Highly Commended Over 18s Category By June M Hodges Every night at ten o’clock the halls of Twilight Time were filled with the loud jangle of Edith’s telephone. “Cursed thing….!” Swore the dinosaur in Matron’s tunic who ruled the Earth here. “Waking everyone up….” She cut a swathe of disinfectant as she steamed into […]
Focus Magazines
The local magazines for Abergavenny, Crickhowell, Brecon & Talgarth – Events, News and Advertising
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Molly’s Moon
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Stella Price Molly loved to stare into the sky late at night and read under the porch light. “Can you see the man in the moon?” asked her mother. Molly looked up. “There is no man in the moon.” “Everyone in the whole world knows there’s a man […]
Sugar!
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Sue Anderson I’m having a grey day, so I put on my blue jeans and go down to the fair. Pink sugar smells in the air, golden oldies blazing out, rides to make you scream. The carousel calls but the waltzers are best. As we spin, colours mix […]
Running Wild
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Linda Vickers Bare legs, waxed and Bali-brown, pound the path. The ruined roundabout and forgotten flowerbeds whizz by unnoticed. The sky is darkling. Mara vaults the steps to the dilapidated bandstand. “Damn.” She clutches a stitch. “Jay!” Mara paces, panting into the hands-free. “I took a wrong turn. […]
Black Bin-bag
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Louisa Adjoa Parker In the end, their daughter, their girl, was nothing more than a bag of bones; a skull and pelvis, picked clean. Bones like bleached driftwood. They wanted to tip the black bin-bag she’d been found in upside down, shake out every last splinter of bone. […]
How To Make Them Like You
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Josephine Corcoran Make it look as though you are rubbing dirt from your forehead, from your heart, from one shoulder, then the other shoulder. Clasp your hands together in a way that makes them believe you are anticipating happiness. Always wear an electronic device. Don’t move your lips; […]
It Felt Like Sleeping
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Jonathan Margetts A bottle of vodka in an open-air playground at night; bark-based pine surfacing; a rusted blue slide; a bin filled with crisp packets; ready salted, smoky bacon. Her breath was a combination of Mayfair cigarettes, Smirnoff and strawberry lip balm. We played with extra-safe Durex, and we […]
Touched
Highly Commended Over 18s Category By Natalie Bowers Kathy had only popped round to ask the deaf old dear to turn down her telly. “Jason’s on nights you see,” she said as she followed Mrs Carpenter along the hallway. “Never you mind about that, sweetie.” Mrs Carpenter shuffled along, gnarled fingers kneading the length of […]
The Sofa
Winner Over 18s Category By Barbara Weeks The sofa – long past its first flush of youth – sat exposed and embarrassed on the Trenton Cross roundabout. Dumped without ceremony, it was like some faded Hollywood starlet, once beautiful and feted, now aged and unloved. As I passed every morning on my way to work […]
Street Parties
The history of a very British tradition Street parties are seeing something of a revival thanks to the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton last year and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year. They are a great way to come together with your neighbours and celebrate a special occasion as a community. The […]