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    No Fairytales
    No Fairytales
    No Fairytales
    Ebook229 pages3 hours

    No Fairytales

    By Sarah Sharp

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    No fairy tales is about three couples who are different stages in there lives. The couples have to overcome obstacles such as divorce, affairs and health scares. With the help of crazy friends and amazing new ones these couples overcome all the obstacles in there way. No fairy tales is full of laughter, tears and good old fashioned friendship.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse UK
    Release dateJun 30, 2014
    ISBN9781496980151
    No Fairytales
    Author

    Sarah Sharp

    I studied psychology for two years at Southampton Solent university as I find how the brain functions fascinating. As well as being a writer I am also a mother to a 8 year boy who keeps me busy and a wife to Andrew who is a submariner in the Royal Navy. I began writing when my husband was drafted to Plymouth and I got lonely at nights after Christopher had gone to bed. My style of writing is different with each book I have written comedies no fairy tales and I have written psychological thrillers which I have not had published yet.

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    Reviews for No Fairytales

    4/5

    1,359 ratings54 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The original versions not Disneyfied. Lots of deaths. Tricksters. Fools. Kindness rewarded. Cleverness rewarded. Some have morals. Some are just for fun to laugh at the foolishness.
    • 5/5
      Timeless stories, in all their bloody glory. :) My favorite is Rumpelstiltskin, when he rips himself in half. :D
    • 5/5
      (Original Review, 2005-11-16)In Genesis there is suddenly this sentence/observation about giants walking the Earth in them days... I always see those elderly male Jews in Babylon, staring glumly at some campfire, thinking about the good old days and thinking up revengeful plans to smite the enemy. They tell the stories of their tribes but there is that one quite senile idiot always going on about 'them giants' - so in the end they say, "Okay, we WILL put them in. Now shut up already!" I can see myself being the Giant Guy (if more all over the place) and I'm not sure the good campfire folks here need the distraction... I don't know if it is only about 'folk tales' per se, but I am with most people on the campfire and howling wolves. For me the atmospherics are very, very important. Our culture no longer has much in the way of campfires and wolves so our writers have had to incorporate them, figuratively, into the fictions themselves. The rest is literary history.I don't see fairytales simply as children's stories; that's a relatively recent- and, of late, receding- viewpoint. There is a vast quantity of material around beyond Grimm and Andersen and little of it aimed at children. Perrault or Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy were writing for the amusement of adults, and the Arabian Nights were not exactly suitable bedtime reading for under-5's, while Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen achieved almost occult-like effects in her wondrous tales, which float somewhere between Baghdad and Copenhagen.Fairytales are most powerful when they access the taboo, the suppressed, or the deepest fears and desires within us. And they do so often. Your "children's rituals" and "simple messages" are really only the tip of the iceberg. For that matter, “The talented Mr. Ripley” (LINK) fulfills a similar role - a very wicked and challenging little tale full of deliciously gratuitous moments, the enjoyment of which made me at least think long and hard about my own morality.I was raised on the standard stuff: Grimm and Andersen mostly. There is obviously darkness there - and taboos, yes. (It's interesting that in the stories where children are imperiled the original versions had 'mother' and the later versions 'stepmothers'.) The ones I and probably most children end(ed) up with are the simpler, safer ones though, don't you think? I love Angela Carter's “Bloody Chamber” but most kids will be more likely to see Disney as the centre of the fairytale universe - which truly is a disservice to fairytales, of course.I am no longer that interested in stories where the characters are merely there to move things alone. Like standard puppets that can be used and