Confessions of an Author

End End by Anne E Thompson “I wonder what she thought of that, Was so funny when he said no! I must remember to contact Jim, This traffic light is slow. I think we need more milk and eggs, I’ll check when we get home. I could do with a cup of coffee now, I hope that Mum will phone. I’m not sure if…..” Slash of metal, scream of brake, Glint of sunlight, briefest quake. Nothing. See also : https://anneethompson.com/short-stories/other-stories/death/

When Hate came to stay…… Hate Came to Stay by Anne E Thompson Yesterday, Hate came to stay. Uninvited, he knocked on the door and when I opened it, to see who was calling, he burst in, pushing past me. I knew he had visited other houses, he had caused damage and hurt and anger. But he had never visited me before. He came yesterday. He went into the kitchen and smashed all my plates. He over-turned chairs and tore my cushions. He punched my children and spat at my dog. When I went near he scratched me and made me bleed. The house was dark, he closed all the curtains. I was hurt and frightened and angry. But worse, worse than the pain and fear and broken china, was the slime. Every time I tried to stop him, to catch him, hurt him, trap him, he produced more slime. It came off him in silver trails, sticking to everything he touched, dirty, germ filled, slime. It made me change. I began to be like him. I wanted to punch him, cut him, hurt him. Others came to my door...

One Little Life One Little Life We had rats. Anyone who has poultry and a pond has rats. If you also have several mild winters, you then have a rat problem. Mr Rat Catcher came with traps and poison, but we still had a rat problem. So, we decided to get cats. We found some cats that had been born in a stable, not feral as they had been well cared for, but they were used to living outside. We bought two, Milly and Molly, brought them home, and put them in the garage. For three days, I didn’t see them, and wondered if they had escaped! Then I took the dog into the garage with me, and two tiny kittens tentatively appeared. They had been raised on a farm with German Shepherd dogs, and they recognised Kia as a friend. Gradually they learned to like us too. When they were bigger, they moved to their home in the workshop. Two cats weren’t really enough to cure the rat problem, so we didn’t spey Milly and Molly. After about eighteen months, both were pregnant. Between them, the...