Bob E

“Know Your Scientists” by Bob E

“Sometimes things just kind of take on a life of their own, you know? There’s nothing you can do about it, one way or the other.” “Granted. But did you think it would end like this?” “Of course not.” “So how did you think it would end?” “Well, I guess, if I’m honest, I didn’t think about that. Not really. You know how it is with these things. But, I certainly didn’t expect anything that happened. Not at all.” “But you just said…” “Yeah. I know. I said I hadn’t thought about how it would end. That’s the truth. But what I’m saying, or wh...

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“Footsteps or What Is This Subtlety Thing Anyway? ” by Bob E

Once upon a time, and not only once upon a time but also up until this very day, there was and there is Delphim.  The kingdom of Delphim had existed in peace for many generations. It was a peace that had spread to other lands through the tireless efforts of successive rulers, who travelled far and wide, under the banner of friendship, but with the looming threat of an army whose power and prowess had long since surpassed the mantle of legend. While other kingdoms battled each other in an endless cycle of conquest and counter conquest,...

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“Just A Guest” by Bob E

As soon as she said the words, I knew that I’d made a mistake. Sitting about halfway back, watching her profile as she looked at the guy I was just then realizing was the wrong guy. The guy who wasn’t me.  I left the party early, very early, and walked around the grounds.  I wanted to hate the place. The towering walls, the ornate patios and sculpted gardens, the woodland border. I wanted to hate everything. But where does hate get you? I’ve known hate.  I was thinking this, but I was also thinking it wasn’t true. A part ...

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“The Desk” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #105

TW: DeathI guess everything was slightly off from the start. Or maybe hindsight overrides the truth.        If you choose to, you can see these things clearly when you spend all of your time behind the desk. You can watch things. You can learn to see them, not just look at them. More than that, though, you can learn to seem like you see nothing.        Even more than that, you learn not to get involved.        That’s m...

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“The Gunfight” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #105

TW: Gun violenceThe car park was dark and something less than half full and the wind blew strongly through the unprotected concrete. It was icy. The weather was turning. Johnny pulled his coat tighter and kept walking. He could hear sirens, faintly, in the distance, and tried to place exactly where they were.         Suddenly, there was an engine roar. Johnny turned to meet the oncoming headlights and lowered his head to cut out the beam, thrusting his hands into his coat. He pulled and levelled h...

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“Icebergs” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #105

“You have to understand,” he whispered, as he brushed my hair behind my ear. “I can’t stay.” I lifted my head and shook it so that the hair came loose and rolled onto my back. He was propped up on an elbow looking down at me, smelling of sweat, his chest hairs thick and dark on such a pale body. I had pulled them before and called him a werewolf.  “It’s not my fault,” he said. “I’d stay if I could. You know that, don’t you?” I smiled, but for him more than for me. I was feeling tired now. I wanted to sleep. I turned back onto my side...

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“Meat On The Bone” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #105

1.    Isabelle I’m hungry.         I’m hungry and I’m cold and the floor is hard beneath me. The air is thick and static. It smells so bad. What is that smell?         I don’t want to know. 2.    Alfred I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my stomach. Gave it a gentle slap. I could have done with a little more time to sleep, but otherwise, I felt pretty good. I closed my eyes against the whiteness of the light and ...

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“The Illusion Of Choice” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #104

“Are you coming tonight?”         Such a simple question.         Such an impossible array of considerations.         Johnny read the question again. And again. He put his phone down and picked it up again. He put his phone down.         He lay on his bed, his hands cradling the back of his head, and stared at the ceiling. The problem was the perfect answer. Always the same problem.&n...

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“The Temperature of Home” by Bob E

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #104

He got engaged the same day I moved out. Whatever. Fair enough. No skin off my nose. Forget the skin off my knees. I found out later that he’d married her on my birthday. You try to think of these things as coincidences. Who knows? I’ve been moving around fairly randomly since then. Not a problem. No big thing. It’s just seeing what fits. The big round global dressing room. I’ve tried a lot of jobs, but learning to work a tap and getting an ESL certificate made me instantly employable all over the world.   People always ask me w...

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“The Retreat” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #104

This is going to end with my girlfriend telling me she’ll never go out with me again.          I know this and yet I move inexorably towards it.         Not because I don’t want my girlfriend to come out with me. Not because I’m some kind of masochist. It’s because I’m an idiot. I’m stupid. I may deny it sometimes. You’ll see that for yourself. But, deep down, I accept it as the truth. I let stupid things happen, and then it’s too late. My girlfriend’s nam...

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“Phantoms of The Past” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #103

“This place is a meat market,” I told Chris. “I thought you’d enjoy it,” he said.  “You were wrong.”  “Lighten up,” he told me. “Come dance with me.” I shook my head.  Chris touched my arm. “Ok,” he said. “I’ll be with the guys. Come join us in a bit, yeah?” I shrugged and smiled as best I could. Once he’d gone, I leaned against a wall for a while, but that just made me feel alone. I finished my drink. I looked for Chris and the others, but the dance floor was a crazy writhing mess. I didn’t know why I’d agreed to come...

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“Signs of Life” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #103

As above, so below. Silence. Stillness. “Put some more music on,” said Edwin, who was half asleep on the sofa in the corner of the room.         Isaac rolled his eyes and looked about. He pushed backwards against the desk with both hands and guided the chair with little pushes of his toes over to the laptop. He selected the first Astrobotnia album. The electronic firework sounds and ambient hum of Lightworks filled the room. “Nice,” said Edwin. “A little spot on, perhaps.”     &n...

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“Solitaire” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #102

I like the night time. I like it because it’s dark. Walking in the dark is better than walking in the light. Everything sounds different and better. Footsteps ring like church bells on a Sunday. I have learned to walk silently, though. It is one of my skills. A talent. I practice it, and my other talents, in the darkness, when I’m alone.  When I hear other people, when I hear the clatter of their feet, I wonder how they cope with the noise. With the lack of control. Maybe that even more than the noise. How can they have so little contr...

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“When We Were Renegades” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #102

We were going to go to the moon. It was me and Andy from next door and the twins, Justin and Jeremy. Andy’s sister Mary-Beth was coming too, because Andy’s mum said she had to. Andy apologised to us about it and he told Mary-Beth she’d better do what he said. “If you don’t,” he told her. “We’ll leave you on the moon. Forever.” Mary-Beth screwed up her face and balled her fists, but she didn’t say anything. She wanted to come too badly. We’d been planning it for some time. For weeks. Maybe longer. We didn’t keep track of time in some ways....

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“Her Demons” by Bob E

Submitted to Contest #101

She told me she had demons.          “We all have demons,” I told her.         “Hmm,” she said.          She looked at me for a long time without speaking. Until I felt uncomfortable. It’s hard to be looked at for a long time. Especially by someone you don’t know. But I didn’t move. I stayed there and got looked at and, I suppose, I looked back at her too. But it wasn’t the same. I looked away and looked back and ...

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