Paul Hellyer

“Unexpected Advice” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #274

The Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams was playing in the worn-down bar, though Kathy thought the place had a certain charm. She was dancing unabashedly on the empty floor, seemingly the only one with any steam to vent. The lonely figures of men were sitting at the bar, occupying otherwise empty tables, it should have been a quiet night.But Kathy wasn’t thinking about them. She was waiting for something to happen. Something was bound to happen. After all, today had been a day of such drastic change, she could see no signs of i...

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“It's Hard To Make Friends” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #264

The frigid streets were animated by the stirrings of leaves on the sidewalk. But George was lost in his own world, walking forward while staring at the ground in front of his feet, unassailable in the sanctuary of a bubble of his own creation.‘Why am I always like this?’ He said to himself, thinking of the events of yesterday.He had gone for the third time to a book club that he had joined because he had decided he was spending too much time alone. The book club had been a haven, a place of warmth in his otherwise cold life.&n...

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“Wedding Blues” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #264

It was 12:00 am, and the wedding reception was still going strong. Everyone seemed glad the long drawn out ceremony was over, as beautiful as it had been.  Jackie was on her 4th glass of champagne, and her table was positively brimming with lively conversation and gossip. Some had bravely taken their positions on the dancefloor, and few had left, due to the late hour, but clearly the ones who had stayed at the table were in too deep to walk away now. ‘And I told him, you have no chance, absolutely no chance with Mary, so you shoul...

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“Wasteland War” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #263

The lumbering tanks rolled forward, flanked by vast numbers of grey uniformed infantry. Above them, fighter jets roared across the sky jubilantly. Further south, Denson was sitting in the command vehicle, a camo painted van with many antennas and a radar dish on its roof. All the battlefield information was at his fingertips. He watched as the tanks rolled forward on the display screen, expectantly waiting to see if an ambush would commence, or if there were any other unplanned events. So far so good, they were claiming m...

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“The Door” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #263

Joseph clumsily pushed open the door to his apartment after noisily fiddling with his keys, his arms laden with shopping bags. From outside the hum of traffic and cars seeped through the walls, and he could hear his next-door neighbour shouting at his kids. After closing the front door, he shuffled into the kitchen and put his shopping bags on the counter. His job – forklift driving – had been stressful this day. He had gone back and forth around the warehouse, frantically shifting pallets around trying to bring some kind of o...

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“Salad Days” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #259

At last, Alphonse arrived, fashionably late in the usual conspicuous manner that he had come to be known for. The sleek Bentley pulled up slowly in front of the house, and even the servants couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows, as he cavorted out of the back, his impeccable cream suit offset by an outrageous looking pink dyed fur. If PETA had anything to say about that, he had clearly not gotten the memo. The front doors to the foyer swung wide open with a great crash, and he strode in elegantly and confidently.‘Smashing party.&n...

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“For what?” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #257

The sound of gunfire echoed across the battlefield, as Gavin led the charge to the next point of cover.‘Forward, forward! To me!’ He cried, rushing past the wall where his unit was taking shelter. The rest of the motley crew of armed students and other men ran with him, some not fated to last the day, as they fell screaming, riddled with bullets. Beyond them, the imposing building of parliament house stood preceding over the events. Before them, the military were holed up behind a wall in front of the house, the last...

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“A Mysterious Parting” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #255

A bitter wind howled across the black as pitch field, the stars and the moon hidden by thick clouds. The wind chimed in his ears, like a deep and heavy bell, and the chill of it stabbed through the single layer of clothing he was wearing. Seeing nothing except the darkness, he was condemned to this lonely post at the midnight hour and so he sank to a sitting position, feeling the ruddy grass brush across the rawness of his skin. How had this happened? He thought of the series of events that had transpired earlier in the day. ‘...

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“The Mark” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #251

Micheal felt his heart leap with joy as he entered the grounds. The ancient, sandstone block buildings of the King’s university were part of the most prestigious university in the world. And how could it be, that across the entire world, one place was considered the greatest? Because the thing that had seemed inevitable had finally come to pass. The world was finally ruled by one government.The year was 2600, and Micheal Dawson lived in Sydney Australia. He was happy in his life as an academic, he was a voracious rea...

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“Paradise Lost” by Paul Hellyer

‘Honey, would you mind if I went away for a bit? I want to see the resting place of the lions.’ Came Adam’s voice from across the lush field that Eve and him were currently in, as they were eating their fill of fruit.Eve loved Adam with all her heart, and she trusted that he would only be away for a while. She bit into a juicy guava fruit and smiled at him warmly.‘Adam, that’s fine. But please don’t be gone for too long. You know how I miss you when you go away.’ She replied.All around them were a multitude of fruit ...

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“Ends of the Earth” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #247

Jeanie never truly got comfortable with the cold, deep-sea station, and it wasn’t as though the developers hadn’t tried. Though the lights in the facility mimicked the day night cycle above the water, turning golden in the early mornings and afternoons, brighter around midday, and completely dark at night, it could not distract her from the barren, oppressive, murk that embraced the facility, always visible through the facilities glass windows. It was unmistakably unsettling to her, being kilometers below the ocean’s surface, completely cut ...

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“Star's End” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #245

Three camels trotted languidly across a sweeping red desert. Upon these peculiar beasts, sat three wizened men, with rich dark skin, dressed in flowing purple and gold robes. They were a solemn procession, tracking softly through the endless sands, and had travelled in silence for the last few hours.In the fullness of time, one of them spoke, his voice cutting into the meditative quiet.‘Asuma, do you think they will think us mad?’The man who had been addressed held his peace for a few moments, perhaps considering what been said, before reply...

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“Life Goes On” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #244

The two of them did their best, on-demand smiles, and stared directly into the screen of the camera, as Joel held his phone away from their faces, and pointed the screen at them both. Even though, like all selfies, there was something artificial about it, you could see tangibly the connection between the two of them, comfortable to be in each other’s personal space. It was evident in the photo that the two of them were on a boat of some kind in the sparkling city harbour, the imposing figure of the harbour bridge visible between th...

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“Solitary Spaces” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #242

Everywhere and all around, the museum was a haven of classical decadence, the rich tapestry of archaic memories preserved in all their abundant physicality, polished and gleaming. Luxurious statues, ruddy parchments, imposing tablets, intricately graven marble pillars. In every direction, a wealth of enduring relics were held in stasis behind crystal clear glass, telling stories of long forgotten times.Jack loved spending hours in the museum, and would come nearly every day, with a thermos of crisp, malty oolong tea, simply to sit ...

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“Boxed In” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #241

Awakening, it was hard to figure out where he was, his vision obscured by middling light. It appeared to be a rectangular shaped space, the ridges in the walls leading him to believe it was the inside of some kind of shipping crate. However, the most alarming feature of the environment, was the crowding. He could hardly see the ground, as everywhere in the confinement there were people lying in various states of wakefulness. There were some electric lights attached to the ceiling, illuminating the box starkly.The air in the makeshift pr...

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