Matters of the Heart
They’d left it too long. The decor of the pub had changed; white walls and wood grain replaced with pastel blues and deep mahoganies, the hand-written…
Ben Paddon
81 stories written on Ficly, 2009–2014, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0. Their page on ficly.com
It Eats.
It eats. It eats, and it eats, and it eats. And it eats. It eats and eats and eats, and it eats and eats. It eats. It. Eats.
In It to Win It
There is a game show. Anyone can be chosen as a contestant. You simply wake up in the studio to applause, the host sitting across from you, smiling, warm…
Early Morning Caller
It was... oh, man. I can’t even describe it. It was like a weird dream. I woke up at 3 o’clock. I was thirsty, so I went downstairs into the kitchen to grab…
Fragile Egos
Paul rushed down the hallway, paperwork in hand, desperate to meet his impending deadline. That was when it happened - he knocked into Greg’s shoulder, sending…
The Last Words
It had been nearly half an hour since they’d executed Joseph Gattsmouth. The auditorium had been emptied. The body had been removed. The very expensive, very…
A Glance Encounter
They pushed him into the room and closed the door. Desperately, he tried the handle. It didn’t budge. They’d locked the door. He turned and looked at the room…
Love, Lust, and the Spaces In Between
“Hey,” she said, a slight quiver in her voice. “I need to tell you something.” “Oh yes?” he said, dicing a tomato. “Listen, uh… I…” she paused. A deep breath…
Passivum Infestantibus Libello
The Grand Chamber echoed with footsteps as the berobed gentlemen - the Pantheon - walked down the walkway towards their seats. Thousands had walked into the…
Arduous
It hurt. Every muscle in his body throbbed in pain. Every part of him that could lodge a complaint was doing so with great tenacity. He found it difficult to…
His New Bestseller
“So,” said Roberts, smiling keenly, “What did you think?” David sat for a moment and considered his reply. Eventually he said, “It’s… different.“…
The Song that Ends the World
It’s dark, and I’m acutely aware of people staring at me on the street. I can feel their gaze burning into my back, my sides, my chest. I can hear them laugh…
Error in B Minor
As the fire raged through the house, the cat sat upon a wall across the street and watched, smiling.
The Smegamorphosis
Gary awoke that morning to discover that he’d been transformed into a four-speed dishwasher with removable cutlery rack and replaceable cleaning head. He knew…
You Will Leave a Mark
I saw you today, from a distance. You walked towards me, the colour draining from the world around you. You impressed upon the near-greys and flat hues, like…
Crafty Alcoholic
I don’t really drink. Well, alright then. Just this once. Fools ‘em every time.
In Celebration of the Ethereal
When the entirety of one’s possessions fit in a box so small that Beyoncé Knowles wouldn’t have even bothered singing a song about it, it can be difficult to…
Modern Life
Ted found himself increasingly turned off by the responsibilities that came with adulthood. Making rent, paying bills, spending one’s days in servitude to a…
Also by the Same Author
He was never satisfied with his writing, but his works had been published globally; bound in leather and sold by the millions, loved by readers and critics…
Norman's Wisdom
Some people are born with their destiny laid out before them. Others forge their own destiny. But most have no destiny at all. They exist only to provide…