Author: Lauren Thomas

She saw the gun before she saw the man. Stop. Don’t move. Watch him. He was looking for her. She could tell from the look in his eyes. The flare of his nostrils. The signs of blood lust. Don’t move. Watch him. He was creeping. Trying not to scare her. Trying to keep control. Don’t…

“Wow, your vegetable patch is looking incredible!” His smile was oddly vacant. “Thank you.” “Those pumpkins are really unusual. They’re strangely shiny. Are they a rare species?” He kept walking along the rows without looking back. “Something like that.” A crow called out overhead. His friend’s shoulders stiffened. “Everything ok?” “It will be.” He heard…

“You look so much like your mother.” She looked at her reflection. Tried to conjure up her mother’s face. Felt the tears build as she realised that the memories were now a faded photograph. “In what way?” The lines around his eyes deepened. “What makes your face yours also made hers, hers. The way you…

He came into the world, not kicking and screaming, but with a sense of bewilderment. As she felt his weight in her arms rather than across her back and in her stomach, she thought of the multiple journeys his life might take. Every decision he would make would mean a different path, a butterfly effect…

The pitch of the scream was enough to turn her heart to ice. She flew down the stairs, feeling her centre of gravity threatening to spill over with each step, fleeting images of her body tumbling to the ground shattering her thoughts. Running into the kitchen, she saw her daughter sat on the cold tiles,…

“I’ve got the WORST ear worm.” “Ooh can I guess what it is?” “Erm, ok?” “Is it Don’t Stop Me Now?” “No.” “Is it Take On Me?” “No.” “Something more recent then. Call Me Maybe?” “No.” “Hmm. How about Watermelon Sugar?” “What the hell is that?” “Never mind.” “Why are you listing songs anyway?” “You…

“Wait. What are YOU doing here?” “This is my land. I’m allowed to be here.” “No, no, no, no, no. We talked about this. I was here first. This is my land. You need to leave now.” “Get lost! I actually live here!” “No you don’t, you’re just a bloody lodger.” “So are you! You’re…

The app told them that the ISS was passing overhead. He raised his hand to the sky. “What are you waving for?” He shrugged. “I dunno. It just felt like the right thing to do.” “You get that they can’t see you, right?” He rolled his eyes even though they were still pointed skywards. “I…

“Do you remember that house when we were younger?” “The one mum and dad used to tell us was where they would send us when we were bad? Of course I remember.” She shuddered as she pictured it. “It had the windows with the curtains that never moved so they were covered with dust. And…

She could tell from the way the door opened that he was in a bad mood. She heard kicked off shoes hit the skirting boards. Heard bags drop from frustrated shoulders. “What’s happened kiddo?” He sat down heavily at the table, arms crossed in teenage defiance. “You know I’ll find out eventually..” He exhaled through…