reused for all kinds of similar types of stories. As I mentioned elsewhere, that goes for all kinds of stories, including movies. What I find fascinating about the early stories passed along (mutating on the way) is more that they give us some kinds of fleeting glimpse of the origin story of stories. Because most of the early part of that origins stories is/was in an oral form we can never really know how stories began and evolved. There are no helpful fossils - or not enough to have more than (slightly) informed theories.Did stories start as parts of religious/ceremonial chants? Were they like cave paintings: meant to magically influence the outcome of the hunt? Where did fiction start to make an entrance, if the earliest stories were mostly a sort of remembering (the deeds and wisdom of) dead tribe members? All endlessly fascinating to me - and no more than useless musings in the end.Back to fairytales for a moment. They may no longer really work for me as entertainment but the reason they don't is in a way part of their strength. That they are predictable is partly why they work so well as stories. They warn us about the evils of the world but they are also almost like a church service: a repeated ritual to explain the world. They bring order to what basically is a chaotic system. Which is of course also why they are so enduringly popular with children, who like rituals and the idea of safety-through-repetition. I like my stories, like “Grimms Märchen,” more complex but it is easy to see how stories that carve simple messages out of the complex narrative of the world will be as enduring as the world. In that way they are exactly like religion (for me at least). The Grimms, despite their initial attempt to be "invisible" curators of folklore, began increasingly to modify and colour the tales they transcribed. Italo Calvino discusses this phenomenon at length in the introduction to Italian Fables, his own attempt to replicate the Grimms' work in Italy.
    • 5/5
      Timeless stories, in all their bloody glory. :) My favorite is Rumpelstiltskin, when he rips himself in half. :D
    • 2/5
      I guess I'm glad I read it, but it was a chore. For every good story, there are twenty near-unreadable messes.
    • 5/5
      I decided to read the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, possibly the world's first set of collected fairy tales, shortly after finishing The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I loved Grimm's Fairy Tales for their darkness and originality. Although some of the fairy tales have become ubiquitous in our culture, such as "Hansel and Gretel," I enjoyed reading the original version.
    • 5/5
      I have a confession to make: I find it more convenient to acquire the collected works of an author long after they're dead. That gives the experts plenty of time to wage their wars on authenticity, and translators the time to properly translate all the ancient idioms into today's slang, and so forth.Now, I don't wish any authors dead, as I'd rather they generate as much work as possible before I finish collecting it, but I just love it when I can get a copy of EVERY JOT AND TITTLE BY AUTHOR A, so I don't have to have too many books on my shelf.Because of this quirk, The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales is a wonder for me. Within this work, I discovered a very interesting thing that the Disney generation would probably miss: The fairy tales were not intended solely for children (and at times, probably weren't suitable for children), but were instead intended for the people. The children's stories, however, are not fairy tales, per se, but are more religious morality tales featuring Jesus or the Apostles.If you've been raised on Disney and colorful picture books, then reading the collected, uncut works may be a shock to you. They're pretty gruesome. And everybody had lice.But, within its pages, we have all the great tales: Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding-Hood, and so forth. And unless you're a Grimm scholar, there will probably be a story in there that you've never heard of before.I would probably not recommend this book for your children. Other people's children, maybe, but not yours, unless you don't want to molly-coddle them until they're 36. But, don't give it to your children expecting it to be the brightly-colored, sanitized version of all your favorite fairy tales. It is, instead, the grim (was that pun intended?) tales as originally written, and well worth the read.
