Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Half-Full And Half-Empty by Philippa Rae, an ice cold glass of mineral water with a slice of lemon served on the rocks

Half-Full was having a conversation with his brother, Half-Empty.

“Look it’s the famous presenter, Charlie Chatter! Fancy him coming in here? He was on TV ten years ago – what a legend!  Gracing us with his lips!”

“Ten years ago – nobody remembers that far back. He’s an old has-been – I didn’t even recognize him. And his lips look slobbery to me.”

It didn’t matter what the issue was. Half-Full and Half-Empty could never agree on anything.  

Outwardly, the brothers looked the same.  They were both tall glasses tapering upwards from the bottom in a v shape. The clear liquid contained in each glass was measured to exactly the same level.  Half-way.  However, their characters were very different.

The pair lived in Kooky café.  Mrs. Van-Grubble that ran it had inherited them from the previous shop owner, a fortuneteller named Mystic Marg.  They would sit on the counter and pass comments. Most people thought that the talking glasses were a funny novelty and did not take too much notice of their opinions. However sometimes they upset customers.

One day, a man with a bushy beard came in. He was thirsty and he grabbed both glasses before they had a chance to run away. With a loud gulp, he swigged first from one glass and then the other.

“My, you were thirsty,” said Half-Full refilling himself under the tap. “You sounded like you enjoyed that.”

“Thirsty?” replied Half-Empty as he too refilled.  “More like greedy.  What a disgusting noise you make. Please don’t buy dinner in here; I can’t imagine what sound you make eating.”

The man was furious. “I didn’t pay to be insulted,” he shouted. “How dare you?”

“I am terribly sorry,” said Mrs. Van-Grubber. “But you are right. All the pair of you does is squabble.  Please leave.”

“Don’t worry; I am sure we will find another job.” Half-Full hopped along the street. “Look on it as an opportunity to expand our horizons.”

“Doing what?” replied Half-Empty. “Our best days are behind us.”

 

Voices were coming from the park.  A young woman was twirling around in a blue dress.  “Adriana, do you like this?” she asked her friend.

“Oh, yes, Miranda.”  Adriana clapped her hands. “I am going to get one too.”

           The glasses could not stop themselves.

“Yes, it looks great,” Half-Full, grinned. “Aquamarine a very popular colour. And that style is very in now! ”

“What he means is that everyone is wearing it,” Half-Empty said. “So you will look the same as them. Also, it is “in” now but how long before it is “out” of fashion? It is probably a just a fad. ”

“Oh!” cried Miranda.

“Really sorry about him,” Half-Full apologized. “He knows nothing about clothes.”

“On the contrary.”  Miranda took out a receipt from her handbag. “I have only just bought this so I am returning it to get something more exclusive. Thank you so much for your advice!”

“Do you know a place we stay,” said Half-Full. “We are also looking for a job.”

“My father is the editor at the town’s newspaper, The Nattering Express.” Miranda scrawled the address on a scrap of paper. “He mentioned something about needing new reporters. Go and see him.”

 

That night, the glasses stayed under a hedge.

“This is different,” sighed Half-Full. “Sleeping under the stars at one with nature.  Just breathe in that fresh air!”

“Fresh isn’t the word for it,” complained Half-Empty. “It’s freezing.  And look at those mangy creatures.”

A hedgehog scuttled by and a fox stopped to scratch itself.

 

The next day, Half-Full and Half-Empty arrived at The Nattering Express. As they entered, a strong smell of coffee greeted them.  A tired looking percolator was heating in the corner.  It looked like it was perpetually on the go, with brown burn stains around the edge.

A large burly man was typing at a computer. “Nice to meet you guys,” he said. “I’ve been expecting you. Miranda told me all about you. She is delighted because she went to a party last night and three other girls were wearing the dress you saw.  Fortunately you had warned her, but it could have been a disaster!”

Half-Empty shot Half-Full a superior look. Result!

“I was right,” he hissed to Half-Full.

“Hello, I’m Half-Full,” Half-Full ignored his brother’s remark. “And this is my brother Half-Empty.”

“Welcome” replied the burly man.  “I’m Scott.  I run this newspaper.  My critic reviewer has left to join a national newspaper so I need someone ASAP who can review for me.”

“But we aren’t journalists?” said Half-Empty.

“But we can learn,” said Half-Full

“Remember everyone has a right to their opinion,” said Scott. “That is why Miranda told you to come here. And I agree. It is a wonderful idea to have both your thoughts! “

“Two for the price of one,” laughed Half-Full.

“Yes, exactly – two for the price of one!” moaned Half-Empty.

