Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Take a Break Fiction Feast

Julie glared at the spider scrabbling uselessly at the steep, stainless steel sides of the sink. And now she hadn’t got Rory to deal with Spider Evacuation. ‘Why are you so bothered about spiders?’ he’d asked her once. Julie was quivering like a jelly on a washing machine. ‘I wasn’t expecting it.’ Of course, it was irrational to be perfectly cool about any other creepy-crawly but throw a wobbly if it had eight legs. It wasn’t as if she was counting how many legs it had before she screamed. Rory could witter on about how fascinating they were, but spiders gave her the heebie-jeebies. ‘No wonder it moved fast. You probably scared the poor thing to death. You nearly deafened me!’ ‘Ha ha.’ The last thing on her mind was…

Quick to judge Lily was standing on the forecourt of the car salesroom because it was raining. It was the only place along this stretch of road that wasn’t reached by the plumes of water being thrown up by passing cars while allowing her to see the bus as it approached the bus stop. Or not, as the case might be. She’d been admiring the shiny dark blue car with the series of zeros tailing off the price card but no salesman had hurried out to invite her to take a look at the sumptuous interior, the impressive array of lights on the dashboard and the spaciousness of the boot. It was as if she was invisible. She was small, grey hairs fluffed from under her summer hat, which didn’t…

Bad habits May glanced at her smart phone. The device was resting on the arm of the sofa, within easy reach of her left hand. She was trying to focus on the television, but it was difficult for her to concentrate. Moments later, as if it had a life of its own, May caught her left hand edging towards the phone. When her fingers came into contact with the device, May smiled. She loved her phone. It was so slick and sleek and elegant. Her thumb hovered over her favourite social network icon. It had been over 24 hours since she’d last accessed the site. She longed to check her messages, but she knew that if she did it would cost her. Not for the first time she found herself…

Rose was choking. Before her panic woke Tim she realised it was a nightmare. She calmed her breathing and tried to get back to sleep. A week later she had another nightmare. Like the first, but more vivid. She felt as though someone was forcing tablets and water into her mouth and she was trying not to swallow them. ‘You OK?’ Tim asked drowsily. ‘Just a dream.’ The dream stayed with her. She stopped taking her multivitamins, sipped her drinks very slowly. It happened again. She saw a man leaning over her. Felt his hand on her face, over her mouth. She knew he meant her harm. ‘What’s wrong?’ Tim asked, stroking her cheek. In terror she lashed out, then realised what she was doing. ‘I’m sorry. Living in a…

What’s a beautiful woman like you doing in a place like this?’ Cyan glanced at the heavy-set man who approached the bar where she sat on a high stool. She’d only been coming to this nightclub for the past two weekends, and already the number of corny chat-up lines she’d received would fill a book. ‘I heard they serve the best cocktails in town here,’ she said, sipping the Blue Lagoon in her hand. ‘That they do,’ he smirked, sidling closer to her. ‘A great scotch on the rocks too, my favourite drink. What’s your name?’ Cyan wasn’t stupid, so she only offered up her nickname. ‘Cyan.’ ‘Like the colour blue?’ ‘I’m impressed, you know more than the primary colours.’ He laughed. ‘I could tell you were more than just…

Home brew Chloe took another peek at the spare bedroom, and how clean and tidy it was. Neither she nor Tom had realised just how much of a dumping ground it had become — until, that is, they decided they needed the room. ‘You’re grinning again,’ Tom said, resembling a Cheshire cat himself. ‘It’s been a good weekend!’ Chloe was relieved he sounded more cheerful than he had in a while. She had no wish to dampen his spirits. It did feel good to have sorted out the clutter and cleared the junk. Some things they’d sold online, while others they’d managed to sell at the local car boot sale. They were one step closer to being able to let out the room, which would certainly help them make ends…

