Discovering Secret Paths: flash fiction and soundscapes
Furious, she scored a diagonal through the page in blood-red ink. When would they learn? Spelling and punctuation mattered. Two out of ten. The mark fell like a death sentence but she had no regrets. She picked up the next composition. “There not their,” she muttered, circling the offending word in red.… (read more)
I have published the first four flash soundscapes based on my short stories. I was inspired in doing so by the work of Dirk Maggs who, amongst many other productions, directed and was the sound master of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere and Douglas Adam’s Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Not that I have Maggs talent or possibilities, but it was fun.
The Blinkin’ Box [460 words, June 4, 2014/Nov. 14 2017]
I peer out, my eyes pressed to the cold metal slit.… (read more)
Above, a flash soundscape of God be Blown! You can follow the reading in the text below.
The blast flung Scott the length of the corridor, through the back door of the pub and all the way into the yard. When its force finally waned, he crumpled to the ground to a round of applause. Looking up, he saw a row of people arrayed along the wall grinning.… (read more)
Above, a flash soundscape of The Blinkin’ Box. You can follow the reading in the text below.
I peer out, my eyes pressed to the cold metal slit. The brick wall opposite often forms a landscape scarred with shadows, but today it is nothing but a red blur. It stings my eyes as I watch a beetle scuttle across, willing it on with silent words. When it reaches the other side, I leap for joy.… (read more)
Above, a flash soundscape of Dr Freud and the Rabbit. You can follow the reading in the text below.
“Frankly,” the rabbit said after a long silence, making a show of staring off into the distance, “are you sure it’s only my problem?”
Despite the small cushion placed behind its head, the couch was hardly comfortable. Lounging about like a human being was not a thing it chose to do often.… (read more)
Above, Blinking Hell!, read by the author. You can follow the reading below.
“Next!” the doctor called out.
An old woman entered, closed the door and shuffled forward, unsteady on her feet. Her old-fashioned dress hung loosely over her emaciated body, swaying at each step. She halted hesitant in front of his desk.
“Take a seat,” he said. He’d never seen her before. If he had, he would have remembered those sunken, haunted eyes.… (read more)
Above, a flash soundscape of Oratorio for a wreck. You can follow the reading in the text below.
Sunday. An Orthodox choir sang in the cliff top church: an Oratorio for those lost at sea. A breeze blew off the bay bringing with it a strong smell of salt and seaweed. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach below mingled with the tenors and altos.… (read more)