar It's a mystery story about a middle aged indian man.I can't write more because that will r... [569 words]
The Watch Cat by Norman A Rubin The story of a black alley cat who adopted an Israeli family and became their 'watch cat'. [1,123 words]
The Village Green. by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [559 words]
The Thirteenth Station by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [8,024 words]
The Power Of Surrender by Jeffrey (George) Winter A good man takes on evil. [1,431 words]
The Old Enemy by Sue (Sooz) Simpson I just hope I've got the names right. [253 words]
The Ludic Revolution by Prepense How does it end? [6,231 words]
The Iceberg by Sue (Sooz) Simpson She had to break the hold they had on him... release him from his parents grip. [410 words]
The Brain Tumor by Prepense If only everyone could get cancer. [6,507 words]
The Almighty Hand by Kylan Masters A humerous short story written. It asks the question of "Who is really playing God?" [1,066 words]
Saved By A Bell by Anne Hawkins A young girl gets shipped off to a boarding school. She doesn't expect it to be what dreams ar... [2,513 words]
Nicky's Promise by Prepense If only we could go back. [5,205 words]
Neighbourhood Watch by Andrea Andrea The first time I set eyes on Mrs. Babcock I knew there'd be trouble... [1,135 words]
More Than Meets The I by Prepense To see a world in a grain of sand. [5,011 words]
Guardian Angel by Danielle Pettrey Robin struggles between wanting to get out of poverty at any cost and of remaining true to herse... [1,365 words]
Ellen And Aubery by David Gardiner - [1,555 words]
Devil's Child by Prepense Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. [3,352 words]
A School Tragedy by Ruby Webster Based on Actual Events. [606 words]
The Mind's Work by Trevor Sammon It is basically a story that flowed out. It shows people that first impressions are often the w... [661 words]
The Half Empty Glass. by Sue (Sooz) Simpson They had no idea of the horror they were walking into. [3,030 words]
The Comet.
The Big Picture by Sue (Sooz) Simpson The little girl was a great artist, but her subject matter was giving cause for concern. [776 words]
Sickness Of The Young by Mila Strictzer A collection of stories. [35,723 words]
Blind Man's Bluff by Pauline A White She had always been kind to those less fortunate. [2,085 words]
2nd Chapter Amsterdam by Roberto J Moreno - [3,000 words]
1st Part Intro by Roberto J Moreno This is the first chapter of a 5-6 chapter story. Enjoy and please give feedback. [1,109 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
The Comet.
DESCRIPTION
Remember!
[796 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
[email protected]
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]
Mourning Glory (Short Stories) 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] [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 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]
The Comet.
Sue (Sooz) Simpson

 The comet was dazzling as it flew through the air. The black/blue velvet theatre curtain of the night, was the perfect backdrop for it�s awesome brilliance.

The main body of the comet was blinding in its light, the tail crescendoed from the amazing torch, blazing a trail across the sky that proclaimed �Come bathe in my pure light, stand with face upturned in awe at my splendour, rejoice in my innocent wonder.�
The crowd was enthralled.


   They had been talking about the comet on the television for weeks, singing its praises, and quoting it as being the best one yet. The biggest, the brightest, the most colourful. It was truly amazing.

   The boys were mesmerised, as it travelled across the sky.
 
�Was it miles?�

� Was it infinite miles?�

�Was it mere feet?�

The boys didn�t know.

�How fast was it travelling?�

�Where would it stop?�

 These were all questions that were thrown into the night without response, to mix with the oooh�s and aaah�s. Paul Ellis said very grandly, because he�d heard a man on an old television program say the same thing when he was talking about the launching of Apollo 7,

 �Never again in our lifetime, will we see such an awesome occurrence.�

 Paul was the brainy one. Dave Mawson said,
 
�Wow!�

 And Billy Jackson swore to remember this night for the rest of his life.

Billy watched as the comet started it�s descent. He gasped in excitement and staggered backwards, when he realised that it was going to land close to him. As it sailed over his head, he began to run towards it. If he ran fast he could be the first one on the scene to watch the death throws of the comet. He didn�t want to miss a single second of this wondrous thing�s life. His heart thumped, the adrenaline pounding through his body. His endorphins, dancing with joy as he ran to claim his trophy.
He reached it. It was his for the taking. The others were still a good fifty yards from him.