    • 4/5
      One of the best collections. The real versions of all the classic fairy tales that Disney censored. The gore and twists give them more of a realistic perspective and are more alluring. Definitely a book I plan to pass down for generations.
    • 5/5
      Good folk tales but not for children!
    • 2/5
      I'm glad I finally read this collection, but it was not very impressive. Most of the tales were very repetitive--maybe one element was changed in the new tale. Some of the tales were inane and ridiculous, but not in a good way. The best tales were already snagged by Disney to turn into movies. It was interesting reading the original versions of those stories, though. Again, I'm glad I read it, but won't be reading it twice.
    • 5/5
      I loved these stories! (Even with all the gruesome parts.) Very imaginative, albeit a bit repetitive if you read them all to close together. Still, in doses they're good bedtime reading to put oneself to sleep.
    • 4/5
      Finally finished. I have lots of thoughts about these tales and their common motifs. Pretty much, if you have a stepmother, she's wicked and dabbles in witchcraft. Trials and events happen in threes. There's always a dress of the sun, a dress of the moon, and a dress of the stars that a beautiful maiden will exchange with a false bride so that she may sleep in the same chamber as her beloved, but the false bride will give the groom a sleeping potion so that he won't hear the beautiful maiden's story and remember who she is. Luckily the servants will inform the prince and all will be made well. The cleverest son is usually the one deemed stupid or daft. If you can slip from the skin of an animal, a form you are required to take by day, and someone steals the skin and burns it, then you are free from your curse and will remain human. And on and on. I learned many ways to cheat the devil, so that's handy. It was enjoyable to read the original, darker versions of the tales Disney "cleaned up" and to read the tales no one ever mentions, like "Allerleirauh" which in the German means "of many different kinds of fur." "The Bremen Town Musicians" and "The Master Thief" are two of my faves.
    • 4/5
      Wow, disney is WAY off on how the original Cinderella went!! I like this book, but the brothers Grimm were a little morbid!
    • 2/5
      I loved these stories but they are definitely not intended for children. They were also more than a bi moralistic especially for Europe during the times of the Enlightenment
    • 5/5
      Timeless stories, in all their bloody glory. :) My favorite is Rumpelstiltskin, when he rips himself in half. :D
    • 2/5
      Interesting reading, but hard to get through. These are the fairy tales I heard of as an adult, but never knew as a vhild. Some of these are NOT for children.
    • 4/5
      Enormous breadth, and much crueller in the original telling (and the best children's literature often has a streak of cruelty viz Roald Dahl). Maybe there are too many stories in the volume - sometimes they can be repetitive. On a secondary note and interesting window into the folk traditions of early modern Germany.
    • 4/5
      The brothers grimm book of fairytales is not for the lighthearted. Its scary and has many dark themes yet somehow on a cold winters night im always drawn in.
    • 5/5
      The best thing about this edition is, of course, its completeness. This has all the tales, including the ten religious tales for children. It's definitely an adult version- just the tales and no pictures or mincing about. The translation is based on the Grimms' last edition. I bought this after becoming interested in fairy tales and have since been more than happy with the results.
    • 5/5
      The brothers Grimm. Required reading for all children. Required reading auf deutsch for anyone who is studying German.
    • 4/5
      These fairy tales should never be mistaken for just 'children's stories'. They are not dumbed or watered down - they are as they were written as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm originally set them down: bold, primal, just frightening enough, and endlessly engaging. I think this should be a must read for any adult out there.
    • 5/5
      I appreciate these classic fairy tales more as an adult than I did as a child.
    • 5/5
