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    A Little Book of Strange Tales
    A Little Book of Strange Tales
    A Little Book of Strange Tales
    Ebook68 pages54 minutes

    A Little Book of Strange Tales

    By Richard Hinchliffe

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A Little Book of Strange Tales is a collection of stories and rhymes to send a shiver down your spine. Journey with us from the coldest reaches of Outer Space to the blistering heat of the burning pits of Hell in this little collection of unsettling weirdness.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrindle Books Ltd
    Release dateMar 1, 2022
    ISBN9781739864828
    A Little Book of Strange Tales

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      Book preview

      A Little Book of Strange Tales - Richard Hinchliffe

      Introduction

      ––––––––

      I’ve always loved short stories, especially the strange ones. I remember, as a child, being transfixed whilst watching ‘The Outer Limits’, ‘The Twilight Zone’, or the Hammer horror anthology movies.

      As I grew older, the necessity of having to perform mundane work to earn my living meant that I could no longer spend my evenings in front of the television. As a result, I began to spend a portion of my free time dreaming up my own stories.

      Thinking up your own tales gives you the opportunity to drift off and explore other dimensions. You can find yourself in all sorts of places; from a little diner on a deserted country road, as in ‘The Last Bus’, to the far reaches of space with the main protagonist of ‘Where there’s Hope’.

      This little collection of stories explores all sorts of unusual places and the strange, sometimes sinister, events that unfold there.

      I hope that you have as much fun reading these tales as I did writing them.

      ––––––––

      Richard Hinchliffe

      The Summer of the Ant War

      Robbie squinted against the bright July sun and noticed that the two soldiers at the head of the column had paused, sensing danger. Then he marvelled at their courage as, without waiting for their comrades, they charged forward to engage the enemy. Hopelessly outnumbered, with no chance of survival, they went into battle, antennae twitching, and hacked madly at their foes until they were overpowered, dismembered and devoured.

      Not wishing to see the carnage continue Robbie took a book from his satchel and stood it between the warring factions. The ants, confronted with the unknown, stopped. The forward scouts turned, perhaps in fear, or confusion, or perhaps simply seeking further orders, but the break in hostilities did not last very long. After a moment of chaos, the insects advanced upon each other again. Some moved around the book, some attempted to climb it. Both sides had the same goal: Destroy the enemy for the good of the colony.

      Robbie hadn’t noticed his father appear behind him.

      Ants, eh? he muttered, looking over the boy’s shoulder. I’m sure I’ve got something in the shed for ants.

      Robbie watched him march purposefully down the garden and wondered what his father could possibly have that the ants might want.

      Presently, he returned with a brass spray can. He gently shooed the boy away before pumping the handle several times and spraying the entire battlefield with the contents of the can.

      As the mist cleared, Robbie edged gingerly forward to see the resulting carnage. The ants were no longer fighting. A few were trying desperately to cling to life, staggering around aimlessly. It was a futile struggle, and within seconds they joined their fallen comrades and foes, the black and the red lying together, warriors at last united, awaiting ant Valhalla.

      Robbie turned to ask his father why, but he was already walking away, returning the weapon to its resting-place. Perhaps, thought the boy, this little taste of Armageddon had been a warning to the ant colonies not to make war here. The deaths of these soldiers must have been the price of peace. That must be it, he decided, because adults were wise.

      By the end of the summer, however, his father had systematically slaughtered every ant in the garden...

      * * *

      The blast woke him, hurling him the width of the trench. At first he curled up, panic-stricken, into a foetal position. He was sure that he had been hit. After a moment, however, he realised that the pain in his head was due to the noise of the explosion, and the wetness that soaked through his trench coat was the mud, thrown up by the blast, half covering him. Still, he remained, a ball of quaking flesh and bone, unable to move or to speak.

      Snap out of it, Private! someone barked, but he found that he could not respond.

      He’s losing it, Sarge, a voice muttered. He’s in shock.

      Get him out of there, the first voice ordered.

      Robbie distantly sensed hands grabbing him by the collar, dragging him from beneath the cold mud. A moment later he sat, shivering, a damp blanket wrapped tightly about him.

      Someone had found his steel helmet and put it on his head, but he was vaguely aware, and strangely worried that he did not know where his weapon was – as if it would do him any good here.

      Private Thompson, the Sergeant growled, pull yourself together!

      Unready to answer, he stared ahead, rocking gently back and forth in silence.

      "Somebody sort

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