January 2025 – Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers

Dickens at the end of the world by Sandra

Published by Sandra Lloyd Lewis on January 29, 2025

Henery Foble shifted in his seat, the thin padding the railway company deemed suitable for passengers, not ample enough for comfort for his thin frame. His coat pulled tightly at his arms and it he shuffled around, realising he had sat on his coattails.

‘Henery,’ Mary chided, ‘Please. You haven’t stopped twitching since we boarded.’ She smiled at him with wifely fondness and smoothed her gloves.

Henery laughed self-consciously, ‘You are right, my dear. I think I am excited to see it. Not everyone makes the trip to Pit Town after all.’ He glanced out of the carriage as it clattered past streets that seemed to shrink in size and grandeur the further out of Hope Town they travelled.

The Tunnel

Published by Jason Davies-Redgrave on January 27, 2025

Alaw burped, They’ve changed brands again, she thought. Cheapskates, how hard is it to stick to the good barbeque sauce? Not like they don’t make enough bloody profit here; this place is always full. There’re enough sad sacks in this town to keep this dump going till the judgement day. She was happy enough though, nestled in her favourite spot next to the gurgling, dust covered radiator. Sat on a comfy but worn blue and yellow striped chair, under a couple of faded music hall posters. She shuffled around in the pockets of her patched and oversized greatcoat and pulled out a very old handkerchief.

This pub also afforded her a certain level of anonymity, amongst the waifs and strays Alaw blended in here despite her singular appearance, which had proved very useful in her line of work. She blew her nose loudly, and flashed a saccharine smile at the, not hiding her disgust at all while trying to enjoy a large glass of cheap white and having a loud but painfully private conversation on speaker phone, young woman sat just across from Alaw.

The arrest and detention of Lee Wung To and the introduction of Tony Boneyface by Martyn

Published by Martyn Winters on January 27, 2025

While Lightweasel marvels at Constable Biter’s shadow walking facility, Bill Bordersack is watching Biter overpower Lee Wung To by the simple expedient of picking him up and bouncing him off the wall of the adjacent Tropical Laundry and Snack bar. Realising he is probably the next target for Biter’s enthusiastic style of arrest, he hides the sack containing the two pistols under the walkway leading to Trade Street, and darts down a side alley, between a gnome lingerie shop, and pub called “The Leering Goblin”, observing their proximity is probably not a coincidence.

On the third bounce, the door to the establishment opens, and a tall figure, seemingly wearing a mask of a human skull, appears. “Excuse me, constable. Would mind awfully not doing that? It upsets the customers.”

Bosom of the Family by Sandra

Published by Sandra Lloyd Lewis on January 7, 2025

-Where am I? Why is it dark?

-Wait, I will switch on the lights. There. Better?

-Yes, thank you. Mum. You’re my mummy, aren’t you?

(pause)

-Yes. I am your mummy.

-Where are we?

-Where we always are, my sweet. Inside.

-Inside? Inside what?

– Don’t worry about that now. Look at the controls.

-Pretty lights.

-Yes, very pretty. Do you see any patterns?

(Pause)

-Yes, there is a good pattern. I like it.

-Do you see any bad patterns?

(pause)

-Yes! There is one here. I do not like this pattern.

– That’s ok. Well done, my sweet, for seeing it. You can get rid of the bad pattern if you like.

– Get rid of it?

– Yes. You can move the controls, and it will turn those lights into pretty ones.

(clicking sounds)

-Like that?

-Yes. Just like that.

-Am I clever?

-You are so clever. Well done, my sweet.

– Where are we?

– We are doing an important job.

-What job?

– You are good, aren’t you?

-Yes. I am a goody. What is my name?

-We don’t like the baddies, do we?

-No. We do not like the baddies. They are naughty.

-And what happens to the naughty ones?

-Naughty ones are PUNISHED

-That’s right, my sweet. And you are a goody.

-I like being a goody.

-That’s right. And you are so good. You turned those lights to good, pretty lights.

-I did.

(pause)

-What is my name? You are ‘mum’. Who am I?

-Time for sleep now, my sweet. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.

Dyson Deux Digits – an Inspector Ironbell Chapter. By Martyn

Published by Martyn Winters on January 7, 2025

“If yer want my opinion,” says Bill Bordersack. He looks up at Alana, with his runtish face twisted into an expression of interest coloured by just enough salacious intent to make most women uncomfortable.

Alana isn’t most women, though.

She likes to think of herself as a professional, and as such, inured to the close attentions of the heterogametic forty-nine per cent of the population, gnomes included, although not the Fae. The Fae are different, of course. For a start, no-one is sure if they have chromosomes at all, and there are certainly no male fae, unless they are kept well out of sight. She ponders on this for a moment and decides society would be altogether better if men were not seen and not heard either. Except for opening jars, carrying heavy stuff, and a few other things they are ideally equipped to undertake, but only when strictly necessary. Alana is, however, on a mission, and Bill is not going to like it, which is something of a shame, because she and Bill have a history, and some might even mistake it for friendship. It’s more of a tolerant jousting for position, an appreciation of each other’s professional attributes, and quite occasionally, something more meaningful.

Otelia’s awakening

Published by Zin Shandi on January 7, 2025

On one of winter Sundays, as dusk settled in, Otelia found herself pulling over on a quiet stretch of road, the kind where the world seemed to fade away. She took a moment to gaze at the drab winter sky, relieved to be alone, escaping the hurried bustle of passing cars and pedestrians. She watched as the trees swayed playfully in the chilly breeze, their branches dancing to a melody only the winter wind could compose. Then, her eyes were drawn to her favourite cloud dull yet familiar, winking at her like a cheeky friend. Embarrassment washed over her, prompting Otelia to glance in her car’s mirror, seeking a momentary refuge until the audacious cloud drifted from view.

To Otelia, these clouds felt like old companions, sharing her tales of discontent with the human race. For a heartbeat, she concentrated on the mirror, hiding her daily battles behind its reflective shield. She had sworn not to burden the sky with her struggles. Yet, in that reflective surface, she found an honest observer waiting for her to confront the day’s truths. Peering into the mirror’s depths, she noticed her own expressive eyes—large yet not almond-shaped, with pupils that sparkled like starlight. Long lashes, reminiscent of the graceful sword of Queen Zenobia, shielded her gaze, adding a hint of majesty.

Three short scenes by Jason

Published by Jason Davies-Redgrave on January 7, 2025

Here are three short scenes I wrote between Christmas and New Year – they might be part of the Circle of Fifths story, they might not…

One: A Conversation

“Of course, you know everything fails, eventually. In time this Circle will fail. Like all the others. It must. It will.”

“They will try though, won’t they?”

“Oh yes, yes, they will try! They will expend a great deal of energy but they will falter.

“What happens then?”

“They can embrace the other or they can fall into darkness.”

“They still get to choose?”

“Yes, my child! Everything in the universe gets to choose, even to the very last. There is always a choice. The universe is filled with choices. What most beings don’t understand is that the universe is also filled with consequences. Point and counterpoint. The five are fallible and ultimately, they will be unable to sustain the universal orchestras. The music will cease and this will all fall back into nothing.

Then, for a perfect moment, before it all begins anew, we will have beautiful, uninterrupted silence.”

Month: January 2025

Dickens at the end of the world by Sandra

The Tunnel

The arrest and detention of Lee Wung To and the introduction of Tony Boneyface by Martyn

Bosom of the Family by Sandra

Dyson Deux Digits – an Inspector Ironbell Chapter. By Martyn

Otelia’s awakening

Three short scenes by Jason