Danny G

“The hole in the floor” by Danny G

When I moved into my new house I expected the usual problems; removalists being late, the bank not releasing the money, stuff getting broken, forgetting where I put what. You know, all that stuff that happens in every single move ever. I’m pretty sure it’s an unwritten rule that something has to happen. That there can never ever, ever be a smooth move. It hasn’t happened in the history of mankind. Even as far back as the neanderthal days they probably had issues moving from cave to cave, stuff like his favourite hunting spear snapped or the ...

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“Albert's idiotic sacrifice and what happened afterwards” by Danny G

Everything was ready for the ritual. We stood in the dark woods just out of town. It was midnight and the moon hid behind a thick cover of clouds, while leafless trees surrounded us, branches curled up like the gnarled fingers of an old folk’s home.“Everything is ready for the ritual,” Sophie intoned from beneath her hood. There were five of us, me and four others. I was good at maths. We stood around a black cauldron. I have no idea where Sophie got it from. It’s not like there’s a ‘Cauldrons R Us’ around here. It was thick and heavy, ...

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“Benediction” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #116

“Can you believe this bullshit?” Commander Michael Allen burst into the office and tossed a handful of papers on Tim’s desk. Tim sat back in his chair, feet up on his desk and spinning his Akubra hat around his finger. He raised a lazy eyebrow at his boss and said in his laconic drawl, “I make it a habit to not believe in bullshit.” “Adrian Naughton,” Allen said, hefting up the pants that kept slipping over his round belly. “Asshole got off.” This had Tim’s feet off his desk and picking up the paper, “You’re jokin’?” The constant buzzing of ...

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“Shrouded in fog” by Danny G

“What a day,” Jay sighed, his car pulling up to a red light. Night had fallen and traffic was bumper-to-bumper. People walked the streets, rugged up in coats and scarves, their breaths misting up the sidewalks creating their own personal fog. “I need to get out of here.”The light turned green and he drove. Out of the city with no destination in mind, his headlights leading the way. The radio played soft rock interspersed with news and weather updates. The night promised a clear but cold night. But Jay didn’t care. It was time to get away fro...

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“Imposter syndrome” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #114

When an idea forms, good or bad, it consumes you. And you can spend your entire existence working towards it. Training, practising, preparing. You feel confident. You feel like you can be the best. The Greatest of All Time. The GOAT.Then comes the day where you have to put it all on show and yourealise one thing: You know absolutely nothing.All that training, all those scenarios. It means nothing when youaren’t in front of the audience. Training with your best friend. Working withfamily. Testing out your act. They all laugh and say it’s grea...

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“In inferno, nulla est redemptio” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #113

Finally home from his sixth straight 12-hour shift and Mitch was ready for bed. No partying. No going out. Not tonight.“Twenty-six and in bed by eight,” he muttered, buttoning up his pyjama top. “What a party animal.”He shuffled down the hall of his apartment with his phone in hand, browsing social media and heading for his bedroom, when there was a knock at the door.Mitch paused. Who could that be?Another knock, followed by a commanding voice, “Police. Is anyone home?”He felt his heart skip a beat and he almost dropped his phone. The police...

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“You draw. I put you down” by Danny G

Rain fell like God had left the hose running and for Inspector Tim Pittman it was a massive pain in the ass. He’d spent a week chasing this fugitive. This Tate Taylor. Through sun and rain, he followed him.Tate Taylor. Terrible name. Terrible person.From the west of Australia to the east. Tim wasn’t sure if Tate knew he’d been followed when he left Perth but by the time he reached Mallacoota he knew. Tim reckoned that Tate meant to take the road north at Genoa, head into New South Wales but panicked when he realised he was being followe...

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“A Storm is Coming” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #112

Thunder rumbled in the distance, reflecting my mood perfectly. It was morning but the clouds were so dark, so thick with rain that it felt more like dusk.The air was cold, the wind blew but it felt calm. Like it was walking on eggshells, trying not to disturb the fragility. Trying not to blow over buildings and cars and people. A storm is coming.I stood on the curb opposite the building where I work. It was a world full of colour with flashing neon lights and billboards advertising tv shows and cars and phones. Clutched in my hands...

