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    Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8)
    Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8)
    Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8)
    Ebook149 pages2 hours

    Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8)

    By Barnaby Wilde

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    About this ebook

    Ten complete short stories to read anywhere. Sci fi, romance, mystery and humour. Somethin's wrong, terrible wrong at the farm in 'Fine Weather'. An unexpected encounter at 40,000 feet in 'Night Flight'. A new use for ATMs in 'Dr Kemp's Card', and a man fights for his life in 'Runaway'. This collection includes a complete Mercedes Drew mystery in 'A Party for Mike' and another tale from the Vertigo Labs in 'Double Trouble'. Ten stories that are just the right length to read in your coffee break, in bed, or in the bath. The quiz team from the Poacher's Inn hold another rambling conversation in 'Reflections' and Harry finds a mysterious object in a scrapyard in 'Press to Reset'. All this and more in this eighth volume of short stories in the Barnaby's Shorts series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBarnaby Wilde
    Release dateApr 25, 2014
    ISBN9781311829252
    Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8)
    Author

    Barnaby Wilde

    Barnaby Wilde is the pen name of Tim Fisher. Tim was born in 1947 in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, but grew up and was educated in the West Country. He graduated with a Physics degree in 1969 and worked in manufacturing and quality control for a multinational photographic company for 30 years before taking an early retirement to pursue other interests. He has two grown up children and currently lives happily in Devon.

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      Book preview

      Barnaby's Shorts (Volume 8) - Barnaby Wilde

      Barnaby's Shorts

      (volume 8)

      A collection of short stories

      by

      Barnaby Wilde

      Copyright 2014 by Barnaby Wilde

      Barnaby Wilde asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      Published by Barnaby Wilde at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover picture: Based on an original image by Dawn Endico

      Other published works by the author.

      Humorous Novels (The Tom Fletcher Stories)

      I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday

      A Question of Alignment

      Every Which Way but East

      Quirky Verse

      Animalia

      Life…

      The Blind Philospher and the God of Small Things

      Not at all Rhinocerus

      A Little Bit Elephant

      Tunnel Vision

      The Well Boiled Icycle

      Short Story Collections

      Barnaby's Shorts (volumes 1 to 7)

      Detective Fiction (The Mercedes Drew Mysteries)

      Flowers for Mercedes

      Free Running

      Flandra

      Smile for the Camera

      Visit www.barnaby-wilde.co.uk for the author's blog and more information about the world of Barnaby Wilde. Twitter @barnaby_wilde

      Barnaby's Shorts (Volume Eight)

      Table of Contents

      Runaway ………….... A man fights for his life, running from … ?

      Double Trouble ……. The Vertigo Labs Director sees double.

      Press to Reset ............. Architectural and decorative salvage.

      Reflections ………….. The Poachers quiz team in reflective mood.

      Fine Weather ……….. Somethin's wrong, terrible wrong, on the farm.

      A Party for Mike …… A Mercedes Drew short story.

      Night Flight …………. A surprising encounter at 40,000 feet.

      Tapestry …………….. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away.

      Dr Kemps Card ……. An unexpected use for ATMs.

      Protect from Frost …. A surprise reunion for Emily.

      Other works by Barnaby Wilde

      Runaway

      Midnight (One minute after the accident) Fuck! The water's above my waist, almost up to my chest and it's cold. Not freezing to death cold, but not warm either. The bottom, under my feet, is soft, like mud. It probably is mud. … I mustn't panic. … The worst thing I could do is panic. There has to be a way out of this and the best thing to do is to stay calm and think rationally. The situation is a mess. I shouldn't be here, but I don't think I'm injured. No broken limbs, anyway. A few cuts and bruises maybe, but nothing serious. I just need to think carefully and make a plan to get out of here. … Just need to stay calm and think, that's all.

      Five to midnight (Five minutes before the accident) I don't think anyone saw me come in here. There's no sound of anybody following. I think I've finally lost them. This place looks completely deserted. I could stay here tonight, for a couple of hours, anyway, and move on in the morning. I don't think anyone's been in here for years, judging by the state of the roof. It's quite surprising that it's still standing. The whole place looks as though it could collapse at any moment. Can't see much anyway, now that it's getting dark. Maybe if I go further in there'll be somewhere I could bed down for the night. … Well, keep dry at least.

      The floor is completely rotten. I've already put my foot through it twice. There's another room back there. I think it might have been a kitchen once. At least it looks dry in there. I'll hunker down in there, in the corner.

      Ten past midnight (Ten minutes after the accident) This must have been the water supply for the house, once. I suppose it makes sense, building the kitchen over the well. Not far to go for water, anyway. Presumably there was a cover, once, to stop anyone falling in. Either it's rotted away, or someone's removed it. I think maybe it rotted. There's a couple of waterlogged planks down here, floating about. I can feel them. Can't see a damned thing, though. I reckon it must be about midnight now. Hours until morning. No point in shouting. I shouldn't think there's anyone about, except the one's I don't want to find me, maybe.

