Tag: children

The Mystery of the Missing Puskat by Lavie Tidhar

Listen to this story on the podcast.

When you’re the only detective around, no case is too small.

Densley Takes On A Case

He knows America well; there are cars in Detroit, and gangsters in Chicago. New York has the Mob, and Man Jew, and Broadway, and Hollywood is called La-la land and it is magical: it is where movies come from.

Father Ben has the books, and he lets Densley read them. Thirty or so: it is a vast library of knowledge. Women are called dolls; men use their fist, or a gun. Densley too has a gun; he has carved it himself, of the burau tree.… Read the rest

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Old Friends by Frank Byrns

Listen to this story on the podcast.

There’s nothing quite like a friend dropping in unexpectedly.

The boys looked a lot different since the last time I saw them. They should have; it’d been almost ten years. Reed was twelve now, sandy-haired, the first hint of his old man’s barrel chest beginning to show. Leo, eleven months younger, Irish twins, tall and rangy, his mother’s son in every way.

They took turns pushing each other on the swing set, then got a little more ballsy, jumping off of the swing at the top of its arc, crash-landing on their knees, laughing, doing it again.… Read the rest

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House Cleaning by Ian Creasey

It’s magical when kids help out around the house.

There was a dead mouse in Mum’s bedroom.

Simon gently pushed the door open and crept in. He smelled his mother’s perfume, almost overwhelmed by the odour of sweat and cigarettes and sour alcohol. A ray of morning sunlight shone through the curtains like a spotlight, illuminating a snoring shape under the covers. Simon was always surprised by how small Matt looked when he wasn’t shouting. His feet didn’t even reach the end of the bed, but fell short by—well, a foot.

Navigating the minefield of socks and cigarette papers and empty glasses, Simon stole round the bed to the other side.… Read the rest

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The Little Outlaw by Mike Miner

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and it’s especially true in a storm.

Today’s story is sponsored by Grammarly, a great online tool to grammar check your writing. Sign up for a free seven-day trial.

Mary was supposed to be asleep.  She was upstairs, in her room, in her bed, but the sound of thunder, like a bowling ball being dropped on the roof, was keeping her up.

The little man in the radio was reading the news.  Johnny Pesky went four for five with five RBI’s as the Red Sox beat up on the Detroit Tigers at Briggs stadium thirteen to three, every Boston player had gotten a hit including the pitchers. … Read the rest

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