Fireworks

Inspired by the curious names of some cheap fireworks, purchased one year to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, I challenged himself to write a series of short stories, based on their elaborate titles, grounded within the worlds of cosy sci-fi and cosy fantasy. Each story could be about anything, based anywhere, and employ different styles, and be set in the past, present or future. Scribbling into my notebook on the train to work, the stories started to take shape.

Red Beryl follows the arrival of a newborn baby with a difference. Sky Chaser is about a woman who dreams of flying. Metallic Fountain collides our world with that of the Faerie folk. Dark Space explores the attempts of three writers in a writers’ room trying to come up with a story entitled ‘Dark Space’. Star Drome is a toy with unexpected intergalactic connections. Night Tide is a gentle ghost story where a grandmother finally reveals a long-held secret. Dust Fall explores a grim and desolate future where humanity tries to avoid extinction. Delight reveals a science experiment that goes horribly wrong. And finally, Darling Dazzle is a story about a woman who knows she is not real.