Welcome to Gloom and Doom. This is an ongoing series of stories about anything and everything. You will find no patterns, no consistent themes, or method in the madness. Hopefully this summary of what's on offer will help you to find something you will enjoy.
If not, well.... at least they're short.
I'll add stories as and when:
a) I have what could kindly be considered a decent idea, and:
b) when I can be arsed to finally write it down.
A lot of these stories are experimental, weird, and certainly not for everyone. Be warned.
Publishing No. Name Genre Word Count Summary/Notes 1 Astro Traveller Sci-Fi Comedy 5181
A young man battles to maintain his worthlessness aboard an intergalactic scouting vessel.
Written during the final stages of my novel Scenario 66 as a bit of relief from the short, direct style of my main focus.
2 Pyrrhic Exorcism Supernatural Dark Comedy 3984 An important businessman stumbles upon a costly way to protect his family from a haunting. 3 A Visit From Death Urban Dark Comedy 2790
A town is terrorised by a team of assassins who use their victims' carelessness to their advantage.
Written in a single sitting in tribute to my wife's obsession with tearing up addresses on letters.
4 Under the Rosy Sky Weird Horror 2266
A college student finds himself at a party ending in an unwelcome revelation.
An experiment in the experiences of a character reflected in writing style.
5 Policy 9 Sci-Fi Comedy 6529
A shop assistant recollects his time in a convenience store among the stars.
My personal favourite in this collection!
6 Revenge of the Hack Sci-Fi 2496
An alcoholic writer on an isolated mining planet uses the attention of his alien audience to deal with a rather important bill.
7 Kids These Days Dark Comedy 975
A game-loving school boy decides that the breakout of a zombie apocalypse isn't all that bad.
8 'Mummy' Light Horror 1464
It's a horror story. About teddy bears. Contains scenes of exposed stuffing that some cuddly friends may find disturbing.
Dug up from the archives; written years before anything else here.
9 Mill Hill Time Loop Time Travel Comedy 6251
An incompetent general finds a device which helpfully lets him travel to future visitor centres to find out how he won his battles... but is everything as it seems? (No. The answer is ALWAYS no.)
Shares some similarities with my novella Jiharu: A Story of The Hunt, which was written around the same time.
10 Rush Horror 1107
A long-awaited death leads to panicked decisions that doom the future of a young family.
Links to my fiction Old Riding Author Lunatic Asylum
11 Paper Round Sci-Fi 3312
One of the last remaining members of the thoroughly defeated human race defies Earth's new masters in the only way he can
Links to my fiction Old Riding Author Lunatic Asylum
12 Scenario 79: Sausage Fingers Fantasy Comedy 2639
In a world of bloodless conflict, a warlord's decimation of a besieged city's defences is stopped with the turn of a card
Some elements of this story are perhaps better understood if you have read my novel Scenario 66
Links to my fiction Old Riding Author Lunatic Asylum
13 Helping Hand Fantasy 4803
A mighty general bewitches the severed hand of a fallen enemy to locate a priceless treasure.
14 Happy Whatever Sci-Fi, Dark Comedy 1444
A chance meeting of humans, in a bar, at the start of a week off, on a planet far away from home. What could go wrong?
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15 Animals Horror 2539
Something is wrong with the world, and it cannot be undone. Those who know, and cannot accept, seek help from those those who can.
16 A Moment In Moonlight Dark Romantic Comedy 2389
The ghost of a young man helps a girl come to terms with an untimely death at the metaphorical hands of a structurally unsound gravestone.
17 Master Darkside Fantasy Comedy 1381
An impatient young sorcerer sets out his case to prove to his father that his evil accomplishments live up to the family name.
18 SexTime: Four Scenes From Launch Week Absurd Erotic Comedy 5239
A new social media app tracking sexual activity launches to disaster and despair for all who have the displeasure of using it.
19 Topia Speculative Fiction 4489
A man wakes up out of a drugged haze in a silent grey workshop with no memory of why he is there.
20 Perfect Weapon Dark Comedy 856
In this modern time of austerity, even Hell must adapt to survive its budget cuts.