“We haven’t started yet,” Half-Full hopped about. “Let’s see how it goes.”

“I’ll give you a week’s trial,” said Scott. “It will give you time to understand how I work.  You can stay here but I need you to start right away.  Tonight a show opens at the Majestic Theatre with the opera star, Griselda DuPont.  I would like you report on it. What do you think?”

“Yes!” replied Half-Full. “It will make a change from sitting in Kooky Café.”

“Exactly. We’ve never been further than the cafe, let alone visit a theatre,” scowled Half-Empty. “We know nothing about music.”

“At the moment, we don’t have a choice,” whispered Half-Full. “So give it a try for now. It will be a learning curve.”

 

So later that day, the pair trotted off to the theatre. They had seats in the front row. Half-Full sat in raptures at seeing live entertainment. Half-Empty kept looking at the clock.

They hadn’t even got back to the office before they were arguing over what they saw.

“What a powerful voice!” gushed Half-Full. “That star could sure hit the high notes! You could hear her in the bar. A classic!”

“What a racket!” complained Half-Empty. “I couldn’t hear myself think, she was so loud. Out-dated and old-fashioned!”   

Scott was delighted when he read their work. “We will put a promo in each week, advertising what next week’s review topic will be and the public can join in the debate!”

On Friday, the newspaper was published.  On the centre pages was Half-Full and Half-Empty’s first review columns. The readers thoroughly enjoyed the forthright opinions of the two glasses. Word spread and soon people were clamoring for their own thoughts to appear alongside the pair.

            It just so happened that the producer, Billy Big-Cheese of the TV show A Country’s Got Talent was visiting a friend who lived in the town.  At the railway station, he found a copy of The Nattering Express on the seat.  When he saw the reviews, he called the paper.

            “I’d like to make you an offer,” Billy said to Half-Full and Half-Empty. “I am looking for a new judge for the show and you would both be perfect!”

            “Two for the price of one!” Half-Full laughed.

            “Yes, exactly!” grumbled Half-Empty but for once they both agreed. They took the offer.

            On the day of the broadcast, when a car arrived to take them to the studio, Scott wished them good luck.

            “Who would have thought that you could make a success out of being yourself?” Half-Full beamed happily.

            “We haven’t been on the TV yet,” Half-Empty, reminded him. “It might go wrong.”

            “Just remember, it is possible to be both half full and half empty!” Scott waved them goodbye. “It just depends on which way you look at it!”

About the author 

Philippa has written four print books, one audio story and had short stories and poems in magazines and anthologies. She has written many assemblies for SPCK Publishing. Philippa enjoys creativity in all its forms from the written word to charity promotions and performance. 
 
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Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Crazy in C by Noreen Todd, black coffee

The bartender gripped the baseball bat.

            “You know I can’t let you in here, Joe.”

            “I’ll sit in the corner. No one’ll know I’m here.”

             Pale blue eyes that could pierce your soul softened like water in a rain barrel. The bartender sighed, unable to resist the vulnerability so out of place on the face etched with hard knocks and steely resolve.

            “Okay. But just coffee. I’m still finding bits of your guitar between the bottles. One peep from you and I’ll go after you with this bat.”

            “You won’t have any trouble. I’ll take that coffee black.”

            Joe eased into the back booth near the restroom. Sewer gas mingled with the smell of stale beer. He removed his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his long black hair, loosening the tie that bound it. A fleeting memory of hair cascading over his face as he leaned in for a kiss. Two silken hands raking it back so she could see his eyes. She had mocked them. Not enough color there to let anyone in. Ghost eyes, she called him. He shook his head and slurped his coffee. Grimaced. It tasted older than his worn boots.

            In the background, guitar cases snapped open. Fiddlers practiced jigs. Guitar strings rumbled into tune. The open mic began.

            Joe kept his back to the stage. The first player wailed out a Willie Nelson song. Joe’s shoulders relaxed to the familiar tune. His fingers twitched against imaginary strings. The next player got up and then another. No turn for him tonight or any night since he smashed his guitar. He grimaced at the memory of wood splintering against the bar. Guitar strings screaming a final angry chord. Her terror filled eyes as the wood shattered towards her perfect face. The face that another man’s hand had caressed.

            He slid towards the edge of the booth. He would sneak out. Hug the wall, keep his eyes low. No need to engage with the voices he recognized. No need to see the fury reflected from their judging eyes.

            But then he froze.

            A nervous laugh vibrated through the mic. Shaky fingers strummed an out of tune guitar. They wavered on the G chord and failed the next. Another small laugh. An apology and a request to start again. She fumbled, her voice weak and a crack in it that broke his heart. He stood and met her eyes. Dark brown eyes that stopped his breath.

