Nutella

 Laura woke with two languages on her tongue. She gave herself a moment to remember where she was, then she eased back the sheets and pulled herself out of bed. Crossing the bedroom, she pulled the window wide. When she leant out, she could see over the garden to the Château at Valençay. In the light of the early morning, it looked more imposing than ever. Laura let her gaze drop back into the garden. The sun had already started to heat up and patterns of shade were appearing on the lawn. She felt a flash of contentment that was quickly followed by disappointment: already she knew this would be the best part of her day.

Set on Bastille Day in the French countryside, Nutella is a classic 'lonely voice' story which follows the life of an au pair who has left her home country with a secret she hopes to protect. Katie M. Anderson's portrait of youth on the cusp of responsibility makes for an engaging read. CLICK HERE TO READ 'NUTELLA'.

Resurrection

Photo © Peter Neske

"It was the morning of the last day of February when the man at the other end of the phone told Miriam her husband was dead. 'There’s no comfortable way for me to put this or for you to hear it,' he said. 'Your husband’s body was found yesterday afternoon. No matter how I say it, it doesn’t make it any easier for you. I’m sorry to be the one.'"

'Resurrection' is a story by John MacKenna, who the Guardian has declared "a consummately skilled author". This is a wintry story examining the roles of innocence and experience when questions of faith test a family who has suddenly been subjected to a deep loss. CLICK HERE TO READ 'RESURRECTION'.

The Underground

Photo © David Griffin

‘We don’t really know. We haven’t had time yet to think it through properly.’ That’s what Grace said. JJ and herself had just come back into the room. Half an hour earlier they’d snaked off somewhere else in the Pope’s house for a ride. What I’d asked was ‘what the hell are you two doing here seeing as you’ve both been dead for years’.  

The Underground--November's story, like Halloween which has just passed, marks a liminal space between the living and the dead. The darkest of satire, Dave Lordan's story takes us through the struggle of a homeless father to make a life for himself and his daughter on the streets of Rome. Think Jonathan Swift meets Christopher Marlowe.

Misbegotten

​Photo © Julia Van Middlesworth

"Floydean might be a problem once she got a sniff of the money. Not that Flo told anyone about the will, yet she knew somehow the family would telegraph scraps of truths and untruths across telephone lines and behind knitting needles, over dinner plates of chicken bones and cold mashed ​​​​potatoes." 

We are proud to announce that our September 2012, and inaugural, story is by Seán Ó Faoláin Prize winner Julia Van Middlesworth. 'Misbegotten' is a dark and psychologically apt tale of family fracturing and estrangement, packed with chilling imagery​. CLICK HERE TO READ 'MISBEGOTTEN'.