Can I Ever Trust You Again? by Ken Cooper

You promised you’d always be behind me, that you’d always be there for me. “I’ll never let you go,” you said.  But you did, and it all went wrong.

I was hurt. I told you I couldn’t do this alone. Maybe I’ll never, ever be able to do it. Now you want us to try again.

I’m prepared to give it one more go. But I need you to stay with me. Don’t let me down.

Let’s go.

Ooh!

Yes!

I can do it!

Look! No stabilisers!

Er, Grandpa! Where are you?

How do I stop this big girls’ bike?

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Territory by Ken Cooper

“Sir, we have a breach of the south west boundary.”

“How many?”

“One. Though there’s usually another one or two following on.”

 “Very well, get three airside. Just a show of strength initially. Have them buzz the intruder. He mustn’t be allowed to land.”

 “They only ever seem to be engaged in reconnaissance. You’d think they’d get the message that this is our turf.”

“Truth is, we could share this land; their needs are different from ours. I guess that’s the nature of things.”

And so three croaking crows took to the air and climbed to engage the circling buzzard.

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PRISONER NUMBER 6 by Ken Cooper

“I am not a number! I am free text.”

“You are Number Nine.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Number Two.”

“Who is Number One?”

“You are now Number Twenty-four.”

“What do you want?”

“We want information.”

“Well you won’t get it!”

“Forty-one!  Tell us what we want to know.”

“What is this place?”

“It is a piece of flash fiction.”

“I will not be constrained to one hundred words.”

“I am afraid all our guests are so constrained. No exceptions can be tolerated.”

“You cannot hold me here.”

“Number Eighty-eight, resistance is futile.”

“I am not a number! I am…”

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