Pamela Saunders

“Tobias Jones” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #70

The cat watches Tobias warily as petals fall to the floor. The cat wants to play but has been plucked himself once too often. Tempted beyond resistance, he pounces on a petal, catching it on one claw and rolling on his back trying to bite at it. Mark Hartnock almost trips over the cat as he enters the office, wearing his lucky blue tie. The cat hisses and sinks his claws into Mark's lucky odd socks, drawing blood from his ankles underneath. Mark kicks out but the cat has done this so many times he has learned to get out of the way quickly....

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“ABC to Zoom” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #69

Harry sees his own face looking at him, hair crowned with tinsel, and a red tissue paper crown on top of that. A green Christmas cracker is on the desk in front of him, a red and white winter scene stuck on the front of it. A half-empty wine bottle is next to him with a half-full glass of red wine that he has been drinking. A square appears next to his face, with his mother's name in it, then his father's face appears sideways in the box. His father's mouth moves but there is no sound. Harry's speakers blast out Silent Night. “How appropri...

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“Wonderful World” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #54

“Dear God, thank you for being my Father in Heaven. Thank you for all the things you give me every day so that I can live well. Thank you for letting me talk to you. And I'm really really sorry for letting you down, yet again. Thank you for giving me the chance to start again every time I go wrong. So please help me to do better starting from right now. Thank you for listening and I know you will help me if I listen to you. So please help me to listen hard and to know how to do what you want me to, so that between us and everyone else who kn...

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“KING TOBIAS” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #53

Tobias seated on his throne, ermine framing his eccentricly styled blond hair, waves imperially at his followers and announces that he is emptying his treasury on behalf of his country, so that everyone will have so much better lifestyles and be forever grateful and love him unconditionally.He glances across at his chief adviser, Connie, for approval. She fidgets a little, smiles nervously at him, noticing the orange stain down his front. He is oblivious to his appearance, or rather, he has the delusion that he looks exceptionally grand toda...

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“Mmmm” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #49

In the beginning, you are in a good safe space. And in your space is perfect darkness. And the darkness contains a pulse of life, which surrounds and nurtures yourself and your sisters. There are many of you, very many - a whole crowd. You live in your space, content to solely be, unadventurous, safely nestled together. Just every now and again, at regular intervals, one of your community is chosen to make her way forth into a new unknown. None of you know why this is the way, or what comes afterwards, but you each accept that it is a good a...

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“WORMS” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #48

Sophie has purple juice stains around her mouth and on her hands. Jack is trying to fill up his tub with the ripe blackberries. We're also finding windfall apples here and there amongst the trees. I tell the children not to wander out of sight. There are marshy places in the ground and I don't want any accidents. “This is a good place though, isn't it mummy.” says Sophie. “Yes it is.” I say. “I found a worm.” says Jack. He wiggles it in Sophie's face and she squeals. “Worms are good.” I say. “They help churn up the earth and make g...

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“The End” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #46

Gerald beeped as he drove away down the curved gravel road. In his mirror he could see his sister waving, holding her baby. Arriving hours later at their mother's house in West Yorkshire, he hoped that his family would be coping with their grief. He wasn't sure that he was ready for this, but somebody had to do it, and somebody had to hold the fort at home, so this is how it had turned out. He wished that he could have had his wife with him, but it was school term and they didn't want their two children to miss out, and it was his mother...

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“Chainge” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #45

The Smallmen were hardworking and accepting of their lot in life. They married and had little Smalls. Their wives looked after the homes and children and had hot dinners on the table when the men came home after their shifts in the mines. They didn't have luxuries, but they survived well-enough on the Glittles that they earned. The local store was always there to spend their wages in, and so was the bar, where the men liked to have a beer before heading home from work. And it was handy to grab a sandwich from the work canteen at break-time t...

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“Just Wet” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #34

“Hello, yes, this is John Burt, yes I did, yes yesterday, about the roof, I called to see when you are coming to fix... yes I know but you said, well ok but oh...” “Well goodbye to you too” finishes John to the now dead phoneline.Tipping water from the crown of his soaking bowler hat into the bucket by his feet, he sighs then goes to the kitchen, kettle on, hissing steam, gurgling water wafting fragrance of India, no sugar just milk, dripping ceiling dropping rain into sink, lucky not the electrics, carries the full steaming mug through to t...

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“A photograph never lies” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #32

Ruth glanced at the black and white portrait photograph in its silver frame on her dressing table and made a decision.“Time for another meetup” she announced, as she picked up the picture and took it into the lounge, where she placed it on her dining table.Soon the old lady was bringing in a tray that held everything needed for two people to enjoy a cup of tea together.She nodded to the woman in the photograph and as she did so, the doorbell rang, and she went to answer it.The woman who entered was black and white, just like the photograph a...

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“Waking Nightmare” by Pamela Saunders

As long as I can remember, I dreamed. Not only at night either. At school I was always getting into trouble for daydreaming, even when I was “writing a novel” that never got finished. But I did get credit for having a good imagination.Same on school reports. Daydreamer....Secondary school – art lessons – the lessons we loved because we were *gasp* ALLOWED to talk in them. I became popular as a storyteller – of dreams that I had had and remembered. Which was pretty much all of them, I think.I had a recurring dream when I was young – well, act...

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“PARASITE” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #29

I had my eye on my partner early on, when we were both young. Even then I knew that one day I wanted to possess her, to own her totally, to be there for every part of the rest of her life. I watched her at school. She was so happy and bright, took to anything she tried like a duck to water. She joined in everything that she had a chance to and represented the school in so many competitions of all sorts. When she danced, her eyes shone and the blonde wavy bunches in her hair bounced and flapped around, with her green ribbons shaking in time w...

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“Celie Goose” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #27

Mrs Celie Goose was thinking hard.It was nowhere near Christmas – in fact it was summertime. Her goslings had grown and they were all preparing for their migration with lots of wingercising. So, all would seem to be well in the Goosey world, but it wasn't.Her friend “Red” Rhode was sick with fear for her little chicks, and so was another friend, Puck Duck, who was, or had been until they disappeared, raising his ducklings by himself since their mum, Trixie had abandoned them for Jake Drake.The ducklings had not been seen for more than a mont...

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“Running” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #27

A small group of people assembled at the side of a country road by a field on the outskirts of a village. A sign read RUNNING TRAINING MEET HERE. Most of the group were waiting for the road-train, but one lady with a shopper bicycle was waiting for the butcher, since she had misinterpreted the sign.The rest of the group were laughing at her. Silly Miss Terri! They all knew each other, since they all lived in the village of Little Running. They were waiting for the train to take them into the nearby town of Long Running. The members of the vi...

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“Mr. Happy” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #25

The counter assistant is busy today. The latest book of a popular author is selling well since it came out just last Monday. Today is Saturday. It's 2pm and he must have checked out at least 5 copies since he got back from his lunch break. He greets each customer cheerily and politely and they go away happy with their purchases or Christmas returns. He is aware of people around the aisles and knows that other assistants are ready to help if needed.2. In the children's section, a girl in a pink velour tracksuit sits in an armchair with her le...

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