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Gordon Lawrie

Cliff-Top Philosophy

24/5/2019

 
Another "unfathomable" story, this time about climate change.
They stood on the cliff-top, gazing out to sea.
 
"Why do we do this?" Romeo wondered.
 
"Admire the sea?" Juliet said. "Dunno, we were programmed long ago by humans. Seems rather pointless."
 
They cross-processed some historical detail about climate change and sea-levels rising before Juliet added, "I wonder – did they make more sea-water because they liked it?"
 
Her fellow robot shrugged. "Perhaps. Humans are stupid. My pet certainly was. I had to recycle him last week down at the human bank."
 
"How irritating. Will you get another?"
 
"Perhaps. It's the thought of having to train them. They just never learn."

Trapped in Guilt

17/5/2019

 
This was a controversial story about a difficult subject. Most people liked it, but a few didn't understand it at all: one called it 'unfathomable'.
It happened whenever a child came into his shoe-repair and key-cutting shop. Usually they came with parents, but this little local girl had visited frequently with her unsuspecting mother and had come alone for the first time.
 
The girl was there to choose a plastic key fob. Ten pence. He guessed she was around six.
 
Her presence brought bad memories flooding back, of computer images, of a jail sentence from hell, and of attempts to rehabilitate him. He so wanted to be cured, but could never be sure.
 
Trapped in guilt, he looked away.
 
"Are you all right?" she asked.

Marital Tension

3/5/2019

 
A fellow writer made scathing comments about writing in the first person present – Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie is written that way.
Our married writing couple disagree on one major point. He is addicted to the present tense, while she wrote only in the past. The books they read fit those preferences.
 
Picture the scene. He writes a scathing review of her latest novel, says she'll go nowhere in the literary world, has no future, is all washed up. Simultaneously, she reviewed his latest thriller as the work of a has-been, a never-was, an author consigned to the dustbin of history.
 
No matter: like ships passing in the night, they read none of the other's criticism. The secret of a successful marriage.

    Flash Fiction

    Flash fiction is very, very short fiction indeed - short stories of any sort of length from a Haiku to ten minutes' reading. Good for when you're in a hurry. This series is a selection of contributions to Friday Flash Fiction, where there's a limit of 100 words. I try to make all mine exactly 100 words.


    Collections
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    If you enjoy these stories, why not download Gordon's first two collections of these, called '100 Not Out' and '200 Not Out'? Available for all types of e-readers including Kindle and iPad, for free. Completely free, no strings.

    Click on one of the images below...

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