Tory bakes bread in the morning at one supermarket, and he fills the shelves after closing hours at another supermarket. He earns just enough to get his teen daughter through school but the cost is dear. He resents the customers that come in for their morning bread just as he’s finishing his shift. They’re weary … Continue reading The Music Festival
The aliens were sick of having their spaceships referred to as flying saucers. Their vehicles could warp spacetime, support life in the most inhospitable places, travel faster than light, collect energy from the void of space and defy the laws of physics. A saucer is a little plate to stop your tea from dripping. If … Continue reading Flying Saucers
Every day I walk home from school the same way. I step off the bus and cross the road. As I reach the crack in the path I duck my head under the cherry tree branch, I squeeze between the hedge and the brick wall, and then I’m home. Today there was a jagged rock … Continue reading The Creepy Old Lady
It’s so ridiculous being poor, literally! Like, no one listens to you. There’s this rich guy called Trenton J. Rhys-King. His parents like, own a salvage company that found a super-old Portuguese boat that sunk like, ages ago. Well, the city tried to put a highway like right next to their mansion, so Trenton’s dad … Continue reading Sucks to be Poor
There’s a man that thinks himself an entrepreneur. Essential oils are expensive, right? That’s because production’s expensive. You get a whole heap of raw material and cook it for hours and hours. You pass the steam through little tubes that cause the volatile oils to condense, and every now and then a droplet drips into … Continue reading The Entrepreneur
Cut your nails you animal, thinks the cash register operator as the middle aged lady stabs him with her manicured nails. “Oops, sorry.” She says. “That’s fine. Didn’t even notice.” He responds. A bag of apples has torn open. “You don’t mind if I leave this behind do you?” Says the overcautious mum. “Not at … Continue reading The Power Pole Inspector
There’s a bay they call Jonas’ Bay, because Jonas was the first white fella to spot it. Others call it Gilbert’s Bay. Mr Gilbert’s the bloke that planted the poplar trees. Some call it Mary Bay, because Mary raised the kids whose names are written on the paper that says the bay’s theirs. Some call … Continue reading Burra-Budgial Bay
I am so scared. I go to the window and see outside, I mean, I see what it is possible to see. The clouds are so black that even though it is midday, I do not see a single thing - only shadows. The TV is still working but my phone is dead. I do … Continue reading The Storm
I sit on the floor in my room with my back to the wall. The weather is stinking hot, but it’s cooler down low. I type this on my antiquated laptop as my childhood teddy bear stares at me from atop my bookshelf. I ponder the musings of the great Anton Chekhov: “If you say … Continue reading Chekhov’s Gun
Walking through the Morton National Park, on the eastern end of Australia, I prick my ears to the strange symphony coming from the trees. The ranger told me to listen out for this peculiar song of the bush. It sounds oddly familiar. On the grassy highland plains where I grew up, the laughing would start … Continue reading Catalan Kookaburras
Tandi Tales 