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Ways of Seeing the Forest

From the very top of the tree, you could see out across the whole forest, but nothing that was happening within it: the world beneath was hidden under leaves. But some of the creatures seemed to see deeper. Every movement below came together to ripple the branches just so, and

Double Texting

No sad boys near trees in this week’s story, but a bit of a content warning for creepy, obsessive behaviour. Nothing in the ‘I have been reading...’ section about handling old books with gloves, either. It seems I simply cannot keep a bit going. This week’s daily stories

Lighthouse

After the wreck they stayed in the lighthouse. It was the only shelter with room for them, and though they felt resentful of it for failing to save them, they were grateful for its strong walls when the winds blew again. Gray spent the days hauling scraps of their boat

Fireplace

She scrunched the letter into a loose ball and threw it into the fire. It was an electric fire, with the flames projected on a little screen, and she would have to pick the paper out later. But for the moment, it felt suitably dramatic. She turned her back and

Shame

I could charge a good price for my little bottles of shame. With a mister top or a dropper, depending on how you planned to apply it, they were terribly convenient. Everybody knows somebody who needs a little more shame. I heard from people whose spouses had stopped drinking, whose

Cranes

The cranes swang around on the horizon. That was all they did. There was nothing to build with, and never had been. But swinging the cranes around was good fun for the bored young men they paid to do it, and the sight of them on the horizon helped us

Knifelike

You're like a knife, she said. I thought of how I used to cook all her meals, slicing vegetables into little flowers for her. I thought of the nasty cut I got trying to open a plastic package with my teeth. I thought of all the tips bent

Lost things

The day I left my job all the world's lost things started coming to me. It started with socks in the laundry, odd socks in colours I'd never owned. Keys in my pockets for cars parked who-knows-where and houses soon to have the locks changed. Coins

Long train

The train was a hundred miles long. You got on at the back, and you made your way down the length of it, and once you got to the front you had reached your destination. It was never delayed and it was never cancelled, and in the first dozen or

A Felling

Stories about shiny plaques and beetles, and seeing your reflection, and cutting down a sinister old tree.

Right Through You

It suddenly turned very cold this week, so here's a story about becoming very cold and possibly never warming up again. Also, Uncertain Stories have a little Q&A with me about my story 'All Seasons Sweet'. I'm grateful to them for not

The Woman, the Bomb and the Wardrobe

Remember that inspiration can come from anywhere, and it's OK to write a story because a really stupid first sentence came into your head. Is it a good idea? Read this week's story and judge for yourself. This week's daily stories Monday The Incredible

The Shadow Economy

Selling shadows, sticky cakes, and strange skythings.

Cold Call

This week, a slightly spooky story about a knock at the door, and a lot of doubling. I wasn't planning for this to be Hallowe'en themed, but I suppose it turned out that way.

Shots Hereat

Here is a story about a bar with an oddly-phrased advertising message, and an uncertain, unsteady friendship there. I was about 80% confident that I saw this sign through a bus window, but I am increasingly convinced that I must have misread it. This is the power of fiction: to

This Is Disco Turtle 🪩🐢

This week, a little story about a tortoise covered in mirrors. You probably shouldn't do this! If you want an ambulatory disco ball, please use a Roomba. This week's daily stories Monday She married in her great grandmother’s wedding dress, sewn up from the parachute

Melting Point

This week, a silly story about putting ice cream in the food bank donation point. You may think, 'what a stupid premise, nobody would do that', but friends, I have seen a tub of ice cream in the food bank donation point. There are more things in heaven

Three Portraits

Welcome to the first weekly edition of Scattering. I'm really looking forward to sharing my stories with you in this new space. As well as my daily microfiction from this week, you'll find a little something about what I've been reading, and a short

Welcome to Scattering

Welcome to Scattering, a new fiction website/newsletter by Mark Taylor. I'll be publishing daily microfiction, then on a Sunday I'll collect the week's stories together, along with a longer piece and some notes on what I've been reading, and put it