Excerpts from Light in the Shade short stories:
The Sentinel
Bibbi shuddered as he saw again the puddle of blood under the thick, silver-streaked hair. Papa wouldn’t be coming. He’d tell Milka later, when they were safe. Can’t have her weeping and wailing and setting the little ones off. It was up to him now to get them away.
Whatever It Takes
“We’ve got a new girl singer,” Max began. Testy fidgeted and looked slightly apprehensive.
“Yes?” he said, inspecting his perfectly manicured nails.
“I don’t want trouble with the band,” Max continued, watching Testy closely.
The African Queen
“I was in Africa. My bare feet were padding silently through the warm spring night. Branches stripped of leaves through lack of winter rains whipped my face and shoulders as I crept through the dry forest, sensing my way to the water hole by smell and instinct.”
The Dating Game
There was Beryl who wanted to meet for tea and had ‘found God’. Sadie he met in a pub and was nearly blinded by a blaze of gilt over bouncing breasts barely held in check by her scarlet blouse as she sashayed towards him. Honoria – so posh she could hardly get her words through the plum in her mouth, and loved horses passionately. She wanted someone to go hunting with. Gerald had never been on a horse in his life.
Beyond The Border
The shrill cry reverberated through close packed pine trees standing straight like sentinels, hiding the black cloud drifting above. It penetrated the sound of frantic activity; of vehicles screaming, people crying as they ran to and fro on the flat, grey landscape left behind.
Pulling the Strings
His tall figure looming on the stairs chanting ‘I hope you’ll be one of the sheep and not one of the goats,’ followed by quotations from the Scriptures booming after me as I scampered up to my cold bedroom at the top of the house.
He’s 40 and Single
Maggie’s on the hunt for a new man. One sniff that a single guy has moved into the flat below me and she’ll turn into a wild panther – be round my flat all hours stalking him. I don’t think I can stand it.
Pam Eaves 