Shortlisted The Queen’s Spy Louisa Bath Maya took a deep breath, adjusting the golden ornaments on her braids as she strode down the corridor. The dungeons of her castle were not overly dark and dingy, but they were … Continued
Shortlisted Dirt is but Matter in the Wrong Place Louise Briggs Her boots were pointing homeward now. Fading light was beginning to creep and curl itself around the trees and shrubs that lined her way. All the swirling … Continued
Shortlisted The Road to Condo Belinda Donald The water shimmers and glistens in the distance. A young girl and a boy walk on the long, straight road towards the magical and alluring water. Although they are both used … Continued
Shortlisted No Excuses Allowed Gail Griffin This was his first gig. But Jack had no excuse for ignoring the basic tenets of things he should definitely not do while being tattooed. They’d been drilled into Jack, repeatedly, by … Continued
Shortlisted Remotely NQR Jenny Macauley Elongated fingers of early morning sun crept across the field, illuminating the tops of the circular hay bales that lay haphazardly across the gently sloped paddock. Each bale cast its own shadow, still … Continued
Shortlisted Momentarily Free Adam Stone It truly breaks Frank’s heart every day, all over again. It has been six months now, and he still feels as though he has failed Joy. It had become particularly bad at home, … Continued
The Finest 500 is an annual competition for members of Geelong Writers. Entry is free. This year, writers were invited to submit prose or poetry of up to 500 words in response to the theme “Found”. The entries were … Continued
The Traveller and the Fae Louisa Bath The cool sting of frost still hangs in the air, despite how the early Spring has already decorated the branches with rich green. You shiver lightly, pulling your shawl tighter around your shoulders, … Continued
The Wheel Melissa King It’s 4:40am. You’re on the waterfront, bare toes clenched in the cold wet sand. Less than an hour ago you were drunk, full of expensive booze and high on adrenaline.But then you did a thing. An … Continued
Atonement Adrian Brookes This is as far as life goes, then. The boy’s acceptance was what troubled Nate the most. For a second of eternity his soul had locked with his victim’s. There’d been no sign of shock at the … Continued