The Clockwork City
In the clockwork city, directions depend on the time of day. Streets that are dead-ends at dawn become ring-roads by dusk. The sad-looking man selling...
Pinocchio
He sits all day, trapped in his glass prison. Sometimes he taps against that glass, drawing the museum visitors closer, so they can hear what he says....
Alison the Greebo (plus - 2026 Advent Calendar News)
Marie-Lou was the coolest girl in the year. The best way to get her attention was by being sent to the headmaster for a uniform infraction. She was there...
Pull the Pig
On his first day teaching at the school, a doddery German master mistook Peter for a sixth former, telling him he was supposed to be at the theatre for an...
A Todmorden Poem
She gathers canal-side poetry scrapsA harvest that she can shareHiding poems between bookshop pagesOr in the drawers of antique furnitureShe once designed...
Behind Every Sign is a Story
“Behind every sign is a story,” my Dad used to say. It means that there was someone who needed to be told, who needed the instructions. But this one baffled...
Bathtime Apocalypse
In an infinite multiverse, there are an infinite number of ways for the world to end. Some are tragic – and some are silly. On one sad earth, it was sentient...
Flagalanche
At dawn on the Monday, only two flags flew in Swifthill: a Union Jack outside the Cornerstone Garage, and a St George's Cross, the latter draped from a third...
The Stew
Harry inherited the stew from his father, and the cafe came with it. Most of what they sold was greasy breakfasts, or lunches as stodgy as 80s school...
The Best Hot Chocolate - a cosy splatterpunk tale
Nothing tastes better than hot chocolate drunk with someone else's lips someone else's tongue someone else's throat. Angela looked around the room – thank...
The Secrets of the British Museum
On Alex's first visit, The British Museum was just a job. He was interviewed by Rochester, who asked his favourite exhibit. All Alex managed was: 'Mummies?'...
Rage
The hospitalHe thinks the enforcement of precise visiting hours are a way to prepare you for how strict death and illness are. There are no arguments once...
Dead Loss at the Newcastle Sausage Roll Eating Contest
Coming second at the Newcastle Sausage Roll Eating Contest is far worse than coming last. Bottom place went to a wiry Maths teacher named Elaine Fairfax, who...
Animal Costumes
In Portugal, it is illegal to dress any animal as a human. The law has remained on the statute book for centuries, although the fine remains the same, at one...
Alex and the Face
We were in 6th form when Alex found the face. He was happy to share it and we all took turns wearing it. At first, the new features made my skin ache, with...
Sharper Knives
It seemed a waste to Angela - that you could spend the same amount of money on a games console or a second-hand car as you could on some truly impressive...
Enjoy Haworth's Literary Heritage
Since 2009, tourists have paid to encounter Emily Brontë's ghost at Haworth. Today, there are four such ghosts working.The first might have been authentic,...
Vole
I played scrabble with my girlfriend. I had the letters I, L, O, E and Y, O, U. I placed a sentence across an exposed V. She protested the 14 points: “That’s...
If Vampires Were Real
If vampires were real, they would rely on dentists. A vampire with blunt canines is as good as dead, and eternity is a long time to keep your teeth. When...
Seeing Voices
People try to forget the pandemic but it’s important to remember the weird things that happened, like the craze for digital seances. A few teams at work...