He bent and picked up the still smoking comet, He held it lovingly for a second, before holding it aloft, and waving it to the sky.

� Billy Bryce, the boy who caught the comet.� He yelled triumphantly.

He heard someone shout �Oh Shit.�

 Someone else screamed �Billy ... NO.�

 Yes they would all want to hold the comet, and they would have a great wrestle soon. But for now, for this second, he was the victor of the comet, and he brandished his treasure, with pride.
    
The sign in the toy shop window said.
 
  The one and only COMET. An innovation in firework history. You have had the �Bomb it�s� Now try the Comet! The biggest and the best, only �14:99.�

 The friends had all clubbed together to buy the coveted comet. Paul, who looked much older than his 13 and a half years, and was by far the most sensible looking of the boys, drew the short straw in the vote to go and buy it. The expedition had been a success.

When the explosion took Billy�s hands and most of his face, and burned over eighty percent of his body, he felt no pain. Just a moment of nothing, white, quiet, nothing. In that moment he was aware of screaming, confusion, and panic, but none of that was his. He felt nothing. In that moment he saw his right hand blown free of his wrist. His left was dangling by a few ravaged ligaments and sinews. Time stood still in that moment, as he felt the sight leave his eyes. Yet still he felt the sticky viscous fluid stream as his eye popped with a sickening wet ploppy sound. The eye itself melted, but the debris, which it left behind slapped onto his cheek as it dangled slackly from the optic nerve. He smelled the burning before the fireball that engulfed him took his hair. It also robbed him of his eyelashes, his skin, His nose and most of his top lip.

 Oh God the precious moment was over. Please bring back that �nothing moment� and take away the pain he pleaded silently. The pain made him scream the scream of the damned, as his lips sizzled back from his teeth, to expose gums that were themselves, blistered and bursting. God heard him, and the pain didn�t last long. The �nothingness� took him quickly.
  
Billy�s parents were enjoying the peace.
   The kids were old enough to make their own entertainment. Weren�t they?

 Remember; remember the 5th of November. Send your kids out to play, and they�ll come back an ember.

Billy�s parents snuggled on the sofa, oblivious for the moment of the fact that they would have every other night to snuggle on the sofa in peace.

 

READER'S REVIEWS (4)
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.

