Category: Flash Fiction
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PRELUDE TO BATTLE
Titus Valerius looked out over the grey water of the Adriatic Sea. The view was as bleak as his prospects. It had been a year since he had seen Rome and his beloved Domitilla. When he had joined the army he had dreamed of travelling the world, amassing victories and returning home triumphant. With the…
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DICTATOR
He felt old. He felt tired. Forty years leading his people, the Father of the Nation. Now they wanted rid of him. How could they be so ungrateful? He freed them from oppression. Didn’t they remember? Resign, they cried. Perhaps he should. Father Time was catching up with him. The clock ticked relentlessly. No. There was…
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JUSTIFIABLE
Had she done the right thing? She had no idea. Others would judge her. She only knew she had done what she thought best. The water was icy cold on her feet. It reached the bottom of her dress, weighing the light linen down. The light gold sand swirled around her ankles. The red on…
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HAVEN
I shall never forget the sound that first time. We sat cramped together in the dark shelter at the end of the garden, with only a flickering gas lamp providing a dull orange glow. Rufus, only a pup, huddled on my lap, cowering and whining. Mother huddled next to me, protective arms wrapped around me.…
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THE PROPERTY DEVELOPER
The cannons sprayed water through the night sky onto the roof of the blazing building. A crowd of nearby residents gathered to watch. The old theatre, dwarfed by surrounding modern apartments, had lain empty for several years. It was preserved and protected for reasons of architectural heritage. Remarkably, the surrounding buildings were untouched by the…
Iain Kelly 