Submissions by Lozzamus
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
Poet Introduction
I compare poetry to painting, believing that I lack any drawing/painting skills but believing my imagination and training in writing has enabled me to transfer my love of visual art to the written word
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
23rd Nov 2022 7:16pm
23rd Nov 2022 7:16pm
Silent - Part 20: Arthur Harlesden
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
Weird atmosphere everywhere. I'd already seen Agnes Harlesden in passing. I thought she looked like Princess Anne, an older version, with a walking stick, hair piled high in a knot. Just my opinion, though.
Dinner took place in another formal room, all polished flooring and high ceilings, with steps leading down to the outside patio and the tiered gardens beyond with their statues and water fountains. I followed Philippa to one end of a long table with a white tablecloth. The afternoon was sticky and close, with dark grey-black clouds pinched...
Weird atmosphere everywhere. I'd already seen Agnes Harlesden in passing. I thought she looked like Princess Anne, an older version, with a walking stick, hair piled high in a knot. Just my opinion, though.
Dinner took place in another formal room, all polished flooring and high ceilings, with steps leading down to the outside patio and the tiered gardens beyond with their statues and water fountains. I followed Philippa to one end of a long table with a white tablecloth. The afternoon was sticky and close, with dark grey-black clouds pinched...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
23 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
17th Nov 2022 7:50pm
17th Nov 2022 7:50pm
Silent - Part 19: The Man At The Fire
Saturday, May 2019, Lucy:
The torch lamp casts a sickly glow in the darkened room. She tenses. Recoils, picks up again on a hidden threat. Who is this man? Someone very disturbed. Physically strong. Able to lift Gavin from a van, bring him in and carry him down an unlit corridor while holding a torch.
'What's the matter, Lucy?' the Angel of Mercy says.
She doesn't answer. Pretends to be half-asleep.
'I asked you a question, Lucy. Aren't you well?'
'Tired,' she mumbles. 'Haven't eaten.’
'You've only been here a day....
The torch lamp casts a sickly glow in the darkened room. She tenses. Recoils, picks up again on a hidden threat. Who is this man? Someone very disturbed. Physically strong. Able to lift Gavin from a van, bring him in and carry him down an unlit corridor while holding a torch.
'What's the matter, Lucy?' the Angel of Mercy says.
She doesn't answer. Pretends to be half-asleep.
'I asked you a question, Lucy. Aren't you well?'
'Tired,' she mumbles. 'Haven't eaten.’
'You've only been here a day....
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
41 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
10th Nov 2022 7:07pm
10th Nov 2022 7:07pm
Silent - Part 18: No Way Out
Gavin, Saturday May 2019:
In captivity, in this damp place, drugged up from the chloroform, glimpsing around in the dark to see if there's a way of escaping. There isn't, apart from physically attacking the Angel of Mercy - and to do that, I would need free legs and arms. He's tied them.
I don't know where he's gone. I've tried calling out to Lucy in the next room, my voice tiny in this vast space. But she hasn't heard me.
Or, maybe, she's heard me but chosen not to answer. Our relationship is complicated. Always has been.
Jace and I should...
In captivity, in this damp place, drugged up from the chloroform, glimpsing around in the dark to see if there's a way of escaping. There isn't, apart from physically attacking the Angel of Mercy - and to do that, I would need free legs and arms. He's tied them.
I don't know where he's gone. I've tried calling out to Lucy in the next room, my voice tiny in this vast space. But she hasn't heard me.
Or, maybe, she's heard me but chosen not to answer. Our relationship is complicated. Always has been.
Jace and I should...
#relationships
#memories
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
26 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
5th Nov 2022 8:11pm
5th Nov 2022 8:11pm
Silent - Part 17: Agnes
Two Years Earlier, Lucy:
She'd heard the news about Agnes Harlesden. From what she'd picked up, Agnes had returned unannounced, taking the rest of the staff by surprise.
But she alone knew the real reason for Agnes Harlesden's return. And the reason for the intrusion in her room earlier. Someone in the town must have recognised her and contacted Agnes, who'd obviously decided to fly back. And Agnes had gone through her bag searching for information.
Why else would Agnes have returned?
Agnes Harlesden in her room, searching in her personal...
She'd heard the news about Agnes Harlesden. From what she'd picked up, Agnes had returned unannounced, taking the rest of the staff by surprise.
But she alone knew the real reason for Agnes Harlesden's return. And the reason for the intrusion in her room earlier. Someone in the town must have recognised her and contacted Agnes, who'd obviously decided to fly back. And Agnes had gone through her bag searching for information.
