Alice Richardson

“Pick a box” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #158

Pick a Box Gina stood in the dingy, smelly basement (or ‘the dungeon’ as it was colloquially referred to) and cringed inwardly at the sight of row upon row of boxes stacked on shelving units. There must be hundreds of them, she thought. ‘Pick a box. Any box,’ Senior Detective Matt Rankin said with a smug grin. ‘Every one’s a winner and every one’s a loser. I’ll leave you to it then,’ he said as he turned on his heel and walked out into the passage that led back to the relatively bright lights of Police Headquarters.     ...

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“Last Chance” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #136

Last Chance Mum, dad and I lived on what you might call a hobby farm on the outskirts of a nice little country town. Big enough to have everything you could need, including a permanent doctor and staff in a well equipped medical centre, two hotels and two supermarkets. We had a few head of multi-coloured sheep that mum looked after lovingly. She used their wool to spin into thread that was then knitted into jumpers, jackets, scarves etc, that were very much sought after in the city boutiques. It was a lucrative business for her with the adde...

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“Making a move” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #132

Making a move Diane stood on the lip of the cliff. This is it, she thought, there’s no going back now, her mind closed to her surroundings and focused on her next move. Taking a deep breath she tipped her body forward and allowed herself to topple slowly over the edge. Diane’s family had just moved to a remote mine in outback Australia. Her father had been offered an executive position with the large mining company and her whole world had turned upside down. At thirteen years, she’d made long term friends, had niches in her favoured sport a...

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“How time flies” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #125

HOW TIME FLIES! Alice ambled along the pathway through the scrub. As she walked, she was reading a biography of Lewis Carroll’s life. Consequently, she didn’t realise there was a hole in the path until she suddenly dropped through it. As she landed she stumbled, dropping her book. Looking around, she was in a sort of cave. It wasn’t a normal type of cave because it had plants and there was light coming from somewhere. She heard a murmuring sound and moved cautiously towards it. She found a garden with rather enormous plants; roses, cor...

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“Christmas is in the Giving” by Alice Richardson

Christmas is in the Giving Bhutan. “Land of the Thunder Dragons”, with a Himalayan Mountains backbone. The Happiest Kingdom in the world. China to the North, India to the South. Slightly smaller than Switzerland. Kiba Wangmo lived in the small village of Phatsuma, about 150ks east of the capital, Thimphu. Kiba had heard what a beautiful city Thimphu was, but could not imagine how it looked. She had never travelled there and most likely never would.            Kiba was twelve years ol...

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“Hindsight is a wonderful thing” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #119

Hindsight is a wonderful thing If only we could see the future, even just a little bit. A few hours could be enough. And if we could, would we be smart enough to do things differently? I wonder.            I was holidaying at a little seaside town and, to fill in an hour or so, had been driving aimlessly around looking at the scenery. The dirt road I was travelling along terminated at a tee junction. A wooden signpost indicated ‘to the beach’ in one direction while the other side of the ...

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“Bushfire!” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #112

Bushfire! The big red roo stretched to full height, his eyes on the horizon. He knew what was coming. He’d seen it before. It wasn’t dust roiling up into the afternoon heat, it was smoke. Thick grey and white clouds of it, and it was heading in their direction. Others in the mob who remembered fire were nervously alert, waiting for a sign from their leader. He turned and bounded gracefully away from the approaching maelstrom, the mob following him through the scrubby bush. Miles away from the mob, firefighters battled the aggressive blaze,...

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“Let's Disappear” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #110

LET’S DISAPPEAR She was walking down the road not far from my rented old farmhouse, hitchhiking. I don’t normally give people a lift, but she looked so hot in her little denim shorts and crop top how could I resist? I’m just a man after all. And I’m a nice bloke. Some evil person could have come along, picked her up and she would never be seen again. I was doing a good deed. Protecting her from dangerous people with devious minds. A knight in shining armour, that’s me. I asked where she was going and she giggled. Said she didn’t know. Wh...

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“The Stranger” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #108

The Stranger He poked at the gravel with the toe of his boot, his brain going at a hundred miles an hour trying to get himself out of the hole he’d found himself in.            The accountant had been with his boss when he arrived back at the homestead. As she walked to her car, she saw Fraser pull up. She crossed the driveway, taking in the condition of the ute and fixing him with a deathly glare.            A galah streaked throug...

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“Strangers in the Night” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #105

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT Lois looked out of the bus window, not really seeing anything. It was late autumn and the days were getting shorter. The overcast sky had blanketed the last of the setting sun’s glory and although it was not quite six o’clock, it was dark enough for the street lights to activate. She pressed the bell for the next stop, number 29A. Gathering her grocery bags into one hand and slinging her handbag over her left shoulder, she made her way to the exit door. The bus slowed and stopped; she called out ‘Thank you,’ to the d...

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“The Photograph” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #103

Rose sat at the kitchen table cradling the little frame holding the photograph of her with her husband, George. On the back, written in his handwriting was, ‘Rose and me. Married 17th October 1940’. It was taken in front of the hedge in their backyard just after he joined up with the Royal Australian Infantry Forces. He looked proud standing beside her in his new uniform. It fitted him badly and Rose thought he looked as though someone had just stopped him in the street, said, ‘Here, put this on,’ and took the photograph. She closed h...

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“The Grocer” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #102

THE GROCER The bell on the grocer’s shop door tinkled. Mr Oxenham turned to his customers with a smile. ‘Good morning Mrs Miller. Hello Emily.’ ‘Good morning, Mr. Oxenham,’ Mrs Miller replied. ‘Say hello to Mr Oxenham, Emily.’ Emily was six, a pretty little girl with soft brown hair. She looked at her feet. ‘Hello Mr Oxenham.’ She quickly lifted her eyes to meet his, then resumed her foot watching. ‘Speak up dear. Mr Oxenham can’t hear when you speak so softly.’ ‘That’s alright Mrs Miller.’ Harry reached into the jar of jellybeans, sel...

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“The moon rises over a silent ocean” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #99

The Moon rises over a silent ocean It had been long day’s drive but Colin and Angela didn’t mind. Colin enjoyed driving and they had another nine days to wander around Cape York Peninsula. Their last stop for the day had been a little general store/petrol station at Captain Billy’s Landing. They’d filled up with petrol, bought some fruit, a packet of sausages, half a kilo of bacon and a couple of onions. A few cans of beer, a bottle of wine for Angie and they would dine like kings.           ...

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