      It was interesting to read the original (and darker) versions of some of the fairy tales that Disney has sanitized for American children. I love Grimm fairy tales, and they are even better in their original German. Each one is not only entertaining, but teaches a great life lesson. If you have a dark sense of humor or just plain like morbid stories, Grimm fairy fales are as good as they get.
    • 5/5
      Summary:The book I own is from 1945 and I could not find the specific book on here. This is a collection of the fairy tales collected and printed by the brothers Grimm. All of the classic tales such as Briar Rose (sleeping Beauty) and Cinderella are in the book as well as some unknown to me like Fundevogel. Many of the stories start with 'Once upon a time' and contain someone good, someone bad and a quest or lesson to be learned. The book is bound with burgundy material and has wonderful color prints on the front and throughout the book.
    • 4/5
      I've read a few Grimm's Fairy Tales over the years, while growing up, etc. But I'm glad I finally made the time to read the complete, original collection.These fairy tales are very short, and best read in small doses. I read one or two tales every day. It was interesting to see the original version of popular classics like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, etc, and how much has been changed over the years.I had heard that these tales were darker than the modern versions, and they are, just a little bit. I would not recommend reading these to VERY young children - they might find some parts a little scary. For instance, sometimes young people get eaten, killed, and occasionally a head is chopped off. Generally speaking, things work out for the best in the end, though, and there is usually a lesson to be learned. Older children should have no problem reading this.I would recommend this book if you have any interest in fairy tales, modern or ancient.
    • 5/5
      What a great thing to reread all these old tales again, most of them as if for the first time! I'd forgotten how much simpler and purer many of these are than their Disney versions (although I do appreciate those also) such as Rumpelstiltskin and how explicitly Christian many of them are such as Our Lady's Child, my favorite, from which Tomie Depaola's classic "Clown of God" obviously draws from. I think the translation is one of the most readable I've seen, keeping a touch of old world flavor without sounding too foreign to modern ears. Great collection.
    • 4/5
      I think every person should read a fairy tale anthology. Grimm's is a good choice. Not all the stories all good, and there is a lot of repetition - one element from here, another there, to make a different story. But - it is interesting to see the stories as told originally to the Grimm brothers, before Disney got hold of it and changed the story. In this book, there are a few good witches, many more bad witches, but no fairy godmothers granting wishes.What I found most interesting is that these stories change from teller to teller, and for the circumstance. There is many references to Christianity (tricking the Devil, Angels, Churches, etc) so I think that they were changed from pagan to accommodate the changing beliefs.I wonder where all the royalty comes from, it seems that every story has a peasant marrying a royal after some sort of trial, or royalty marrying other royalty after a trial - is this a wish fulfillment or something else by the story teller?Even though these stories are fiction and were created to entertain, they show an element of life at the time they were spoken - lots of hard work, very little money, and a world that is supernatural, not tamed by science.
    • 4/5
      This a is great little story that shows you can never receive something without expecting to have to give something in return.
    • 4/5
      These are the unabridged tales of the Brothers Grimm, which means death and envy and not-nice endings. These are old German tales, which can bring back rather Teutonic visions of paganism and malicious parents. One can understand the superstition of the Germanic population and how many of these tales originated during the Thirty Years' War, when entire families and villages vanished in flames. I suppose if I had to survive during those times, my mind would have created wondrous stories that focused on retribution and survival. While the Grimms collected these tales in the 19th Century, the horrors of the previous centuries come through loud and clear.