Why else would Agnes have returned?
Agnes Harlesden in her room, searching in her personal...
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
43 reads
4 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
4th Nov 2022 8:50pm
4th Nov 2022 8:50pm
Silent - Part 16: A Strange Place
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
'So this was really a school?' I was standing in a grand entrance hallway. To my left, leather sofas surrounded a glass coffee table and fake fireplace, and there was a unusual smell too, like wild flowers.
'A long time ago, yes,' Veronica said, glaring at a computer screen. 'Dinner will be served in the student dining room at quarter to six. There's an opening performance at the Grand Theatre. Eight o'clock this evening. If you wish to share a taxi there, please put your name on the list.'
I wrote down my name and saw that Philippa...
'So this was really a school?' I was standing in a grand entrance hallway. To my left, leather sofas surrounded a glass coffee table and fake fireplace, and there was a unusual smell too, like wild flowers.
'A long time ago, yes,' Veronica said, glaring at a computer screen. 'Dinner will be served in the student dining room at quarter to six. There's an opening performance at the Grand Theatre. Eight o'clock this evening. If you wish to share a taxi there, please put your name on the list.'
I wrote down my name and saw that Philippa...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
47 reads
4 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
1st Nov 2022 8:01pm
1st Nov 2022 8:01pm
Silent - Part 15: The International Summer School
Two Years Earlier: Gavin
Philippa. Rich, posh accent, dressed all in black, long matching hair, loads of jewellery. I liked her straightaway. Thought she was seriously gorgeous. On our first afternoon in town, we spent a while watching the two guys in army clothes, Jace and Steve, climbing the pylon-structure pier before searching around for a taxi.
'Lyme House used to be a Prep School for child prodigies run by Agnes Harlesden,' Philippa said during the ride. She spoke in an all-very-important voice, similar to One mustn't do that, must one? 'But someone set it...
Philippa. Rich, posh accent, dressed all in black, long matching hair, loads of jewellery. I liked her straightaway. Thought she was seriously gorgeous. On our first afternoon in town, we spent a while watching the two guys in army clothes, Jace and Steve, climbing the pylon-structure pier before searching around for a taxi.
'Lyme House used to be a Prep School for child prodigies run by Agnes Harlesden,' Philippa said during the ride. She spoke in an all-very-important voice, similar to One mustn't do that, must one? 'But someone set it...
#mystery
#tragedy
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
50 reads
2 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
26th Oct 2022 7:17pm
26th Oct 2022 7:17pm
Silent - Part 14: Lucy
Two Years Earlier, Lucy
Can't stop thinking about you, Ash had texted.
In the field, she lit another cigarette. Her shift would begin in about twenty minutes and she wasn't looking forward to it. Serving a three course meal to a bunch of music students, the type that had ignored her when she'd been a pupil at the former Prep School ten years ago. Dad had taught violin and viola at the school, but she hadn't played an instrument and she'd never fitted in or made friends.
An outsider. Lonely, then and now. She longed for Ash and Maxine. And Bruce, Ash's dog,...
Can't stop thinking about you, Ash had texted.
In the field, she lit another cigarette. Her shift would begin in about twenty minutes and she wasn't looking forward to it. Serving a three course meal to a bunch of music students, the type that had ignored her when she'd been a pupil at the former Prep School ten years ago. Dad had taught violin and viola at the school, but she hadn't played an instrument and she'd never fitted in or made friends.
An outsider. Lonely, then and now. She longed for Ash and Maxine. And Bruce, Ash's dog,...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
52 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
20th Oct 2022 7:33pm
20th Oct 2022 7:33pm
Silent - Part 13: Philippa
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
So how did I first come to Lyme House? It's simple, really. Believe it or not, I was a child prodigy. My family were poor, so all my piano tuition came free. Have you heard of the expression:"be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? That's what happened.
Throughout my childhood I wanted to be a famous concert pianist. Then, at the age of eleven, I got discovered. I was like a cherub, though. Innocent. And lonely. The journey to stardom isolated me from others my age. They saw me as a type of freak. In time, I rebelled....
So how did I first come to Lyme House? It's simple, really. Believe it or not, I was a child prodigy. My family were poor, so all my piano tuition came free. Have you heard of the expression:"be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? That's what happened.
Throughout my childhood I wanted to be a famous concert pianist. Then, at the age of eleven, I got discovered. I was like a cherub, though. Innocent. And lonely. The journey to stardom isolated me from others my age. They saw me as a type of freak. In time, I rebelled....
