short stories

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I Still Close My Eyes

The dream to fly quietly weaves its way through the events of a woman’s life until it is finally realised in a moment of both ending and beginning.

view on YouTube here

9:47 mins
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Spring/Summer

A no-man’s land. Should Man ever enter?

or download Spring/Summer

6:10 mins / 5.9 MB
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Police Tense

The Senior Sergeant was unusually stressed. But he knew he could convey the information with his customary clarity …

or download Police Tense

2:24 mins / 2.3 MB

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Dr Ayarts and the Out-of-Hours Patients

His life was good. Thanks to his family. His education.
They had been dealt a different hand.
But would he share his good fortune …?

or download Dr Ayarts and the Out-of-Hours Patients

5:03 mins / 4.9 MB

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Dear David

A series of letters and notes from a woman to her boyfriend/husband reveal the transition from romance to nightmare that is the reality of too many.

No audio is available for this story as the written word best suits the style and silence unfortunately reflects the position of sufferers of domestic violence in our society.

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Is It?

… better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

(Background effects thanks to http://www.freesfx.co.uk)

or download Is it?

7:50 mins / 3.8 MB

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The Blower

The noise. The futility. The headache. The stress.
The perfect storm.

or download The Blower

2:38 mins / 1.3 MB

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The Blower II

The noise. The blast. The power.
What could be better?

or download The Blower II

7:10 mins / 6.9 MB

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The Blower III

The need. The aversion. The ingenuity.
But perhaps … a sign of a greater understanding?

or download The Blower III

6.16 mins / 6 MB

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Of The Land

The earth. The trees. The creatures.
All life is from it. All living is of it.

or download Of The Land

4:25 mins / 2.1 MB

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Seized Wheels and Wasteland

Trolley Boys. ‘One’, ‘Two’ and ‘Three’. But …
could there be more to the people whose only problems seem to be faulty wheels and retrieval from vacant land?

or download Seized Wheels & Wasteland

3:27 mins / 1.7 MB

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Wild Life

Two generations. Two pale boys … two wild lives.

or download Wild Life

4:44 mins / 2.3 MB

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… indigo & violet

It set the pattern for her life. And although nothing could match the spontaneous adventure of childhood, she would never forget the treasures that her father had helped her find.

or download … indigo & violet

9:25 mins / 4.5 MB

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Instinctive

He was compelled. It was in him. But the ‘trust your instincts’ platitudes were wrong. Very, very wrong …

or download Instinctive

[WARNING: Some strong language]

7:44 mins / 3.7 MB

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Hunting the Tiger

Sometimes a search can unearth the most unexpected treasures …

or download Hunting the Tiger

18:28 mins / 8.9 MB

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Peripheral Anthropomorphism and the Fall of Troy

For Hector it was animals. But for Achilles, it was always dead bodies. …

or download
Peripheral Anthropomorphism and the Fall of Troy

8.09 mins / 3.9 MB

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A Thaw for Lonely

Everyone can feel detached from the life that bubbles all around … but only when we see into the heart of true loneliness, do we begin to feel the warmth of our human connections.

or download A Thaw for Lonely

16:35 mins / 8 MB

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Scrabble: A Man of Letters

Callum Whitlock has spent his life solving problems. But close to home, the challenges might be beyond his military skills. Coded threats from potential terrorists are easier to handle than an angry son and a young upstart for a boss. Until …

or download Scrabble: A Man of Letters

[WARNING: Some strong language]

43:45 mins / 21 MB

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Chin Music

Clement wants so badly to make his grandfather’s dreams for him come true. But sometimes the future shapes itself and good intentions are for nothing. Or …?

or download Chin Music

11:37 mins / 5.6 MB

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Following Joe Darby

He spent his time behind the spectacular spring jumper –
but what did he leave in his own wake? …

or download Following Joe Darby

31:17 mins / 15 MB

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Cottonmouth

What they called him wasn’t what he was.
But it made him what he became …

Now only available in the
Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual 2013

(more info in 7 November 2012 and january 2013 posts)

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Mr Anura

He was content with his simple life. Until the day they couldn’t leave him to himself…

or download Mr Anura

9:02 mins / 4.3 MB

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One Summer with the Dogs of War

What if a young Australian girl met someone who’d been at the centre of a notorious period of history? When all you want is a dog of your own, perhaps the past doesn’t play a role at all – or does it? …

or download One Summer with the Dogs of War

29:48 mins / 14.3 MB

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Looking for A Real Man

Being grown up isn’t what we imagined as children. And Chris is finding that The Simple Things aren’t simple in any way …

This story, written especially for Queensland Writers Week, was published in increments – with a new mini-chapter added daily from the 10th to the 16th of October and the complete audio version published on the final day. The full text and podcast now remain available for reading/listening.

+ alternate ending …

or download Looking for A Real Man + Alternate Ending

11:42 mins (+ 2:08 mins) / 5.6 MB (+ 1 MB)

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To Have Ruth

He was lost without her. But sometimes people come into your life as abruptly as others leave. And a lifeline can take the most unexpected form …

or download To Have Ruth

19:36 mins / 9 MB

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Grandidier’s Vontsira

Seb was fourteen when he first heard the words “Grandidier’s Vontsira”. But in a pre-internet world, how would he discover what they meant? …

or download Grandidier’s Vontsira

4:08 mins / 1.9 MB

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The Meadow

Their lives meant nothing to him – why should he listen to their talk of dreary mediocrity? The photographer’s subject finally makes him face his selfish disregard for those he has encountered on his path to fame …