A solicitor's letter invited Maria to come and discuss matters relating to the late Barbara Watkins' estate. Maria knew that Barbara had considered her a silly little kid, even after she'd helped save the life of one of her beloved horses. Barbara had made no secret of the fact she'd cared for each of her four legged friends than she ever had for anything on two legs.Those animals were now sold to pay off Barbaras debts. There was nothing of any financial value left. Those items of...

For a while now, Moira has had the feeling there's not much point in doing anything. Not even the thought of meeting her best friend Rosie lifts her spirits. How could that be? They'd known each other since they were kids, and contact with Rosie had always brought a smile to her face. It wasn't that they'd fallen out, just that lately their 'Monday Moan' was living up to that name rather too well. Rosie admits she feels the same way.A competition, with the prize of a wonderful spri...

Lately Linda's life had been one disappoint after the next. Things hadn't been great even before her husband left her for a younger, prettier slimmer woman. Now she was struggling at work, and unable to pay for all the groceries in her trolley.One bright spot was her colleague Tina's stories. You couldn't help listening. They were often amusing, but more frequently downright hilarious. They were wildly exaggerated of course and rarely complimentary, even when they involved herself....

When Kelly visited her best friend Aurora, she was baking. Initially Kelly was pleased. Last time she'd spoken to Aurora she'd sounded frantically busy and stressed. If she had time to bake things couldn't be too bad, could they?She soon realised they could. Aurora wasn't baking to relax, or even because she wanted bread. She was doing it because the cottage she loved was on the market, and she thought the smell would entice potential buyers. She was doing that rather than 'waste t...

Chloe had never fully identified as Mum's child. Mum was always so perfect, with never a hair out of place, or a chipped nail. Chloe was a tomboy who didn't care how she looked – not a great advert for Mum's dress shop! Even so, she never doubted Mum loved her very much.Although she didn't look like him either, Chloe had more in common with her father. She liked being down the allotment with him, watching things grow and harvesting them. Although she liked the edible things, her fa...

Nikki's husband is very enthusiastic about old engineering projects, obsessed with Thomas Telford, knows she wants to see the Bridge of Oich and promised to take her there – so why is he driving them away from the river Oich? And why can't rickety half-submerged boats stay still, instead of carrying her away from the safety of the bank, when she wants to prove a point?This 3000 word short story is also published in one of Patsy's many themed collections of short stories.

Sally's husband Brian makes too many assumptions and does too little towards caring for their children and home – which is why she agreed to have a drink with her sympathetic colleague Steve. On a day trip to see HMS Victory Brian is forced into managing the childcare alone for a short time. That one-off event might not be enough to ensure Sally says no to a second meeting with Steve.This 3100 word short story is also published in one of Patsy's many themed collections of short sto...

Steve is often out and about late at night. He doesn't want to scare people or have them wonder what he's up to. Fido proves to be the perfect answer.A 3,500 word short crime story

Adam knew that if you are told a secret you should never tell, and if you make a promise you must always keep it. Except if it's bad and someone might get hurt, then you should tell a responsible grown up, like a teacher or a police officer. He wouldn't tell anyone about Jimmy's bike. That was a good secret.This 3300 word short story is also published in one of Patsy's many themed collections of short stories.

Susie would never win the prize for the fastest check-out operator, but there was more to life than that.This 2000 word short story is also published in one of Patsy's many themed collections of short stories.

Alex remembered Deborah from school. She hadn't been kind then and she'd not improved since. Except that he didn't remember as much about her as he'd thought, and she did once give him a chance.A short story of 2,800 words

Matt followed all his gran's advice and got the job in the bookshop. He enjoyed it there, but there was something very strange about one of the customers. That's if she really was a customer – and actually existed.This 3300 word short story is also published in one of Patsy's many themed collections of short stories, each of which contains 24 stories.