Authors can share their short stories (less than 2000 words please) or poetry, and it won’t cost you a penny! The stories or poems can be on any subject, but please keep them reasonably family friendly. On 28th February I will pick my favourite one and share the link in my newsletter and on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Please ensure that you add your story to the current month’s submission page and not any previous month, or it may be missed.
I look forward to reading your efforts. Winners will receive this laurel to add to their story:
Here’s a short story from me – hope you enjoy!
SOMETHING TO DO, BY STEVIE TURNER
“Mum, it’s about time you got a Facebook account.”
So spoke my firstborn, all six feet four inches of him. I looked up and noticed the fine lines creeping in to Gary’s face. Surely my son wasn’t becoming middle-aged already?
“I’m too old.” I shook my head. “I’ll never learn how to do it.”
Gary waved away my protestations.
“I’ll show you. When Dad’s away on business you’ll have something to do in the evenings.”
“I’ve got enough to do.” I chuckled. “I’m not retired yet, you know.”
Gary was undeterred. He ambled over to my iPhone and picked it up.
“Put your password in and then I’ll set you up.”
Sighing, I decided to go along with whatever my son wanted. He would soon be going back home to Shelley and the boys, and then I could sit down after a hectic day at work and put my feet up. I tapped in the password, and all those little icons that I usually ignored leapt up to meet me.
“There you are.” I handed over the phone. “Do your worst.”
Gary flopped down heavily onto the sofa, spent a short while punching buttons on my keypad, and then held out the phone with a grin on his face.
“Put in your email address and a password you’ll remember, and then it’s all done.”
I hardly ever used my email account. Bill had set me up with an email address years ago, but I always prefer sending letters, and so do the elderly folk I look after at the home. Was I elderly at 62? I decided I’d rather not think about it. I took the phone from Gary, looked up my email address in my diary, and then put in the password William63. I was certain that Bill wouldn’t mind me using his name or his age. Gary peered over my shoulder.
“Great! I’ll go through it all with you now before I go. You can add me as your first friend if you like.”
“Awesome.” I replied with more than a touch of sarcasm.
As good as his word, Gary went out of his way to ensure that I was as fluent as a teenager with the ins and outs of Facebook. By the time he left I was friends with two of my four sons, their wives, and two of the grandchildren who were allowed social media accounts. I closed the door behind him, vowing to make a cup of tea, turn the phone off, and watch TV until Bill came home.
However, I couldn’t find anything suitable to watch. I sipped my tea and looked at the phone sitting silently on the coffee table. I suddenly had a thought that perhaps I could search for some old friends with my new-found skill of deciphering Facebook’s complexities.
The phone was in my hand and I felt a growing excitement that friends I had lost contact with years ago might soon be back in my life. A cursor flashed in the search box and I typed in Alice Morley, the name of the girl who had been my best friend through the whole of my schooldays. There were several Alice Morleys, but I recognised her at once; no longer a girl, but a stout grandmother of three. I sent a friend request and hoped for the best.
Intrigued, I then began to look through Alice’s list of friends, and three blasts from the past were evident straight away. I had fallen out with Ginny Harding all due to Richard Lewis coming back from the States with a necklace for Ginny, when it should have been myself on the receiving end. With some surprise I took another quick glance at Ginny’s photo, who was pictured with an ageing but familiar face I knew so well. Richard, the muscly blond Adonis who’d had the looks of an angel as a young man, and who’d left a trail of weeping girls in his wake, including yours truly.
Opening up Ginny’s page I scoured her list of friends until I found him. I considered it would be rude not to tap on Richard’s icon and have just a quick look. Filled with a sudden excitement but feeling like a peeping Tom, I opened up his page which to my delight was not private. He had obviously not posted anything for some time, and his last entry was a video of an ice bucket challenge three years previously. But who was this grey, balding and portly stranger tipping a bucket of iced water over his head while standing in a children’s paddling pool wearing those awful Speedo swimming trunks that left nothing to the imagination? It was not the Richard I’d lost my heart and my virginity to all those years ago. His looks had faded, and even his voice had changed from the South London accent I remembered to something more in keeping with Sloane Square.
A red notification appeared at the top of my screen. Alice had accepted my friend request. I scrolled further down Richard’s timeline to see a message from a Penny Lewis which made my blood run cold:
‘Rest in peace, Dad. All our love, Penny and Davy.’
The message had been written nearly three years before. My eyes filled with tears. It had taken me at least 35 years to get over Richard’s betrayal, hoping and longing that one day he would seek me out and realise the mistake he’d made in letting me go. Now I knew he never would. I checked Ginny’s details and noticed ‘widowed’, which in my haste I had previously missed.
