Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? by Chris Green The tall stranger in the Duster overcoat appears out of nowhere. He is wearing a broad-rimmed sheriff’s hat complete with campaign cord and silver star. A strange getup. This is a sleepy West Somerset coastal resort, not Washington County. Perhaps he feels the hat … Continue reading Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk
Tag: scifi
Give Chance a Piece
Give Chance a Piece by Chris Green If Chandler McCoy had not stayed up until the early hours watching The Shining on Netflix, he would probably not have been late leaving for work that fateful Monday in late September and if he had not been late leaving for work, he would not have been speeding … Continue reading Give Chance a Piece
Back in Time for Dinner
Back in Time for Dinner by Chris Green It is Monday morning, but I am not pressed for time. I am off work. An old Tai Chi injury has flared up, and I have been told to rest. I am sorting out things that, in my busy schedule at the kite repair workshop, I never … Continue reading Back in Time for Dinner
Red
Red by Chris Green The best way to predict the future is to create it, Brett Doobie is fond of saying. It is a good line to come out with at dinner parties. Abraham Lincoln, he might add, after a suitable pause while fellow guests wonder who he is quoting. Brett could not possibly imagine … Continue reading Red
The 16:06
The 16:06 by Chris Green The 16:06 from Paddington is normally on time. I rely on its punctuality to catch my connecting train from Taunton to Bridgwater. I do not like to work late on a Friday and I don’t want to travel on crowded trains so, although it is not the most direct, this … Continue reading The 16:06
The Sound of the Sea
The Sound of the Sea by Chris Green Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny, the man in the seat opposite me says. I find myself unable to explain why, but I feel ill at ease in his presence. He has an unusual accent that I cannot place, and his eyes seem to hit … Continue reading The Sound of the Sea
Cover Story
Cover Story by Chris Green A vermilion memo is circulating at the research establishment, one down from red. Red means evacuate. Tension levels are rising. I am glad it is time for my shift to end. I keep my head down at work, but I have suspected for a long time something weird is going … Continue reading Cover Story
Time Out
Time Out by Chris Green The train has never been this late. It is nearly 10 o’clock. Max has been waiting over an hour. He has been through most of the Thelonious Monk selections on his iPhone. He may have missed something, but so far as he can tell, there have been no announcements giving … Continue reading Time Out
ICKE
ICKE by Chris Green It was the summer I worked for the Parks Department. Tony and I had parked up our mowers in Cortina Drive, a quiet cul-de-sac in a residential area, a place where I reasoned, Nick Ford would not find us if he came to check. It had been a hot dry summer, … Continue reading ICKE
Can’t Write, Won’t Write
Can’t Write, Won’t Write by Chris Green The Conference Room is the largest space in the Resource Centre. Seated, it holds about forty, depending on how the tables are arranged. Around twenty attend our monthly Neighbourhood Coordination meetings. Susie Kew is the Community Liaison Officer for Camelot Housing, the largest housing association operating in Barbridge. … Continue reading Can’t Write, Won’t Write
Out of the Bag
Out of the Bag by Chris Green ‘It didn’t occur to you that a two-year-old Mercedes Sprinter on sale in Toker’s End for less than two grand might be hot,’ Jonny Geezer says. ‘To be fair, we were strapped for cash, guv, and there wasn’t much around,’ Gandy says. ‘And time was of the essence.’ … Continue reading Out of the Bag
Altavista
Altavista by Chris Green Magenta does not enjoy riding the elevator to Red’s nineteenth-floor apartment in Altavista. It moves so slowly that it doesn’t seem to be moving at all. But security is tight. The chance of encountering an assailant in Altavista is small. The building has a uniformed concierge to vet unwanted visitors. The … Continue reading Altavista
Back in Time for Tea
Back in Time for Tea by Chris Green It was Monday morning, but I was not pressed for time. I was off work. An old Tai Chi injury had flared up, and I had been told to rest. I was sorting out things that in my busy schedule at the kite repair workshop, I never … Continue reading Back in Time for Tea
Summer Time
Summer Time by Chris Green It was already the middle of July. Only a few moments ago it seemed it was June, or May even. The Bank Holiday Mondays, the Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, Summer Solstice, Glastonbury, Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix had come and gone like thieves in the night. In quick … Continue reading Summer Time
Apocalypse No
Apocalypse No by Chris Green 1: At first, Ingrid and I think the explosion may have come from Dmitri’s place further down the lane. We live out in the sticks and Dmitri is our nearest neighbour. He is always tinkering with something questionable in his makeshift workshop at the bottom of his garden. With his … Continue reading Apocalypse No
DreamCatcher
DreamCatcher by Chris Green Matt and Miranda make their way home after a bracing walk by the sea. They are striding out along Roald Dahl Avenue, one of a cluster of roads that are referred to simply as the mystery writers’ estate. All the roads here are named after masters of suspense. Although the … Continue reading DreamCatcher
Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon by Chris Green I'll start at the end. Jonny Bisco is dead. He met his maker in October 2009 when his Moto Guzzi motorcycle skidded off the road in a freak thunderstorm near the small town of Bovey Tracey on the edge of Dartmoor. He was sixty four years old. You may not … Continue reading Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
Chris Green Stories 