            Her lip quivered, “Joe.”

            He stepped forward. Her palm flew up with an emphatic stop. He paused but kept coming. The bartender crashed through the gate of the bar, bat in hand. Joe pointed to the guitar. “Let me play for you. I don’t want anything else.” That was a lie, but he hoped she believed him. The clinking of glasses and buzz of conversation stopped. The drone of the amp, the only sound as all eyes swerved towards her.

             She squinted at him and bit her lip. He removed his hat and looked down at his boots.

‘Crazy, in C,” she said.

 A grin flickered at the corner of Joe’s mouth, but her warning eyes erased it. He glided the guitar from her hand and slid the strap over his shoulder, then magically brought it into tune with a few turns of the pegs. He began the opening rift, and her clear perfect voice resonated through the bar.

Voice and guitar wrapped in an embrace. At the interlude, he took over with a guitar lick that danced like fingers down a spine. Her cheeks flamed and she looked away. He forced the strings into a plaintive bend that called out for her forgiveness. He led her to a perfect ending as the pain and longing in her voice hushed the crowd once again. Neither moved. He waited but she was a statue on the barstool. Eyes averted. He set the guitar against the wall and mumbled, “Thank you.”

            Outside he leaned against his truck, waiting for the sound of her step, her voice calling his name. He would beg her forgiveness. Tell her how they made beautiful music together.

A car ground gravel as it swerved from behind the building and tore down the road.

The back door.

            Hinges creaked on his rusted truck. He longed for the scent of her perfume mingling with the stale tobacco and sweat and oil-stained work clothes. He started the engine. The radio crackled on. Patsy Cline crooned “Crazy”.

About the author

 

       Noreen Todd has never lost her dream to write a novel and now, retired from a career in healthcare, is working on the final draft. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys playing the guitar and violin. She was recently published in Bright Flash Literary Review. She lives in Connecticut. 

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Monday, 18 November 2024

Red Tricycle by Katherine Abbott, espresso

 “Do you know you're always talking about windows?” he said.

“Am I?” I answered.

Rewinding. Everything racing; downrush. Standing in the nursery yard. Four years old. Watching the other children interact and play, being on the other side of the imaginary window, looking in. The outsider. I remember admiring it. Looking. Why can't I do that? Why can't I interact with him? He is the boy, the boy on the vivid, red trike. I wanted a turn, but I didn't know how to ask. So, I didn't ask. Instead, I stood and watched.

 

About the author 

 Katherine Abbott is a working-class writer, currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing. Her stories focus on the tapestry of human experience, characterized by the perpetual search for connection, meaning, and understanding in ordinary life. 

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Sunday, 17 November 2024

Sunday Serial: 280 x 70, 43 New Book, by Gill James, fizzy water

 

Introduction

This collection is a collection of seventy stories, each 280 words. They were inspired by the first picture seen on my Twitter feed on a given day. 

 

43. New Book

Gaynor opened the package as quickly as they could.  Why did they always have to make them so difficult to open? Then at last there it was. She'd seen the cover before but it looked better in the flesh. What a clever design.

She opened it randomly. She recognised the words. They were hers. Yet they seemed to have been written by women else now that they were single-spaced and a 8" by 5" book. It even smelt good.

The launch would be in ten days’ time. The local bookshop had ordered fifty copies. Her sister Suzy was baking a cake to look like the book. She was supplying some wine and other nibbles. She had a brand new frock and she'd invited over 200 people.  They'd never all get in. Someone would come, though, surely?

She sniffed the book once more and them put it down.  Now she had to work on social media. She knew she mustn't say "Buy my book, buy my book". She'd got to think of all of those ways of enticing people to read without explicitly saying that they must buy the book.  She had a few guest blog posts to do. That might start the ball rolling.

What if she got bad reviews, though? Or no reviews? Which was worse, bad reviews or no reviews, or even perhaps the thought that people were only posting good one because they were her friend?

Why had she done this?

Her phone rang. Sally. Gaynor's tummy flipped. She knew Sally had started reading the book the day before. The Kindle version had come out earlier.

She accepted the call.

"Fabulous," said Sally. "Absolutely yummy. Well done."    

About the author 

Gill James is published by The Red Telephone, Butterfly and Chapeltown.  

She edits CafeLit and writes for the online community news magazine: Talking About My Generation.

She teaches Creative Writing and has an MA in Writing for Children and PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.    

http://www.gilljameswriter.com  

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