I’m not often lost for words, but I couldn’t think what to say when my daughter came round to tell me that she’d broken up with her boyfriend the night before. ‘I’m sorry, love,’ I said eventually. ‘No, you’re not,’ Lily replied before she marched through to the kitchen and plonked herself down on one of my chairs. ‘You’ve never liked Jake and you told me he was too old for me right from the start.’ ‘True, but…’ ‘And I’m not sorry either,’ she added. ‘I’m feeling more relieved than anything because I can make a fresh start.’ ‘Of course you can,’ I agreed. ‘You can join one of those dating sites.’ Lily screwed up her nose. ‘No, I don’t want to do that. I’ve had enough of men. I’m…

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Josie had just turned the key in her front door and stepped into the hallway of her flat when a figure leapt out from the darkness. ‘Ah-ha!’ it boomed in a strange voice, as Josie switched on the light. For a second her heart missed a beat. ‘Hello, Ross, what are you doing dressed as a clown?’ she asked in a bored tone. Ross loved playing practical jokes. ‘I am not a clown. I am the Joker,’ he answered in a loud, robotic voice. ‘And I have come to seek my revenge.’ ‘Great,’ Josie sighed. ‘But could you make a pot of tea first? The journey back from work was hellish and I’m parched.’ ‘Hellish, that’s so funny,’ he chuckled. ‘Especially on Halloween.’ She’d forgotten it was Halloween. But quite…

Bit on the side Morning, Rachel! How did the date with Luke go last night?’ ‘Oh, we just watched TV at his place,’ she replied, as she peeled off her jacket. As usual, Rachel was 20 minutes late for work but our bosses, a team of cosmetic surgery experts, wouldn’t really mind. In our mid-30s, we were both receptionists at Finesse. Glamorous Rachel drew the clients in. Her slim figure, pretty face, tight skirts and tops, and long, glossy hair were enhanced with a ton of make-up, including false eyelashes and false nails. Perfume and heels completed the look. ‘Have you made a decision about the guy you’ll marry?’ I asked eagerly. ‘No, no decision yet. It’s fun keeping them both dangling!’ she chuckled. It didn’t surprise me that Rachel…

Ididn’t expect Jade to arrive at my door on Friday evening. I didn’t expect her temper either. ‘I heard what you did.’ Her face was red with rage as she looked me straight in the eyes. ‘I think it’s despicable. I’m surprised I’m even speaking to you.’ ‘Sorry?’ ‘You ought to be.’ ‘No, I mean, sorry, what are you talking about?’ I backed up as she pushed past. I didn’t really feel like a row. In the kitchen, my husband, of a whole six months, grabbed up his cuppa and a plate of beans on toast. ‘I see you two have something to sort out.’ He made a dash for the lounge. Meanwhile, Jade whirled about and placed her hands on her hips. ‘Lisa called Simone who called Abby who…

I was sitting at my desk at work when the call came in. Since it came through on my mobile, I knew that it wasn’t another customer interested in loft insulation. ‘Hi, Gina.’ I didn’t instantly recognise the voice, but whoever it was sounded breathless. ‘Are you sitting down?’ he continued. ‘This is Jason. The thing is, Lizzie’s been kidnapped.’ ‘Is this a joke?’ seemed the right response to my sister’s husband. ‘No, it’s not.’ ‘Have you called the police?’ ‘No, I haven’t.’ ‘Surely you should?’ ‘I can’t, the kidnappers made threats. Promise me you won’t call them either. This is just between us.’ I sat blinking, still working through the shock. ‘I need you to come round straightaway,’ Jason added when I didn’t reply. ‘They won’t let me make…

The red eye,’ I groan to my friend, Mel, when I arrive at Gatwick. ‘I’ve always hated it.’ Especially on a night like tonight. I drove to the airport in sheeting rain, my windscreen wipers working overtime. Mel, a veteran flight attendant compared to me, grins as she tightens the knot on her silk neck scarf. ‘Oh, it’s not that bad, Nina. Wheels down after two-and-a-bit hours, we get an overnight stay and then a chance to look around the city before the return leg later tomorrow.’ I try to match her mood. It’s a Friday night. The flight is only departing this late because it’s been delayed from earlier in the evening. We won’t land in Bilbao now until well after midnight, but that means we won’t have to…

