It all started with a private message. Your story has been rejected, you have made so many mistakes we have dunked ten packets of Hobnobs in countless cups of tea trying to fathom your spell checker alone. It didn't say that but the meaning was pretty much how it felt. My education was shocking, and my use of English was even worse, no matter how hard I tried the alphabet spaghetti would always win and the wrong words wou...

My name is not Treize, but this is what you may call me. I will of course identify myself if you chat with me. I was born in the mid-seventies when disabled people were not citizens unless their families cared. I have cerebral palsy, which affects my motor system. It contorts you over time and I'm pretty twisted in my body - and mind too. From an early age, I was told I wouldn't lead a normal life. Doctors said that I wou...

Rain rattled against the window like rice on a drum skin, and the house groaned as the wind wheezed through gaps around the old doors. Emily tried again to convince herself she was not scared; the old Emily would not have been, but the old Emily had gone and the new one was stumbling in the dark. This weekend was supposed to be another step on her road to recovery, but she’d fallen at the first hurdle. She’d gone to bed e...

Fifteen minutes late, April thought. Great. Fifteen more and she’d be free to go. A friendly waiter approached. “Are you ready to order, ma’am?” She stirred her water glass. “Maybe just the drinks menu?” He nodded, “Right away, ma’am.” And briskly walked away. Wow, she thought. So we’re really in the “ma’am” days now, huh? At thirty-nine years old, she’d hoped she had a few months left in her before people would catch a w...

Jemma was a little early. It was one of her rules. Dates weren't easy to come by in her position and limited experience had taught her not to bring along a carer. Reminding people of her utter dependence on outside help usually didn't leave a brilliant first impression.She smiled at a tall man, who was stood in the doorframe, wearing a vest and a bow-tie. Successfully having made eye-contact with the host, Jemma mouthed t...

It’s hard to move through the currents of a lifeBuffeted from one side or the other, no matter your choiceEven harder when you face adversity others can’t see My sense of me is heightened, here on the stageI pour my heart into this expressionUnless you know my narrative, I appear uncaring One observant, out of the corner of my eye, motionsI dance for him, he who sees meI hear nothing and yearn to see everything

Chuck dropped the last of the mattresses, and it hit the stone floor with a thud. Dust began to settle back down, as he stretched his back, sighing deeply. The room looked very empty now, but Chuck knew it would be cramped all too soon. The walls were cold and naked, and the mismatched sheets and pillows were unlikely to make the place feel any more like a home for its residents.'That it?' Chuck asked the young man next t...

The brothel looked very different during the day. There was no music, and the pink mood lighting had been replaced by brighter, practical LEDs, which revealed the many little imperfections that were usually carefully hidden in the shadows. Cords, plugs and wires, smoke machines, tears in the walls, chinks in the wood, suspicious stains and missing ceiling tiles, it was all visible now that no customers were here to see it...

Even this late the party was in full swing. The smell of beer and sweat hung prominently in the air, and Dana was sweating profusely herself, and especially her face felt hot. A bit of fresh air was definitely called for. She made hasty excuses, and backed away from her group of friends, before wheeling her chair towards the wardrobe. She quickly picked through the jackets until she had located her own.Dana made her way t...