A L Burn

“The rudeness of strangers” by A L Burn

Hesitation tremors in every muscle fibre in my body. Hesitation is a familiar companion. Wavering on the edge, one hundred times a day between ‘yes please’ and ‘no thank you’, ‘I’ll stay home’ and ‘see you there’. I have many poor character traits, but this is by far my least favourite. My arthritic finger hovers over the indicator for only a beat, before I smack it downwards. Decision made. Glancing in my rearview, I press the breaks and pull slowly off the road. My heart threatens to emerge from my throat and the hooded figure takes a step...

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“Imprints ” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #77

Distant church bells murmur their way into my mind. I blink back into the present and look out at the white garden. A robin dances into my vision, flitting between the rotting bird house and jagged greenhouse window. A weird pang of jealousy knots in my gut. She’s free, unencumbered by weighty bouts of misery or relentlessly tethered to memories. The bird flies from the garden, as if it could sense my negativity like a predator. I slide back into my hollow place and let her face pour into my vision. *** “It’s a bit dire isn’t it” H...

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“When you realise, it's too late” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #71

It’s only flour and water. Essentially. And a bit of yeast thrown in. Outrageously simple, really. So why have I avoided it for so long? I can throw together cookies, churn out weighty chunks of brownie, whip up a victoria sponge like it’s nothing. Twenty years of baking. But never bread. ***  A shape shuffles steadily behind the frosted glass in response to my knock. Grandad opens the door and I’m welcomed instantly by a dense, cosy warmth. A familiar scent curls into my nostrils, though I don’t yet understand the meaning of nostal...

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“The Unrested” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #65

There’s been a distinct chill in the air for a number of weeks. Crooked trees empty their branches of leaves, the neighbourhood almost entirely visible except the nooks shrouded by thick evergreens. A new energy hums between residents, one that wasn’t here in the lazy months of summer. I perch on my favourite bench, instinctively hugging my knees to my chest as I gaze out over the distant hills. Sunsets are something I have never tired of. In the millions of years gone by and in the many yet to come, the sun rises and falls without care to t...

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“Safe and Sound” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. They screamed back and forth across the night sky like a puce rainbow from hell as she teetered under the weight of the branch in her hands. I didn’t hesitate. Sprinting down the path, I hopped right over the splintering wooden gate and tackled her hysterical form to the ground. She just lay there choking on sobs as I leapt up and began furiously stomping on the flaming makeshift flare. The damp breath of autumn coating every inch of the dense forest thankfully stopped the whole area fr...

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“Buried in the Past” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #56

Amanda strides over to my desk, her heavy frame teetering on a pair of kitten heels.“Mike! Morning hun, how’s you?” Her lipsticked mouth is too gaudy for a Monday morning. I shudder internally. “The new Creative Director is starting today. I’m thinking it makes sense for you to meet ASAP ‘coz you’ll work alongside him in projects together, yeah?” She leans up against my desk, her backside squashing my notebook. The notebook which holds my ideas that make the money, and in-turn pay her wages.I sigh, feeling horribly under-respected for a...

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“Don't Breathe a Word” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #55

I have to do this, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.Esther reached the bottom of the cobbled path, pausing to steady her breathing. Strands of hair clung to the nape of her sweat-beaded neck and the wind swiped at her cheeks with pin-pricks of sand. Glancing both ways down the pitch-black coastal path, she felt assured that she was completely alone. Heading right, she began to check the number of each run-down beach hut.Twenty four… twenty five…. Then the doubt began creeping its way into her mind.Why am I doing this? Thirty two… th...

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