"Sooz: When I was about 5 years old, I wanted to be like Superman...So I climbed on the rooftop of a neighbors garage, tied a towel around my neck for a cape and jumped off thinking I could fly. The end result was a trip to the hospital and 15 stiches on my forehead. The scar on my forehead remains to this day, that was 46 years ago, my father who was suppose to be baby sitting while my mother was at work was home sleeping. Your story reminded me of how powerful the excitement and imagination of a child can be. In many ways your "Billy" charactor is more believable to me than you will ever know! Thanks for posting this story. " -- Robert (Monte) Montesino, USA.
"Kids are invincible, one of the beauty's of a child's mind is that they know no fear or boundaries. Thanks Monte." -- Sooz, Dalton-in-Furness, England, Cumbria.
"Mark VII�s Review: The Comet. Sue (Sooz) Simpson The comet was dazzling as it flew through the air. The black/blue velvet theatre curtain of the night, was the perfect backdrop for it�s awesome brilliance. The main body of the comet was blinding in its light, the tail crescendoed from the amazing torch, blazing a trail across the sky that proclaimed �Come bathe in my pure light, stand with face upturned in awe at my splendour, rejoice in my innocent wonder.� The crowd was enthralled. They had been talking about the comet on the television for weeks, singing its praises, and quoting it as being the best one yet. The biggest, the brightest, the most colourful. It was truly amazing. The boys were mesmerised, as it travelled ***Just one �l�*** across the sky. �Was it miles?� � Was it infinite miles?� �Was it mere feet?� The boys didn�t know. �How fast was it travelling?� �Where would it stop?� ***These questions are clipped, and don�t seem to represent anything, and they aren�t being represented by anyone. If you are going to introduce a group of people from this group or person??? Than this would be the prime time to do it.*** These were all questions that were thrown into the night without response, to mix with the oooh�s and aaah�s. Paul Ellis said very grandly, because he�d heard a man on an old television program say the same thing when he was talking about the launching of Apollo 7, �Never again in our lifetime, will we see such an awesome occurrence.� Paul was the brainy one. Dave Mawson said, �Wow!� And Billy Jackson swore to remember this night for the rest of his life. Billy watched as the comet started it�s ***nothing belongs to an it*** descent. He gasped in excitement and staggered backwards, when he realised that ***Cameron informs me that you won�t be able to read HTML, so just know that I crossed out several of the �that�s� you used throughout, including this one. It was a practice I used to use myself, until I allowed myself to catch it. The guys in this group really set me straight on that point. Sometimes you have to use it like what I did just thirteen words ago, but a lot of the time you don�t.*** it was going to land close to him. As it sailed over his head, he began to run towards it. If he ran fast he could be the first one on the scene to watch the death throws of the comet. He didn�t want to miss a single second of this wondrous thing�s life. His heart thumped, the adrenaline pounding through his body. His endorphins, dancing with joy as he ran to claim his trophy. He reached it. It was his for the taking. The others were still a good fifty yards from him. He bent and picked up the still smoking comet, ***Can anyone outside of Superman and the Human Torch really pick up a 300+F object?*** He held it lovingly for a second, before holding it aloft, and waving it to the sky. � Billy Bryce, the boy who caught the comet.� He yelled triumphantly. He heard someone shout �Oh Shit.� Someone else screamed �Billy ... NO.� Yes they would all want to hold the comet, and they would have a great wrestle soon. But for now, for this second, he was the victor of the comet, and he brandished his treasure, with pride. ***Huh? What the hell just happened? Major shift in story! You might be trying to achieve suspense, which is achieved by a great many superb writers by withholding a scene for the time being, but here it is made confusing and annoying.*** The sign in the toy shop window said. The one and only COMET. An innovation in firework history. You have had the �Bomb it�s� Now try the Comet! The biggest and the best, only �14:99.� The friends had all clubbed together to buy the coveted comet. Paul, who looked much older than his 13 and a half years, and was by far the most sensible looking of the boys, drew the short straw in the vote to go and buy it. The expedition had been a success. When the explosion took Billy�s hands and most of his face, and burned over eighty percent of his body, he felt no pain. Just a moment of nothing, white, quiet, nothing. In that moment he was aware of screaming, confusion, and panic, but none of that was his. He felt nothing. In that moment he saw his right hand blown free of his wrist. His left was dangling by a few ravaged ligaments and sinews. Time stood still in that moment, as he felt the sight leave his eyes. Yet still he felt the sticky viscous fluid stream as his eye popped with a sickening wet ploppy sound. The eye itself melted, but the debris, which it left behind slapped onto his cheek as it dangled slackly from the optic nerve. He smelled the burning before the fireball that engulfed him took his hair. It also robbed him of his eyelashes, his skin, His nose and most of his top lip. Oh God the precious moment was over. Please bring back that �nothing moment� and take away the pain he pleaded silently. The pain made him scream the scream of the damned, as his lips sizzled back from his teeth, to expose gums that were themselves, blistered and bursting. God heard him, and the pain didn�t last long. The �nothingness� took him quickly. Billy�s parents were enjoying the peace. The kids were old enough to make their own entertainment. Weren�t they? Remember; remember the 5th of November. Send your kids out to play, and they�ll come back an ember. Billy�s parents snuggled on the sofa, oblivious for the moment of the fact that they would have every other night to snuggle on the sofa in peace. ***OK I�m confused. Is this piece intended to �teach� us about improper fireworks handling, or is it just a reason to show in dramatic detail something very nasty?*** " -- Cam Davis.
"Lol you are preaching at me about grammar (which I admit is terrible in my case,) and yet you come out with this corker 'like what I did thirteen rows ago' ... and to answer your last question a little bit of both. Thanks for the review and thanks to Cam. Sooz. " -- Sooz, Cumbria, England, Cumbria.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2000 Sue (Sooz) Simpson
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
July 2002
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2519
 

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