Achievements (15)
Stories (933)
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The Opportunistic Borrower
Natalie wasn't sure if Simon would be angry about her borrowing his shears but she wasn't going to chance it. It would present a wholly awkward scenario that she didn't want to navigate. And so, instead, Natalie decided to put them back where she knew Simon kept them.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Struggling to shift
When you've been able to assume whatever form you've wanted for as long as you can remember, it's very unsettling to discover that your power to shapeshift is waning. It's not the sort of thing you can reboot either: shut down, leave it for a minute and then power up. You can either do it or you can't.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Ice Fishing. Top Story - December 2024.
Anders was hungry with a craving for fish. Not dried but fresh. Not smoked but pink and plump. Saliva welled in his mouth as he thought of it. Spurred on by the prospect of his potential dinner, he threw some more logs onto the fire, not too high and not too many; just enough to smoulder. He moved the chair he'd crafted a little further away. Wood burnt well and fire didn't care in what form it found wood.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Arrested
Luke I read Bethan's text and my heart sank. I'd be lying if I didn't feel relief as well but that didn't last. I was so geared up. Ever since we agreed to meet, I've been rehearsing in my head what I'd say, how I'd explain what happened. I thought about what to tell her, what not to tell her. It's dominated everything. I know, it's always been there, casting its shadow but in this build up, it's like I've been buried under snow, unable to breathe, it's been so there, in my face, crowding my mind, image after image, word after word, just there, not leaving me be!
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Rachel Reviews: Thirty Days Hath September by Ronald Dwinnells
Ronald Dwinnells' book is a tale of two people, Jack Maizel and Mildred Dixon. They are very different and most unlikely to encounter each other in everyday life, so when they come together in the book when Mildred enters the hospital where Jack is training, their having to deal with each other is at the core of the novel.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: The Antigen by A.I. Fabler
Fabler's book, the continuance of The Seed of Corruption is a thoughtful book presented as a thriller. His fiction promotes query and discussion, and his well-written narrative reads like an expanded parable, a moral tale which highlights a view that could, if aligned with real world events, promote controversy, scepticism and insecurity. And it's difficult not to read this story and make comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic and the way that that unfolded globally.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in BookClub
Gladiator
The youngster sat, trembling. Spiculus watched him. Despite years as an applauded killer, Spiculus was still sensitive to the humanity in those around him; it's just he didn't have room for it. Couldn't afford to. One day, he might be fighting with them in the arena; the next, against them. Only one of them was likely to survive. Sentiment led to a lapse of focus and ultimately and most probably, death. Spiculus did not want to die and every day his odds were getting shortened: slower reaction times; heaviness of limb; eyes less sharp. He was in good shape but it was getting harder to believe that he would come out of the arena alive.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Raiders. Content Warning.
This story comes with a Dharrsheena warning. I'd been warned about black and white raiders from day one. Mum was always keen to share stories about anything that could hurt us, from the time that we were born really. She wanted us to be prepared. She never meant for us to be scared, just alert, because it could happen and she knew of others who had been victims of the thugs.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Wait
"And now, we wait. Did they tell you how long?" Bethan asked. "No, but they did tell me not to move. I told them that I had no intention of moving. That I wouldn't feel secure until I knew that he'd been taken into custody." Christine spat these words out, her enmity conveyed.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
Crate Day. Content Warning.
It was the start of summer and what better way to celebrate than with a crate of beer? It was the traditional way - it even had its own day on the calendar in New Zealand, with its own set of commandments. It would be patriotic blasphemy not to.
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in Fiction
