Colin Devonshire

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (125)

125 Stories

1496 karma pts

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“Running At Eighty” by Colin Devonshire

'DO YOU RUN every day?' asked Pippa. 'Yes, young lady. Why do you ask?' said Fred. 'I've seen you run down this street many times.' 'I like to run early in the morning at first light or night as it gets dark. It is cooler, and you must look after your body when you get to my age.' 'You look in pretty good shape. Can I ask how old you are? In Thailand, it is common to ask that, but I know you foreigners can get touchy.' 'Your English and knowledge of "Falang" traits are excellent.' 'Can you speak Thai?' 'No, a few words only. You asked my age...

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“A Message In A Shadow” by Colin Devonshire

'WHAT DO YOU reckon this is?' asked Rita. 'Oh, Grandma, what are you talking about?' said Gung. 'Ever since your Dad brought me to live with you, weird things keep happening.' 'No, they don't. It is you. Do you miss England so much that you are making up stories?' 'No, dear, whenever I'm alone, something odd happens. True, things like that didn't occur so frequently in London.' 'Maybe, London is so noisy? Now you live by the sea, we get peace, a restful quiet and that freaks you out?' 'Oh, darling, it's not that. I have had some odd experien...

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“School Upsets” by Colin Devonshire

"Buri Ram Farmer Upset with School Board". The national paper's headline jumped from the front page and slapped Simon's face. A farmer lives with his wife and daughters in the northeastern region of Thailand known as Issan. Rice farming has been a way of life for generations. Many families, including Simon's Thai family, rely on the land for their livelihood, and the rice they grow is a staple food in the region. But for one rice farmer from a small village outside Buri Ram, a recent incident involving his daughter and the school board lef...

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“Just Tapping Your Brain” by Colin Devonshire

'Right, off to work. See you all later.' 'Bye, honey, have a good day. Oh, and don't forget.' A puzzled look crosses his face. Then a grin splits his face, 'I've not forgotten, don't worry.' He jumped into his work van and disappeared down the drive. 'It is my birthday, and I want to do something special,' said Pixie. 'You will, darling. You are now a teenager, so how about we go cosmetic shopping? Then later we can all go for ice cream.' 'Tell me this, mum, yesterday you wouldn't let me wear lipstick, but today you want to buy me some? Yest...

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“Siamese Feast” by Colin Devonshire

'I thought we were going to a shoe factory?' said Rose. 'We are,' answered Amanda. 'This doesn't look like a place they build boots or clogs. We are in the middle of nowhere.' 'Hey, Mr Taxi Man, we thought we were going to a building on an industrial estate?' The taxi stopped, and the driver held his hand out for two hundred and twenty Baht as he pointed ahead to a bleak-looking gateway. 'Why not drive us to the entrance?' Amanda asked as she found two, one-hundred Baht notes. 'Lend us a twenty,' she said to Rose. The Toyota slammed into rev...

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“It's Mine!” by Colin Devonshire

There was a small village nestled at the foot of a towering mountain. In this village, there lived a young girl named Lily who had a prized possession: a beautiful ruby necklace that had been handed down to her by her grandmother. Lily treasured the necklace, and now as a teenager, her mother allowed her to wear it everywhere she went. The necklace sparkled in the sunlight, and it was the envy of all the girls in the village. One day, as Lily was walking through the town, she noticed a girl staring at her necklace with a look of pure jealo...

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“Beach Work” by Colin Devonshire

'Yes, I'll do it. Give me a break,' Mark said. 'I mean now,' Check said, scowling at his employee's mobile number. Mark was pleased his boss could not see his scrunched-up features. His phone saves his life daily. Now, meant now, he dressed in his favourite pumps, a colourful beach shirt and shorts. Mark accepted his orders without complaining. However, he had work to do. Mark's scooter started the first time, as always, and cruised the beach's frontal road. He pulled up near the beat of rap and watched. 'Christ, I hate that racket,' he m...

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“Let's Go” by Colin Devonshire

'Let's go for a walk, son. I need to talk to you.' 'Sure, dad, what do you want?' 'It's not what I want. There is something I need to explain to you.' Father and son clad in warm winter jackets and their walking boots. The sun was glistening from the ice-covered puddles. Further on, ducks quacked, frozen in the pond. The pair walked in that direction. Birds swooped and called, and a wolf howled deep in the forest. But not a sign of human life; that was the idea. Duncan Blower had bought the cabin fifty years ago. Nobody lived near them, and ...

