Here are two more short-short
stories from
English writer Jay Mandal
Jay Mandal
is from
Southern England. After grammar school, he joined a City bank and
worked in Europe. He’s written eighty short stories, fifty of
which
have been published, and two novels.
‘Slubberdegullion’ and ‘A
Different Kind of Love’ are collections of short works, while
‘The
Dandelion Clock’ is a novel. Speakout magazine have published
at least
one Mandal story in each issue, and his short stories have been
featured in popular publications such as Passport and
Lookout.
Jay’s latest collection, The
Loss of
Innocence, is available from BeWrite
Books and from the usual outlets
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Favourite
by Jay Mandal
Word Count 135
His favourite place was the garden. It was a haven, with its bench, a
wicker chair and a table on the sun-dappled terrace. Above, a framework
supported a climbing plant, its light green leaves and its crimson
flowers providing welcome shade from the bright morning sun. On the
table stood a vase of daffodils, while over the back of the chair a
rust-coloured blanket had been thrown, a reminder that the evenings at
this time of year could be chilly. The flagstones were the colour of
Morning Coffee biscuits, and were patterned with the shadows of the
garden furniture and the vine. In one corner, some wide steps led up to
another, smaller patio, surrounded by a stone balustrade, which
overlooked the lush green of the lawn. Browns and greens and reds.
Everything in harmony.
The End
| Reckless
by Jay Mandal
Word Count 199
When Nick had told his mother he was
gay, she’d
begged him not to say anything to his father. The latter was standing
for the county council, and would not appreciate such news. Nick had
been disappointed, but not unduly upset. He was used to being patient.
His grandmother died the next year, and
his mother
took it badly. So again he waited.
The following year, his sister got
married, and he
didn’t want to upstage her. He smiled as he remembered the
wedding.
That was where he’d met Daniel. Daniel had been one of the
waiters, a
gap-year kid who'd grinned impishly at Nick as he took his empty glass
along with his heart. When they crept away to Nick’s car,
Bryan Adams’
‘Reckless’ album was playing on the car stereo. It
seemed a fitting
accompaniment to their tentative fumblings.
During the next year, Nick and Daniel
spent all
their free time together.
At the end of his twenty-first birthday
party, Nick
stood up and made a short speech. He thanked everyone for coming, and
said he would be moving to Bristol where Daniel had a place at
university.
He felt as if he had finally grown up.
The End
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