Short stories
Selected stories from previous volumes of Riptide.
Neap Tide
All day long he was full of talk: how big the ferry was and how fast it went. Not like the rusty boats in Greece. Lisa thought the khaki sea looked wrong. So impossibly solid and soupy. When she fell for Panos she had also fallen for his country: the siestas, the sunshine, and the… Read more
I’m Reviewing a Play at the Albany and I was wondering if you’d like to come along
Charles Thornton was a stenographer. A stenographer is someone who takes notes in shorthand or operates a shorthand machine. I didn’t know that until I happened upon in it in a dictionary, but Charles had known it all his adult life. When he was 11 he received a vision informing him, among other things,… Read more
Don’t thank me, thank the moon’s gravitational pull
Christine was managing the office relocation, an opportunity to take her mind off the break-up with Malcolm. Malcolm, however, was health and safety, and everything had to be approved by him. She indicated with a polished fingernail the position of the new building but Malcolm moaned, shook his head and did nervy jazz hands. ‘You’ve… Read more
The Three Daves
David Gaffney Fat Dave thought Budapest was shabby-chic. Little Dave thought Paris was shoe-shop-manager-on-a-midlife crisis. Big Dave didn’t want a repeat of Krakow where they had to put on padded clothing and get chased through the woods by attack dogs. So for a laugh. Big Dave suggested they have the stag in Pontefract, where they’d… Read more
Piggy-back
He shivers awake. Sand has collected in the folds of his skin and rubbed him raw. He must have had a heavy night. Stag night was it? Some stupid drinking game? That would account for the filthy taste in his mouth, like ashtray dust washed down with car engine juice. He should know better by… Read more
Chickens
‘What number did you say your house was?’ I said. ‘115,’ said the boy. We pulled over and I mounted the curb, reversed off it, straightened up, mounted the curb again, reversed off it again, wiped the sweat from my forehead and straightened up, leaving the car over a foot away from… Read more