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“School's Out” by Colin Devonshire

'Come on, let's sit at the back,' Belinda said. 'They,' Mel pointed back, 'won't want us. Sit here instead.' 'If we don't try, they will never accept us.' 'No, thank God. Who wants to be in their gang?' 'I do.' 'You go ahead then; I'm sitting here,' Mel's mind was made up, and she plonked herself next to the window. The school coach was filling fast with excited teenagers. 'Right, you lot, what is going on?' Mr Jones, the English teacher, shouted and clapped his hands. 'She started it,' a broad-shouldered, overweight boy, stiff-finger poi...

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“The Minute Past Kiss” by Colin Devonshire

'Another celebration, another day,' Pegs said to the mirror. The mirror didn't answer. Instead, she smiled and turned away. Head down, she moved to her bed and slumped on it. Her phone rang. 'Yes, Angie, I'll be there.' Pegs let her towel drop to the floor, and another mirror got busy, this time a full-length version, and this time it admired her shape. She patted her stomach. 'A little too much food, far too much booze, but nothing else showing.' She smiled and threw open her wardrobe. 'Too frumpy, too skimpy, my God, why did I buy that thi...

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“Celebrate? Wife or Book?” by Colin Devonshire

'Wake up; what is the matter with you?' Maxine left a cup of tea for Al, her husband. Al grunted and turned over. 'What's the matter with her?' he said. Thirty minutes later, Maxine stamped up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door against the wall. 'Asleep again? Get up, you lazy sod.' She shook him awake. 'What? Can't you leave me alone?' 'No, we have bills to pay, and you have a book to write,' Maxine said as she pulled the duvet back and left a curled-up husband to face her fast-disappearing body. She clomped down the stairs. 'Toast will ...

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“Fortune” by Colin Devonshire

'It is so exciting. I am so lucky, imagine, to be the girlfriend of a pop star,' Gloria said. Her friend, Jessy, raised her eyebrows again. 'Yes, you are the luckiest girl in our village,' Jessy said. 'Do you think he will buy a Ferrari or a yacht?' 'I've no idea what famous people do with their money. Anyway, I wouldn't plan on spending his money. He hasn't got there yet.' 'I know, but he has been recruited to take Super Mack's place in the number one band,' Gloria said, preening in front of an imaginary mirror. 'Sad about Mack, though. He ...

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“Mates” by Colin Devonshire

The sound of a textbook slamming on a desktop silenced the class, even the two boys fighting in the corner. 'Pavlok and Jones, my office, now,' said the headmaster as he turned and stormed down the corridor. 'Idiot, now look what you've done,' said Ivan Pavlok. 'You started it, dickhead,' answered Paddy Jones. 'Because I got all the questions correct? That's what we are supposed to do.' The boys glared at each other, and the classmates sniggered as they dragged themselves off. 'You see the copse of trees over there? Your job is to rake all...

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“Red Lipstick, Green Bananas” by Colin Devonshire

‘Leave me alone, please. I’ve had enough of you and this country,’ Micky said as he stormed to the garden and slumped onto a bench. ‘Oh, darling, come back and talk to me,’ Bell pleaded. Micky’s early retirement had not worked out as hoped. Before it started, his divorce in England had cost more than expected; a chunk of his stashed cash found its way to his ex-wife, who laughed all the way to “her” bank. Nevertheless, Micky had planned for a retired life at fifty, and he would come out on top. He thought his pension and savings would be ...

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“Golden Boy” by Colin Devonshire

'Well, Sugar, it's your birthday soon. What do you want as a gift?' 'First, don't call me Sugar. It is not my name. It's the name you call all those bar sluts, when you can't recall their names.' 'Okay, okay, did you get out of bed on the wrong side this morning?' 'I was wrong getting in it at all.' 'Let's start again. Pim, I'm sorry if I've upset you. I mean it. Please tell me what you want for your birthday?' 'Look, Harry, what I want, you can't give me. So forget it.' 'How about dinner in the Landmark Hotel? You love it there.' 'I'm not g...

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Author bio

Born in England, a long time ago. Living in Thailand and loving it. Started writing novels after my stroke, well, there wasn't much else I could do!