Sitting alone by the TV and holding my phone, I came to the conclusion that Facebook still wasn’t for me. I hoped that Alice would understand. It was about time that I started to treat Bill better than the second best he never realised he’d been. I deleted the account, switched the phone off, and finished up the rest of my tea.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Sally!
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CandzAfrica said:
What a lovely and sad story! I like it a lot! Brought a tear to my eye, also reminded me to appreciate what we have while we can and carpe diem!
Here is my entry x
https://lifeswhirlwind.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/because-paper-smells-better-than-glass/
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Stevie Turner said:
Thank you.
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Stevie Turner said:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: https://pompom2912.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/running/
This Whirlwind Called Life: https://lifeswhirlwind.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/because-paper-smells-better-than-glass/
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SANA MAHIN said:
Nice story
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks.
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SANA MAHIN said:
https://cutiemahinsblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/an-amazing-funeral-a-short-story/…Here is my short story
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jowensauthor said:
Here’s a little something.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks!
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for taking part, Priyan.
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Stevie Turner said:
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Die reis said:
Thank you for this opportunity!
https://wordpress.com/view/diereis.wordpress.com
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Stevie Turner said:
I don’t know if you’ve added a short story, but the link just seems to go to my log-in screen.
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Stevie Turner said:
Is it this story you wish to submit? https://diereis.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/the-beginning-of-forever-a-very-short-story/
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Die reis said:
Yes
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Stevie Turner said:
Can you send the link to my March submission page please.
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Stevie Turner said:
It’s okay – I’ve found it and added it to March.
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Die reis said:
Thanks!
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franklparker said:
Hi Stevie, remember your blog-hop piece about characters? And my comment abut placing them in a situation not necessarily directly related to the WIP? Well, here’s one I did a long time ago whilst I was writing ‘Transgression’. I’m submitting it here for February’s story comp. franklparker.com/2018/02/07/getting-to-know-your-characters/
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Stevie Turner said:
Great! Thanks Frank.
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James Osborne said:
Enjoy this one: “The Gold Boulder” The link: https://wp.me/p2fYbG-wZ
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks James!
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James Osborne said:
How/where do we enter stories?
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Stevie Turner said:
Publish your story on your blog or website, and leave a link to it here. Thanks for taking part.
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dgkaye said:
Wow, powerful story Stevie – We never know what we’ll find when we open the Pandora’s box to the past.
P,S. I’m reading A House Without Windows! Just wow! I don’t have a lot of reading time lately but got 2 very wee hours of the night if my eyes weren’t closing I didn’t want to put it down! Just at the part where Liam just read about Beth and Amy saved from captor. Riveting! 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Debby. You might recognise a few of the places there too?
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dgkaye said:
I surely do! And you were spot on with locations!!! 🙂 Elm st is hospital alley 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
We went to Toronto for a holiday in 2013. Shame I didn’t know you then…
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dgkaye said:
I knowwwww! Now you’ll have to wait til I get back over to the UK 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
I’m hoping to go to the Bloggers Bash this year. How about you?
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dgkaye said:
Oh how I wish, but I can’t see me making it to the bash this year again with hubby’s health and his big birthday smack in the middle of it this year now that it’s been moved from June to May 😦 But on another note, I am hoping to get to the UK this year if I can get someone to stay with hub for a week or so!
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Stevie Turner said:
Oh, okay. Let me know if you’re ever in the UK.
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dgkaye said:
Of course I will! 🙂
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Ann Marie Bryant said:
Thank you for offering this competition.
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Natalie Ducey said:
A fabulous story, Stevie, and one many can relate to I’m sure. I think we can so easily lose ourselves or linger in the “what might have been” and, sadly, miss the exquisite beauty that lies right in front of us. Intended or not.
Thanks for sharing. And for the generous offer! 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
You’re welcome, and thanks for your comment.
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franklparker said:
Thanks for sharing your story – and for keeping the monthly competition running.
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Stevie Turner said:
There was a huge interest last month.
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jwebster2 said:
Like the story, there’s a lesson there for everybody
To enter something from Tallis should I just put the url here? https://tallissteelyard.wordpress.com/2017/12/28/stinking-fish/
If not I’ll delete it and do it properly 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
That’s okay. Thanks for taking part.
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jwebster2 said:
thanks, didn’t want to screw up the system
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Jennie said:
Wow! This is a story straight from the heart of us 60-something year olds. Thanks so much. I just might share one of mine, too. 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
Please do!
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Jennie said:
😀
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