When our baby daughter was born, it was a bittersweet affair. My mother had died just months beforehand. We knew she had been ill for a while. We’d made the trip up north a couple of times; my mother held her hand to my wife’s belly and felt our daughter kick. Her eyes lit up. She told us she couldn’t wait until she was born. But cancer doesn’t answer to prayers. Tilly was seven months pregnant when my mother died. Read more »

It was only when I was cleaning out some old boxes I had shuffled from house to house that I found this tape. When I saw the writing scrawled on the side in Sharpie, it all came flooding back. All the guilt that I’d hidden for all these years oozed out. I felt a heaviness in my heart that I did so well to hide from myself. Read more »

I didn’t want to stay in a bed and breakfast. I find it weird. I’m not sure if you have them in your country, but in England, they are usually someone’s house. It’s not even like they convert it. For the nights you stay there, it’s as if you are a family friend staying over. Except you don’t know the family. I avoid them like the plague. It can be very uncanny. Though last week, I didn’t have a choice. Read more »

When I moved into my fully furnished apartment I cried. This was the last piece of the puzzle. I had got a job as a copywriter for a hugely popular website and was finally living in the city. It was my American Dream. Read more »

I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder five years ago. I developed this after a period of sustained abuse. I don’t think I left the house for six months. I moved back in with my mother, who took care of me so well. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Read more »

I’m an amateur magician. I’ve performed at children’s parties and done some touring. I wouldn’t class myself as an expert, but I am in the magic circle. I love to see professional magicians perform, there is nothing better than when you see a trick and you have no idea how it was done.

I read a forum post a month ago that had a link to a YouTube video, 10 times magic went wrong. I checked it out, and as you can imagine, the contents were quite horrific. Two of the clips were of the Nail Under the Cups trick. If you are from England, you may have seen Derren Brown performing this. It’s a good one, if the magician is qualified. If they aren’t, then you end up being at positions seven and three of this video. Read more »

We had been hiking all day and the sun was starting its journey over the horizon. The sky was streaked with purples and oranges as the early summer evening turned to night. We’d been following the same single lane road for hours, hoping to come in contact with civilisation.

“I think we should set up camp here,” Dan said, pointing to a field on the left.

I spotted the white triangular sign with a red border containing the icon of a tank. Read more »

I’d been married to my wife for ten years. We were young when we tied the knot and couldn’t afford to go anywhere for our honeymoon and it had bugged me for years. When I told her we should finally do it, I said we could go anywhere, Vegas, the Maldives, anywhere. But she had her heart set on the quaint little seaside town where we met. Read more »

Notice: This story includes graphic violence, the brutal beating of a man, the gutting of a sweet little dog, and a murder spree that starts from the man’s house, before working its way along the street, ending in an apparent suicide. You have been warned… Read more »

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. We gave him his packed lunch, and watched him run down the yard and into the waiting school bus. He took his seat, just like every other day and waved us goodbye. I waved back until he was out of sight. But that day he wasn’t going to come home to us. Read more »

Pica, a tendency or craving to eat substances other than normal food (such as clay, plaster, or ashes), occurring during childhood or pregnancy, or as a symptom of disease. Read more »

I was always creeped out when I visited my Aunt’s house. My brother made me watch the Shinning when I was only five. My Aunt’s daughters looked exactly the same as the ones in the film. That alone was enough for me to feign sickness when I was told where we were going. Unfortunately that only worked a couple of times, until my mum got wind and made me go no matter how much I played up. Read more »

I think I was ten when I found the spider living in our garage. I remember staring at it for hours. The beautiful web it had woven glistened in the sun that shone through the small glass window. The large hairy body waited in the centre, silent and majestic. Curious I touched one of the silk strands, the spider then pouncing, expecting to find a meal. I withdrew my hand quickly as the spider searched for the intruder in his little world. My heart thumped with excitement. Within a minute, he’d returned to the middle. Back on guard duty, his fine legs holding onto the gossamer threads patiently, on stand by for the next vibration to signal his chance. Read more »

When my old friend from school, Eric, phoned the house, I was more than shocked. To think he remembered the number. I’d changed my cellphone many times since I last spoke to him. Read more »

I told my wife I had a surprise for her the week before Christmas. She asked if it could wait until the day, but I said no, this couldn’t. Read more »

Ghost Rock, Utah isn’t much more than a rock.  When my wife and I stopped there for a rest, the sun was beginning to set.  Sarah used the restroom, while I stretched my legs outside the car.  We were traveling to the national park to camp for a couple of days, before visiting family. Ghost… Read more »