Matt Shaw: A Sting in the Tale: A Collection of Short Stories

With so many collections out now, it is no secret that I enjoy the short story. I like the challenge of taking a reader on a little journey and yet still being able to slap them in the face with the potency of what happens. A tasty little sting in the tail that — even if they know it’s coming — gives them a buzz of adrenaline and brings a smile about their face. Even better, though, are the stings which completely blindside the reader and leaves them sitting there, open-mouthed and in a state of shock. When you get that reaction, you know you have truly succeeded in what you set out to do.

For me, the undisputed king of the short story is Roald Dahl. I know most people think of him as an author for children but he has an extensive back catalogue of adult stories too, including many shorts. If you are familiar with his work for children, you will know he has a darkness within him. And this darkness swallows all when he unleashed it upon his adult work; including a story of a landlady who murdered her guests only to then turn them into wax figurines which she catered for as though they still were living.

It is true that the short story is a hard genre to master and — whilst I do not claim to be anywhere near as good as Dahl — I only hope you still find enjoyment in what you’re about to read; short stories based on the lives and fears of some of my readers…

Jade Velasquez was in the kitchen of her two storey home; a cigarette hanging from her mouth and a cup of coffee in her hand. She was sitting at the kitchen table, browsing through old family photos with tears streaming down her face. She was only thirty-five yet, looking at these pictures she felt older. A feeling brought about by the photographs; old family photos that seemed a lifetime ago. In some cases they were; pictures with her son Aidan, now eight but in the picture much younger, and her ex-husband — all of them seemingly enjoying a family day out.

Without looking back at the pictures, Jade struggled to remember the good times with her ex. They had been happy at some time, she knew that, or else they wouldn’t have got married and had a child together but those feelings had definitely passed. Now he was just someone she saw once in a while when he swung by to pick Aidan up. Fleeting visits that were just about long enough to be civil to each other without relapsing into their old argumentative ways. There had definitely been a time when she had loved the man but that time had long since gone. Now her love was reserved for another; Esslee. They had been together for five years now and she knew he’d always be there for her. Her rock. Her biggest supporter. The one man she could count on when times got tough. Times like now.

On the stove behind her, dinner bubbled away simmering gently. She was holding off from serving it for as long as possible. Esslee hadn’t got in from work yet and she didn’t want to start without him. She couldn’t wait much longer though. She knew Aidan was hungry and — even if he hadn’t been — it was nearing his bedtime.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks with one hand and stubbing the cigarette out with the other, Jade stood up and walked over to the kitchen window. She looked out into the dreary world beyond. Grey clouds blanketing the sky. Just another miserable day here in Port Orchard. Nothing ever changes.

She walked from the kitchen to the living room. The television was on. Some random Bruce Willis film playing quietly — an audience of one as Aidan sat watching the action on the screen yet seemingly not really noticing it. He too had tears in his eyes — some of which had escaped and started rolling down his cheeks.

“Is the film good?” Jade asked. Films weren’t really her thing. Given half a choice, she was the sort of person who preferred to sit down with a good book; preferably a horror, or a psychological thriller. Aidan shrugged. “It looks good.” Although, he didn’t verbally respond. Jade glanced into the corner of the room. Her two basenji dogs — Marvin and Hitch — were sound asleep on the far couch. Thank God for that. When she and Aidan had first got home, they had gone berserk.

Basenji dogs are one of the only breeds of dog that cannot bark but it did not stop them from making a God-awful howling noise if they were excited by something, which is exactly what they had done when Jade walked through the door. She didn’t know what the hell was wrong with them but at least they had settled now.

“How was school today?” she asked Aidan. He didn’t answer. She sighed and walked across the room to where he was sitting. She knew he was upset but he couldn’t stay upset all night long. It wasn’t good for him. “You know you can talk to me if you need to, don’t you?” she said. It had been a traumatic day for the pair of them. She understood that he might not have been ready to talk about it but she wanted him to know that — when he was ready — she would be there for him.

“Leave me alone,” he mumbled without taking his eyes from the screen before him.

“Your father and I only want what is best for you.”

“I said leave me alone,” he said, slightly louder this time but still not shouting.

As someone who had suffered from depression since she was sixteen years old, it was fair to say that sometimes she could be a little hard to live with. Her moods would often fluctuate. One minute they would be up and the next, they’d be down. At one point her depression had been so bad she had been rushed to the emergency room after self-harming. Most people would be embarrassed about it but she wasn’t. When asked, she often replied with the quote, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. More recently, though, her moods had been better controlled with the help of medication. But when they did slip… they did so with devastating results. It was because of her moods, though, that she found herself more tolerant of others. At least, more tolerant of others when she herself wasn’t suffering from a bad day. Aidan rarely snapped at his mother though and, now that he had, Jade took the hint that he wanted some distance.

She stood up and walked back to the living room doorway. She sighed heavily and turned back to her son, “I am going to dish up dinner soon…” she said. “I was just waiting to see if Esslee was going to get home in time to enjoy it with us,” she finished.

“I’m not hungry,” he bit.

On screen — Bruce Willis blew another bad guy away with a snappy one-liner. Jade sighed again as another tear slipped down her cheek. She turned away and walked from the room, leaving her son to the film.

Back in the kitchen and dinner was still bubbling away. A chilli concoction that was in need of a stir. She picked up the wooden spatula from the side and stirred it — stopping the edges from congealing on the side of the pan as would usually happen when it started to burn.

Her cell-phone was buzzing on the side — Esslee’s picture on the display. She glanced at it but did not answer. Instead she left it ring off and go through to voicemail. The on-screen display showed twenty-five missed calls. Another message on the screen popped up; there were now six voicemails waiting for her to listen to. A second later and a text popped up on screen asking Jade to call him. All were ignored as she continued stirring the dinner. She figured that — whatever he wanted — he could say it to her face when he came home for dinner.

She scooped some of the chilli out using the spatula and gave it a taste. It was good. Spicy but not too spicy. Aidan didn’t like it when it was too spicy and he would often leave it. After the day he had had, she wanted it to be perfect. It wasn’t his favourite meal but it was definitely a contender for being in the top ten and she hoped it might perk him up a little. She set the spatula down and glanced back out of the window. Still no sign of Esslee’s car. Where the hell was he? Dinner would be ruined at this rate.