21 Here, at the End of the Road - Part 1 Horror, Thriller 4048
A desperate group of hunters, seeking a dangerous and mysterious quarry, stumble upon their first lead.
22 Here, at the End of the Road - Part 2 Horror, Thriller 4783
The conclusion of the hunt. At the end of the road, Howe comes face to face with his prey, and Niall plays his part.
23 An Argument of Rainbows Fantasy Dark Comedy 4615
Besieged by the undead, a remote village summons a powerful group of spirits to save them. Unfortunately for everyone, said saviours are now official servants of the king.
24 A Big Green Cross Horror 3699
Nasty things are happening because the air is heating up. Then Tommy finds something in Mr. Smith's basement and saves the world. Only, the bad men are still coming...
25 Life Soup Absurd Fantasy 1610
In the Kitchen of the Multiverse, an imaginative god gets a bit too experimental for His creation's good.
26 Distraction Corps Sci-Fi, Dark Comedy 5545
Two 'wildlife guides' do their best to convince a diplomat from the League of Peaceful Planets that Earth is a beautiful world full of pleasant people and thriving natural delights deserving of exotic alien goodies.
27 Deadheads Sci-Fi 2414 The severed head of a florist does its best to stop the rise of a revolution begun by his own son. 28 A Postcard from Mount Morania Fantasy Comedy 2579 A newly-graduated cartographer journeys to a tiny principality to produce his first commission: a simple national map. Spoiler: it's not so simple. 29 Ends Comedy 6409 Five ragged old men descend on a country mansion with one goal in mind: to find the secret Archive of the Architects in order to fulfill one last mission for their fellowship. 30 Grinny Granny's Yawnsome Yarns Dark Comedy, Science Fiction 3501 A young man struggles through the post-war wreckage of his hometown in search of one simple fact to unlock his way to salvation. 31 Accept Thy Fate (Last Poop on Earth) Dark Comedy, Science Fiction 1337 The end of the world. Or is it? 32 Identity Dark Urban Fantasy 1585 A young businessman says the wrong thing in the wrong part of town, and pays the price. 33 Alleytown Urban Fantasy 1879 Two communities settle into uneasy coexistence after the invention of a fearsome machine. 34 A Journey Science Fiction 777 A despairing human travels across the universe in search of a new life. 35 Sunday Service Dark Comedy, Science Fiction 2077 A suburban busybody receives an unwelcome letter on the most holy of weekdays. 36 The Craftsman Urban Fantasy 1006 Watch the craftsman at work on one final task before the end. 37 That's Why They're Here Science Fiction 2652 An unpopular student band suddenly finds themselves playing a sold-out show, but why has everyone come? 38 Collection Tuesday Absurd Comedy 2528 An ambitious young hobbyist seeks to climb the rankings in his field by manufacturing a controversial situation 39 Invasion
Suspense, Science Fiction
1174 A young woman steels herself for battle in her own home as an intruder approaches 40 The Important Things
Literary, Nostalgia
2321 Two men, decades apart, are drawn by a treasure in their childhood home town 41 Absolute Zero
Science Fiction, Dark Comedy
3504 An ambitious businessman realises his life isn't so great after all when he is given some advice in a rather unusual way 42 Eternity
Science Fiction
1821 A pair of drug addicts enjoy the consequences of a robbery gone wrong, confident in narcotic salvation if their escape attempt fails 43 It's All Just a Roll of the Dice
Science Fiction
2752 Bad things keep happening to a young scientist who has been accused of inventing time travel in the future... if that even makes sense 44 Just Like a Fairy Tale
Satire, Absurd Comedy
4912 A chance encounter in the street leads a young woman into a dreamy night with a mysterious stranger 45 Hero Story
Science Fiction
1491 A hero sets out on a desperate mission to reach the top of a skyscraper and save the world 46 Winter Winds
Literary nostalgia
774 A man looks back on a favourite childhood book and the effect it had on him 47 Arecibo Answer
Science Fiction
2428 A civilisation searching for intelligent life on other planets discovers a species that prompts further scientific curiosity, leading to a most disturbing revelation 48 Minoan White
Horror
4539 A nasty attack at work leads a shop assistant to realise that her life at home is even worse