      … If I had a torch, I could see if there was a way to climb out. Sometimes they put rungs in the walls in wells. I'm sure I've seen that, in a film or something. If there are rungs, I can climb up. Just need to feel around the walls and see if I can find them.

      … The walls are wet. Probably because I soaked everything when I fell down here. Must've made a helluva splash, I reckon. … Feels like bricks. I think the well is lined with bricks. Feels like it, anyway. Probably is. Most wells are lined with bricks I s'pose. Must have been quite tricky. For the bricklayer, I mean. Especially the bottom ones. I wonder how they laid the bottom ones? The ones that are underwater? It feels as though the bricks go all the way down. As far as I can tell. … I can't feel any rungs, though. Maybe the rungs start higher up? If there are any. If I had a cane or something I could feel around higher.

      Twenty to midnight (Twenty minutes before the accident) I can't hear the dogs any more. I think maybe I've lost them. Mustn't stop, though, in case they pick up the scent again. I need to find somewhere to hide. Just for a couple of hours, maybe. Get a bit of sleep and move on before it gets light. There's no moon tonight, thankfully. If I could find a stream or something I could walk along it and then the dogs wouldn't get the scent at all. … There's never a stream when you want one, though.

      There's a building up ahead. It looks abandoned. Some sort of industrial building, I think. It doesn't look like a house. Not that it matters. I just need to get out of the rain for a while. Find something to eat, maybe. … Still no sound of the dogs. I reckon they've lost the scent, alright. P'raps the rain is making it difficult for them? Anyway, I'm going to go into the building and rest up.

      Half past midnight (Half an hour after the accident) It must be about four feet across. The well, I mean. I can touch both sides quite easily with my arms outstretched. I can't see the top, though, so I've no idea how deep it is. Maybe I could wedge my back against one side and sort of walk up the other side with my feet?

      … It's too wide. I keep slipping back. I can't get enough grip.

      Think. … There must be a way. Maybe when it gets light I'll be able to see the rungs. … If there are any rungs. There's usually rungs, I think. Probably see them when it gets light again. … Mustn't fall asleep. Don't want to slip under and drown. Not after what's happened. … Just need to keep awake. Use the time to make a plan. Get some ideas. In case there aren't any rungs. … There's probably rungs, though.

      Ten pm Day One (Two hours before the accident) I can hear the dogs again. They sound closer. I thought I'd lost them earlier. They must have found the scent again. Got to keep moving now. Can't afford to get caught. Not when I've got this far.

      Should I go higher, or down into the valley? … Down, I think. See if I can find some water, a lake or a river or something. I saw a thing, once, about how a guy escaped by lying under water and breathing through a hollow reed. It was a film, or a book maybe. I think it was a film. He was being chased by dogs and he just cut a hollow reed and lay down under the water, breathing through the reed. The hunters ran straight by. If I could find some water, I could try that trick. … That's if there are some hollow reeds, of course. … And if I had a knife to cut one.

      … It's too open out here. Too exposed. I should have gone up. More trees up there. Haven't heard the dogs for a while, though. Maybe they've given up? At least it's getting dark now. They won't be able to see so far, although I think dogs can see in the dark. I think I read somewhere that dogs eyesight is about one hundred times better than ours in the dark. And their noses are about a million times better than ours. … I need to keep moving.

      … I wonder how anyone knows about dog's eyesight? How far they can see, I mean.

      Focus. … I need to stay focused. Mustn't get side tracked thinking about dog's eyes and stuff. Just keep moving. Put some distance between us. Find some water and do the reed thing. Plenty of time to think about dog's eyesight later. … I didn't think they'd catch up so quickly.

      2am (Two hours after the accident) I keep drifting off. I must've been down here a couple of hours now. I'm getting cold, too. … There must be a way to get out of this water. If I had a ladder, I could get out of the water. … If I had a ladder, I could get out of the well. … Stupid thought. … I need to move about more to keep warm, but if I move about it stirs the mud up. Hang on. I think I just felt something with my foot. … Yeh. It feels like a brick. If I hook it up onto my foot, I can lift it high enough to reach it. … Damn. Slipped off. … O.K. … I've got it this time. It is a brick. Not much use. If I had a hundred, I could build a platform. … I wonder if there's anything else in the mud? … Difficult to tell with my shoes on. … Mustn't lose the shoe. There is something, though, in the mud. I can feel it with my foot. There's more than one thing. … Just a stone. … Can't get hold of this one. It keeps slipping off my foot. If I take my sock off, maybe I can pick it up with my toes. … Dropped it again. It's something long and thin. … It's a fork. A table fork. Pity it isn't a knife. Maybe there's a knife here as well if I feel around. … Can't feel anything else. … Just a brick and a fork. Not much use. A knife would have been better. … Must put my shoe back on before I lose it. … Maybe I could dig

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