William King - Stories

An Anthology of Flash Fiction.

A short story about a short, one night, encounter. Seventies London, two boys make a rendezvous.

A moment in the lives of two young people, Alexander (Alex) Weston and Mathew (Matty) Tetherton, and of those around them, and others whose paths they cross.

“As long as we're together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same”

The lyrics of the song by David Bowie just about sum it up.

These books were part of my first venture into writing and even if I revised and edited them, they are probably still a little amateur, something you will have to forgive and concentrate on the story.

A short story set in Tangiers, circa 1978, a young European encounters a Moroccan of a similar age.

In a future where it never ceases to rain, Joel finds himself alone on the streets after curfew. How he got there is not clear, his memory is fragmented. Is it being rescued to find yourself in a sex club? Past, present, and future are interwoven, somehow there must be an answer? Perhaps, he is the answer? And what about the other boys? What about the planet? Is there a future?

Can you imagine the future when you are thirteen years old? When you’ve lost everything? From the ruins of war in a bombed out town in Syria; the desperation of refugee camps; and slum cities in Turkey, the paramount goal is safety and the impossible: Europe. This story is of our time and does not shy away from harsh reality. There is abuse, exploitation, huge risk, suffering and pain, but there is also romance and a few good souls.

The intense heat and desolation hit you immediately the journey begins at the sordid truck stop, where sex is sold as easily as a beer. Jabez, the boy they call John, is a candy seller working for the hotel barman, a magician who can read people. But there is another reality, the Palace of Dreams where Jabez is the guide to strange events and pleasures. A bond is formed in the search to find El Cuervo de Plata (The Silver Crow).

The past has a way of catching up with you and it can turn your life upside down. When you haven't faced things completely, but hover in between, it is easy to fall into a complex of lies and half truths.

You may think you know what you want, but life has a habit of throwing a curve ball. Will Alex and Matty come through unscathed or will events prove to be overwhelming?

Whatever the outcome there will always be a sense of doubt.

Speechless

by William King

Edited by William King and Nick Campanella

A semi-autobiographical story about a library that brings together two boys, reveals some secrets, and leaves them speechless.

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Encounter, surprise, remeniscents, promise.

An old man, a youth, and a bench.

A short story.