The End

He pressed 'PUBLISH' for the 1000th time. A thousand stories. He couldn't believe he'd actually done it. He shut down his laptop and lit a cigarette.

New Year

The clock was striking.
"Here's hoping this year will be better than the last."
Glasses were clinked together, but they knew it was going to be another shit year.

Home Straight

He screeched around the corner. The finish line was only a hundred yards away.
He glanced in the rear view mirror. Nobody else was in sight.
He slowed down to enjoy the moment as he cruised to victory.
The plane which had been forced to make an emergency landing had flattened him and his car before he could notice anything was amiss.

Nostalgia

She sat looking at her photo album, tears running down her cheeks.
The rest of them were all long gone and she was the only surviving member.
She closed the album and placed it on the coffee table. She knew what needed to be done.

Burglary

He tried the door. It was open. This was too easy.
He didn't noticed the wire that was pulled as he opened the door. He didn't notice the crossbow pointed at the door either.

Mouse

There was cheese in the trap.
They must have thought he was stupid. He'd lost his brother to one of theses traps and he wasn't going out the same way.
Mind you, the cheese both looked and smelled very tasty.
He took a chance.

Boxing Day

It was turkey again.
The novelty had worn off very quickly.
She emptied the jar of sleeping pills into her glass of wine and took a huge slug.

Christmas Day

The kids were awake at 4am, racing downstairs to see if Santa had been. The lights went on and the children screamed.
A man in a red suit was lying on the linoleum floor of the kitchen in a pool of blood.
Did this mean there were no presents?

Christmas Eve

The shopkeeper closed and locked the door and headed back into the darkness of the shop.
There was a loud knock at the door behind him.
He turned.
"I need to buy a present," pleaded a man through the glass.
The shopkeeper shrugged and headed into the room behind the counter.
The banging on the door continued.
The shopkeeper reached for his rifle.

Cheers

He loved coming to this place. The people were friendly. It was a home from home for him.
He finished his drink.
"Same again please."
"What were you drinking?"
"You know me!" he laughed.
"I don't. What's your name?"
He sighed. It wasn't as good as he thought.

Noise Pollution

"Hello, I'd like to report a crime."
"Certainly, madam, what has happened."
"My neighbours are listening to music."
"Is it loud?"
"Not really, I can barely hear it."
"Then what's the problem?"
"They're playing Phil Collins."
"We'll have two units there ASAP."

Not Many Left

The newspaper seller stood next to his huge pile of papers. He glanced at them. He would never sell this many.
He took a bottle from his bag and poured it over the papers.
He struck a match and dropped it on to the petrol-soaked papers.

Zoo

Her son wouldn't stop crying.
He'd begged for weeks to come to the zoo and now they were here he was making a scene.
"I'll give you something to cry about."
She picked him up and threw him over the wall into the gorilla enclosure.

Man Overboard

"HELP!"
He ran to the back of the boat and saw the other man in the water.
He was prepared to dive in or do whatever it took to help him.
But then he saw who it was and turned away.

Fish and Chips

"Large cod and chips, please."
"We don't have any cod."
"What do you have?"
"There's jarb."
"What the hell is jarb?"
"It's a new fish they've just discovered. Totally sustainable and tastes just like haddock."
"OK then. Jarb and chips, please."
The food was dished up on to a polysytrene tray and he paid for it.
He used a tiny wooden fork to start eating as he left the shop.
The fish tasted geat, much better than haddock. He took another forkful.
He felt his throat close and dropped the tray to the pavement.

The One with the Question

What?

Can It Get Any Worse?

He opened the front door. Cars were ablaze and he could hear the rioters in the distance. It sounded like they were getting closer.
He went back inside, closed the door and bolted it.
Today was going to be no better.

The Decision

He looked at his two options. He couldn't decide.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. He flipped it and it landed on the table in front of him.
It was heads.

Death Bed

"Come in closer."
She leaned in.
"The money." He struggled to breathe. "The money..."
"What about the money?"
"It's in the..."
"Where? What?"
There was a long pause. Was he still breathing?
He grabbed her hand.
"I'll never tell you or your vulture of a brother where it is. Now get out."

Carbomb

He turned the key in the ignition.
The car exploded.