Charles Corkery

“A HILL O' BEANS” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #222

A HILL O’ BEANS Born and raised in Pennsylvania, when I was 14 years of age, my life crumbled when my parents were killed in an automobile accident and, for two weeks, I was placed in the local orphanage while attempts were made to contact those that were tenuously related in the hope that one of them would take me in as one of their family.Though grieving, I understood, vaguely, that two families had come forward: a couple from New York who had one child, a girl around my age, and another from Tennessee who had a grown up son; both related ...

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“CRY BABY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #222

CRY BABYAs he climbed the sheer face of the cliff ahead of her, he indicated, with a pointing of his foot, where she should next place her hand. In this manner, slowly but surely, they finally reached the summit. It was the first time that she had managed to achieve the full climb and she collapsed, exhausted, the bitter wind lashing her face.“We go back”, he said, quietly.She knew that she could not argue with him; his word was law. Yet, the combination of cold, fatigue and the daunting task of descending this rocky outcrop so soon, was jus...

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“VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #221

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED For a few brief minutes, Hannah was able to look back on the emerald green vista of her homeland and breathe the cool, clean Irish air before she was herded below to her quarters in the hold of the John Knox, the ship that was to carry her and three hundred more of her country folk to the promised land of British North America.Like most, she had slaved to raise the two pounds needed for her fare so that she could join her mother, brother and sister who had gone before her, six months earlier. They had promised to write a...

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“FUNNY GUY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #220

FUNNY GUY When I was a boy, I didn’t have any friends. It never really concerned me because I was quite content with my own company. Also, the fact that I was a sickly boy probably had a lot to do with it; no, definitely, had a great deal to do with it.We lived at the top of a three family house; an Irish three family house on 5th and San Pedro. Times were hard, not that I really knew what that meant but I heard my parents saying it all the time, so I figured they had to know what they were talking about. We were considered fortunate by the ...

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“PRIMAL INSTINCT” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #219

PRIMAL INSTINCT ‘All clear’, growled Rex, from the doorway.The other attendees left their normal stations and re-grouped round the dusty floor.Angus, the self-styled elder of the gathering, cleared his throat before speaking.‘Right, where were we?’‘Methane; you had started to talk about methane, Angus’.‘Ah, yes. Thank you, Daisy. Yes, methane. It seems to be all we hear about at the moment; methane this, methane that. It’s all getting blown out of proportion...’‘What is it, exactly?’‘Larry, perhaps you can explain it to Daisy and the others ...

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“THE NIGHT WATCHMAN” by Charles Corkery

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN ‘And this is where you keep an eye on the whole shebang’.Unlocking the door in this basement room, deep in the bowels of the building, the night watchman ushered in the old man who blinked in amazement at the sight that confronted him.‘It takes a while to get your head around it, I guess. I still get confused sometimes’.Facing both men, an entire wall was taken up by three banks of TV screens, each displaying a different part of the building. The effect was even more mesmerising due to the darkness of the room itself, ther...

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“ROMAN HOLIDAY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #218

ROMAN HOLIDAY He woke with a start in the darkness, his body bent over as he sat on the hard wooden seat, his usual mode of sleeping for so many years now. Something was different, though he could not, at first, comprehend what exactly. Roses? Could he smell roses? That waft of sweet, peppery scent-peonies? Now, the distinct scent of lavender invaded his nostrils; this heady mixture of fragrances transporting him back in time, so long ago. Forgotten remembrances began to stir, evoking tears; memories he had banished from his mind.Judah Ben Y...

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“SNAKES AND LADDERS” by Charles Corkery

SNAKES AND LADDERS Total darkness. Confinement. No space. A box? A coffin? What the fuck? He gagged as the blood ran from his mouth and down his throat: salty, metallic, lots of it. He could sense the pain inside his mouth, sharp, but he couldn’t feel it. Drugged? His mind a whirl of incoherent thoughts, he took a deep breath. Breath! He could breathe, at least, he realised. Think, man. Get yourself together if you ever want to get out of this. Think!As he sat in the car alongside his cuate, Sergio, his door ajar, he leant out once more and ...