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
54 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
16th Oct 2022 4:28pm
16th Oct 2022 4:28pm
Silent - Part 12: Seperated By The Dark
Gavin, Saturday, May 2019
I haven't a clue where I am at first. It's like I've just woken from a general anaesthetic, totally confused and groggy while monsters in corners watch from unseen eyes.
Monsters. Big monsters. Small ones. Some people are scared of ghosts. I'm scared of monsters. When I was a kid, monsters haunted my dreams. They still do sometimes.
The details come back to me, bit by bit.
Lucy. Jace. Steve.
A bloke even crazier than Steve.
Tied up in some remote ruins with the patter of water drops nearby....
I haven't a clue where I am at first. It's like I've just woken from a general anaesthetic, totally confused and groggy while monsters in corners watch from unseen eyes.
Monsters. Big monsters. Small ones. Some people are scared of ghosts. I'm scared of monsters. When I was a kid, monsters haunted my dreams. They still do sometimes.
The details come back to me, bit by bit.
Lucy. Jace. Steve.
A bloke even crazier than Steve.
Tied up in some remote ruins with the patter of water drops nearby....
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
68 reads
4 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
12th Oct 2022 7:54pm
12th Oct 2022 7:54pm
Silent - Part 11: The House
Gavin, Saturday Afternoon , May 2019
I take a different route to Lyme House. Across the main coastal road and down a tree-lined lane with a spring breeze and the smell of sun. Another crossing. Past an arty bookstore and a café-restaurant with umbrella-type covering. Bungalows and cottages and a village-like church with a water well. Broken twigs and pebbles and stones. Fields going further inland. This part of the town isn't bad at all, if you can forget the rest of the area.
Clearer air, although I can't stop shaking. I keep looking over my shoulder in case Jace's...
I take a different route to Lyme House. Across the main coastal road and down a tree-lined lane with a spring breeze and the smell of sun. Another crossing. Past an arty bookstore and a café-restaurant with umbrella-type covering. Bungalows and cottages and a village-like church with a water well. Broken twigs and pebbles and stones. Fields going further inland. This part of the town isn't bad at all, if you can forget the rest of the area.
Clearer air, although I can't stop shaking. I keep looking over my shoulder in case Jace's...
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
75 reads
0 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
7th Oct 2022 8:06pm
7th Oct 2022 8:06pm
Silent - Part 10: The Journey
Gavin, Saturday May 2019
9.15am. Need a plan. Put aside thoughts of running. Only cowards do that. We have to rescue Lucy.
Me and someone else. Jace lives near Lyme House. He's my age and likes wearing army gear and acting tough, but he's really intelligent and could have gone to Uni if he'd wanted. I haven't seen him for about a year. He texts me occasionally. He'll probably be in bed, but once or twice a month he gets up early to play football.
I ring him on the off chance,.
'Hey, what's going on, man?' he says
...
9.15am. Need a plan. Put aside thoughts of running. Only cowards do that. We have to rescue Lucy.
Me and someone else. Jace lives near Lyme House. He's my age and likes wearing army gear and acting tough, but he's really intelligent and could have gone to Uni if he'd wanted. I haven't seen him for about a year. He texts me occasionally. He'll probably be in bed, but once or twice a month he gets up early to play football.
I ring him on the off chance,.
'Hey, what's going on, man?' he says
...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
73 reads
2 Comments
FICTIONAL PROSE
Published
2nd Oct 2022 1:53pm
2nd Oct 2022 1:53pm
Silent - Part 9
Gavin, Saturday May 2019, 7.30am,Leeds city centre.
Go to the police and hope for the best. I linger by a set of traffic lights and start to panic again, aware of how weird my story will sound to strangers, like I've done somrthing to Lucy but want to pin the blame on a fictitious man who calls himself The Angel of Mercy. He's real, though.
I turn round and leg it to the coach station, shaking all over. I'm cracking up, just as I did that summer nearly two years ago. Can't go through any more intense police interviews. The way they played with my head last time. ...
Go to the police and hope for the best. I linger by a set of traffic lights and start to panic again, aware of how weird my story will sound to strangers, like I've done somrthing to Lucy but want to pin the blame on a fictitious man who calls himself The Angel of Mercy. He's real, though.
I turn round and leg it to the coach station, shaking all over. I'm cracking up, just as I did that summer nearly two years ago. Can't go through any more intense police interviews. The way they played with my head last time. ...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
71 reads
0 Comments
DU Poetry : Submissions by Lozzamus
