High above the city

Hiding from the crowds

Looking down upon them

Peering through the clouds.

High above the city

Finding landmarks, I have to search

The buildings all look minature

Viewed from my lofty perch.

High above the city

There’s not a soul to be seen

Reflecting on my wretched life

I think what could have been.

*just wrote this for a quick warm up before writing my crime story today...

Small tendrils of doubt began to creep into the back of Martha’s mind. Tiny details, seeming inconsequential at the time, now began to swirl around, connecting like jigsaw pieces in her mind.

Oh, I don’t really hang out with my colleagues; there’s really only my old boss, his EA, another middle-aged guy and me. No point in you meeting them when I barely socialise with them myself.

_ Where I’m...

“Your time is up. Better run!”

Her words echoed in my ears as I ran blindly through the dark woods, hands out to defend against the clawing branches and leaves, desperate to trip me up.

My breath was coming in ragged gasps, my heart was thumping wildly. Thoughts raced through my mind, my brain struggling to come to terms with this situation. How had this day gone so pear-shaped? One moment, we w...

A noise startled me awake. I lay in my bed, holding my breath, ears straining. Chink chink, a metallic clanging. Clank, clank, the sound of metal scraping across the corrugated steel roof. On any other night, the sounds would have terrified me. But tonight, I suddenly became a believer. Maybe he WAS real? Could it be? Was Santa really here? On my roof?

I listened carefully, excitement building i...

The face staring back at me is not mine. I don’t recognise the sunken cavities with smokey yellow eyes staring blankly. The red skin is pulled tightly over the skull and where there should be hair, there are two, long horns, like of a minataur or goat.

This demon reflected back at me is not me. My heart beats faster, unsure of the trickery behind this visual illusion. “I am your thoughts,” a voic...

The mist blanketed the landscape, suffocating the ground beneath. It rose up from the grasslands, tendrils of grey lazily heading upwards. The air was still and silent. Not a single birdsong broke the peace and calm of the early morning. No animals about, snuffling through the grass, searching for food.

Cutting through the barren landscape, intruding on the stillness, the girl plodded along. She...

I just did this as a quick “cold write” scene/start of a story, without too much revising and editing. I’m curious - do you think this would read better written in 3rd person rather than 1st?

*

Stinging cold water hit my face as I paddled. The drop splashed up as I paddled furiously, the oars slicing through the water. My chest was heaving with the exertion and fear. My lungs burned and my ...

Something hit my brow bone with force. A phone? A shoe? I felt my face start to throb and a trickle of blood drip towards my eye. Personal items-turned-projectiles flew through the air, striking anyone in their path. The earsplitting sound of screeching metal almost overwhelmed the screams and cries of terror. Almost. The woman next to me couldn’t stop screaming and was rocking back and forth with...

I can feel the water lapping at my neck, each wave sending a spray of water into my face. My eyes, nose and mouth burn with every assault of salty drips. My feet are kicking beneath me, tying to propel my head higher above the waves.

I can’t see a thing from this angle, the waves creating a mini wall around me. The thought that I can’t see past the waves and what lays beyond them is terrifying. T...

My key turned in the lock and the door creaked open, stiff from months of neglect. I stepped over the threshold, dumping my back pack on the floor. Dust rose up from the impact and swirled lazily through the air, the larger particles catching the sunlIght streaming through the window.

I cast my eye around the apartment, checking to see what had changed. Would I even notice any changes after a yea...