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“THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #217

THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY “Harlowe!”The match I had struck in the darkness, illuminated the shocked face of Detective Robert Malone, 6th Precinct, as he stepped back in alarm.“Wh...what are you doing here?”“More to the point, Bobby, what are you doing here?”The here in question was the hotel suite of my client, Magda Bathsheba Goering, quite a mouthful, I know but, hey, I’m just a private dick hired by this young lady at five hundred bucks per day, a week paid in advance, so who am I to argue?As I turned slightly to reach from my comfortable ar...

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“FATHER KNOWS BEST” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #217

FATHER KNOWS BEST “Arthur, what on earth are you doing with the window hangings, dear? Come and sit down and have some tea”.Ignoring his mother, Arthur continued flapping away at the heavy, brocaded drapes, pulling them, first, one way, then, the other. His sister, Marie-Louise, stood watching, transfixed, as the sunlight invaded the vast drawing room each time Arthur pulled the curtains back, revealing the many trillions of dust motes floating in the air in front of them.“You see. That’s what you are breathing in. Not this”.As he spoke thes...

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“UNREQUITED LOVE” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #217

UNREQUITED LOVE I can recall the first time we met as if it was yesterday. It was at the Drummond’s on the occasion of their daughter’s birthday; Edwina, the younger, if possible, even more obnoxious of the two Drummond girls. What I can’t remember is how old I was exactly. Thirteen? Fourteen?My mother, already, though we did not know it, evincing early signs of the dementia that would gradually reveal itself in all its horror, convinced herself that, as the Drummond family hailed from Scotland, I should do homage by attending the party dres...

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“BRANDED” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #216

BRANDED “Is she under lock and key, Sergeant?”“Yessir, Colonel. She’s a real wildcat, sir”.As the sergeant spoke, he turned his head to show the officer the scratches he had suffered down the side of his face and neck.“It'll take her a while to settle down, I reckon. See how she goes with no food for a day”.“Yessir”.The sergeant left his commanding officer’s quarters and strolled across the sandy parade ground. When he was sure he was out of sight, in the shadows of the stockade, he opened his leather gloved hand and stared intently at the l...

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“REGAL BEHAVIOUR” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #216

REGAL BEHAVIOUR “You are German, they tell me”.“I am, Majesty”."None of my Danish doctors have been able to help me. What makes you think that you can?”Struensee remained silent as he watched the King who was looking out onto the vast parklands of the palace, through a rain-streaked window, his back turned to the doctor. Eventually, after a moment’s silence, having not heard the German reply, he turned back to face the physician and Struensee spoke.“You didn’t hear me, Majesty”.“You spoke?’“No, Majesty. But you knew that; which means that yo...

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“BITTER ABANDONMENT” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #216

BITTER ABANDONMENT What the hell am I doing here? I must be insane. When I say here, I mean in this situation but, come to think of it, I also mean this place. I never normally come to locations like this. In fact, I can’t, for the life of me, get what attracts people. I mean, as a place to meet and talk it hardly qualifies with all those background noises: hissing, grinding, banging, humming, gurgling and whistling going on. As for the smell and the bitter taste. Yuck! Just not for me. And I bet, if they were really honest, a lot of so call...

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“THE BEST LAID PLANS...” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #215

THE BEST LAID PLANS... The two men watched as the bus approached in the darkness. The only passenger to alight walked slowly, head down, towards his home, a modest, single storey house. One of the car’s occupants snapped away with his camera as the bespectacled man, unaware of being observed, entered his dwelling. An hour later, at another house closer to the city, four men and a woman gathered to inspect the photographs they had developed. Along with those taken on that suburban thoroughfare, were several others captured by other memb...

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