One difficulty was that, because my unfinished business was with my husband, Martin, it was technically only him I was supposed to haunt. That made communicating with his new lady friend complicated. ‘If you ever came back and haunted me, you’d be the world’s tidiest poltergeist’ The second problem was the fact that I’d got used to performing only very subtle actions, as initially I hadn’t wanted Martin to be aware of my presence. If he thought I was still in this world, in whatever form, he’d search for me, try to be with me and never find happiness with anyone else. In life, that’s what I thought I wanted, but you see things a little differently in death. Although he has many excellent qualities, Martin is not a tidy…

Giving back Driving to the hospital, I pass an old-looking, half-gutted house. A bright yellow skip sits outside in the road, already full to the brim. In fact, it’s so full that other stuff has been left to one side, presumably for collection too. As I slow down to take a good look, a man comes out of the house and smiles at me. I can tell by his high-vis jacket and the dust in his hair that he’s a builder. I smile back and drive on, thinking about change. Not long after Mum was admitted to hospital with her broken pelvis, I had a meeting with her GP. ‘You do realise Sheila won’t be able to live on her own when she gets out from hospital?’ Dr Hedges said…

A second chance Beverley got to the school early, so after she’d found a space in the car park, she just sat in her car and thought about how much time she’d spent strolling down memory lane since she’d been invited to the reunion. It had been hours every day. Her mind had been flooded with memories, and most of them had involved Gerry, she thought, as she stared at the school and wondered if she was still going to find him attractive. She’d seen a recent photograph of him on his website and that had made her heart skip a beat, but it had been such a long time ago and there might not be anything between them any more, she thought, as she ran her hands around her…

So,’ said Lucy, as she gazed at Joe over the breakfast table. ‘How are we going to celebrate your birthday?’ Joe glared at her. ‘I told you I wanted a surprise. Something in the right spirit this time.’ Lucy looked away as she remembered his 30th birthday. He’d told her he wanted to do something wild and exciting to celebrate it, so she’d arranged a quad biking session. She thought he’d be delighted. ‘Quad biking!’ he’d cried, as she parked at the field. ‘I’m 30 not 13! Couldn’t you think of something more exciting than that, woman? My friend Barry went racing in a formula-one car for his 30th.’ And then he’d gone into one of his big sulks that went on for days. Lucy certainly didn’t want that again.…

Keeley glanced from the cottage to her boyfriend, Dan. ‘It looks like a gingerbread house!’ Deep in the woods, the overhanging trees gave the isolated house a mysterious air, though the carved pumpkins on the steps brightened things up. ‘Yeah.’ Dan grinned. ‘At school, my friends refused to come here. They reckoned Mum would push them into the oven and cook them!’ Dan opened the door. ‘Mum? We’re here.’ Inside, the house was about as Halloweeny as it could be, with hanging bats, cobwebs, skeletons with glowing eyes and yet more pumpkins. Dan’s mother hurried out of the kitchen. She wore a figure-hugging black dress and her dark hair looked like liquid jet. Very Morticia Addams, thought Keeley. ‘I love your costume,’ she gushed once Dan had made the introductions.…

Starting a new business was always risky, but starting one in the current economic climate had been close to disastrous for Ellie. As she tried to balance the books at work, she threw down her pen in despair. ‘Looks like I might have to sell you, Delilah,’ she told the tortoiseshell cat who had moved into the workshop the same day she had. Delilah raised her head and stared intently at the open door. A second or two later, a man walked through it. Ellie quickly stuffed the paperwork under the counter. The man was gorgeous and his suit must have cost a bomb. And here she was with sawdust in her hair, conversing with a cat. ‘Hello,’ she said brightly. ‘Can I help you?’ ‘I’d like to buy a…