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“What defines Ethan” by Danny G

Rain was pouring so hard that Ethan considered pulling over until it passed. The wipers were swishing as fast as the setting allowed but it wasn’t enough, the rain continued falling, blurring the windshield, the road ahead, the world. The water ran down the windows like a waterfall, headlights refracting off every drop of rain, creating a light show in the night, limiting his visibility to a couple of metres. He regretted his decision to storm out of the house. Storming out during an argument was one thing, but storming out during an ac...

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“To Die For” by Danny G

The sedan crunched over gravel, rolling to a stop in the parking lot of a 50s style diner. They were rare these days. Even rarer in the Australian Outback.Rarer than hen’s teeth, thought Tim as he climbed out of the car. It was a hot day with a hot wind, pushing dust across the near-abandoned car park. Tim noted four cars, three beat-up wagons, paint stripped and rusted while the fourth stood out like a sore thumb. A sleek black Audi, shimmering in the heat like a mirage.Adjusting his tie and leaving his jacket unbuttoned, Tim pulled his aku...

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“The principle behind Josh's resignation.” by Danny G

Josh breathed in deeply and let it out, trying to calm himself. It was only a dozen steps from his desk to the office, but for Josh it felt like the longest walk of his life, like he was on death row. His heart raced, his palms sweaty and his stomach flipped-flopped like a fish out of water.Finally, he reached the office. The door was open and Josh knocked on the wooden frame.Knock. Knock.Helen, the Human Procurement Officer, looked up from her computer screen, “ Hi Josh, how are you?”“I’m ok,” Josh replied. He almost turned and walked away ...

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“Digging a hole” by Danny G

“Hi Dad,” Max said, walking across the glistening wet lawn.“Hi Max,” Joe replied.“What are you doing?”“Digging a hole.”“Why?”“Just seeing what’s under here.”Max looked at the hole, it was already down to his Dad’s knees. “It’s pretty big. Have you found anything?”Joe looked up and smiled. “I have actually. Take a look at this,” he said, putting the shovel down and retrieving the thing he found while digging.It was a teddy bear. It used to be fluffy brown but now it was filthy, matted and covered in dirt. Joe found it when he started digging ...

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“Evanescent” by Danny G

CW: sexual harassment Lucy looked around the dank, dingy office wondering why on earth she decided to come here. It stunk like cigarette smoke, the windows were so grimey barely any sunlight filtered through and the only light in the office was a single dim bulb hanging from a string light above the desk.She felt small in the desk, her feet didn’t even reach the dusty floorboards, while the desk before her was so big it seemed more like a bus.“Are you sure about this?” came the gravelly, pack-a-day voice on the other side of the desk.“Yes,” ...

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“"Number 42"” by Danny G

Day 1For whatever reason the supermarket was insanely busy today, especially the deli section. There was a 3:20 ratio of servers to shoppers. Most shoppers had trolleys, some packed to the brim while others looked to have just started. No matter what everyone looked impatient and disgruntled at the delay. Weaving my way through the crowd using my basket to part the crowds like Moses parting the Red Sea I reached the ticket dispenser. Tearing off a ticket, I glanced at it and took a step back, preparing myself for a long wait. ...

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“The Static Shocker” by Danny G

“Simon.”A shadow slowly crept across my desk, blocking out the light like a solar eclipse. Robert, my boss, was looking down on me like I was a particularly succulent meal he wanted to inhale.I looked at him expectantly. It was going to be bad news, that much I knew.How did I know, you ask?Because it’s always bad news with Robert. Nothing good ever comes out of his mouth; Bad news, spittle, left overs from his lunch, carbon dioxide. It’s all bad.“You need to stay back and finish up the roll out,” he said, indicating the workshop behind me wh...

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