      There are many patterns throughout the stories with the numbers 3 and 7 being very popular. Three sons venture into the world, seven brothers are turned into swans, three puzzles must be solved by the potential groom, seven years must be served under the Devil...and so forth and so on. Wives and mothers do not come out well here, either being selfish or witches or both. Hansel and Gretel still resonates, more so after reading the original version (as in, parents not wanting the kids).

      I took my time reading this over several months, so I could enjoy each story. There are many favorites but the one I enjoyed the most was the shortest:MISFORTUNE, which quickly tells the tale of a man who couldn't win, even as he was being saved (crushed by a wall).

      When misfortune pursues any one, it will find him out into whatever corner he may creep, or however far he may flee over the world.

      Book Season = Autumn (season of the witch)
    • 5/5
      I read this over and over again as a kid (obviously not the "kindle" edition, but it was one big volume.)

    Book preview

    No Fairytales - Sarah Sharp

    cover.jpg

    AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

    1663 Liberty Drive

    Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

    www.authorhouse.co.uk

    Phone: 0800.197.4150

    © 2014 Sarah Sharp . All rights reserved.

    No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

    Published by AuthorHouse  06/26/2014

    ISBN: 978-1-4969-8014-4 (sc)

    ISBN: 978-1-4969-8015-1 (e)

    Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

    and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

    Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

    Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    Contents

    Acknowledgement

    Preface

    Introduction

    Chapter One

    Chapter Two

    Chapter Three

    Chapter Four

    Chapter Five

    Chapter Six

    Chapter Seven

    Chapter Eight

    Chapter Nine

    Chapter Ten

    Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Thirteen

    Chapter Fourteen

    Chapter Fifteen

    Chapter Sixteen

    Chapter Seventeen

    Chapter Eighteen

    Chapter Nineteen

    Chapter Twenty

    Chapter Twenty One

    Chapter Twenty Two

    Chapter Twenty Three

    Chapter Twenty Four

    Chapter Twenty Five

    Chapter Twenty Six

    Chapter Twenty Seven

    Chapter Twenty Eight

    Chapter Twenty Nine

    Chapter Thirty

    Chapter Thirty One

    Chapter Thirty Two

    Chapter Thirty Three

    Chapter Thirty Four

    Chapter Thirty Five

    Chapter Thirty Six

    Chapter Thirty Seven

    Chapter Thirty Eight

    Chapter Thirty Nine

    Chapter Forty

    Chapter Forty One

    Chapter Forty Two

    Chapter Forty Three

    Chapter Forty Four

    Chapter Forty Five

    Chapter Forty Six

    Chapter Forty Seven

    Chapter Forty Eight

    Chapter Forty Nine

    Chapter Fifty

    Chapter Fifty One

    Chapter Fifty Two

    Chapter Fifty Three

    Chapter Fifty Four

    Chapter Fifty Five

    Chapter Fifty Six

    Chapter Fifty Seven

    Chapter Fifty Eight

    Chapter Fifty Nine

    Chapter Sixty

    Chapter Sixty One

    Chapter Sixty Two

    Chapter Sixty Three

    Chapter Sixty Four

    Chapter Sixty Five

    Chapter Sixty Six

    Chapter Sixty Seven

    Chapter Sixty Eight

    Chapter Sixty Nine

    Chapter Seventy

    Chapter Seventy One

    Chapter Seventy Two

    Chapter Seventy Three

    Chapter Seventy Four

    Chapter Seventy Five

    Chapter Seventy Six

    Chapter Seventy Seven

    Chapter Seventy Eight

    Chapter Seventy Nine

    Chapter Eighty

    Chapter Eighty One

    Chapter Eighty Two

    Chapter Eighty Three

    Chapter Eighty Four

    Chapter Eighty Five

    Chapter Eighty Six

    Chapter Eighty Seven

    Chapter Eighty Eight

    Chapter Eighty Nine

    Chapter Ninety

    Chapter Ninety One

    Chapter Ninety Two

    Chapter Ninety Three

    Chapter Ninety Four

    Chapter Ninety Five

    Chapter Ninety Six

    Chapter Ninety Seven

    Chapter Ninety Eight

    Chapter Ninety Nine

    Chapter One Hundred

    Chapter Hundred One

    Chapter Hundred Two

    Chapter Hundred Three

    Chapter Hundred Four

    Chapter Hundred Five

    Chapter Hundred Six

    Chapter Hundred Seven

    Chapter Hundred Eight

    Chapter Hundred Nine

    Chapter Hundred Ten

    Chapter Hundred Eleven

    Chapter Hundred Twelve

    Chapter Hundred Thirteen

    Chapter Hundred Fourteen

    Chapter Hundred Fifteen

    Chapter Hundred Sixteen

    Chapter Hundred Seventeen

    Chapter Hundred Eighteen

    Chapter Hundred Nineteen

    Chapter Hundred Twenty

    Chapter Hundred Twenty One

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Two

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Three

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Four

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Five

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Six

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Seven

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Eight

    Chapter Hundred Twenty Nine

    Chapter Hundred Thirty

    Chapter Hundred Thirty One

    Chapter Hundred Thirty Two

    Chapter Hundred Thirty Three

    Chapter Hundred Thirty Four

    Chapter Let’s do a catch up

    Dedication

    This book is for all the friends who have left us way to early.

    Acknowledgement

    I WOULD LIKE TO SAY a big thank you to my husband Andrew for supporting me whilst I wrote no fairy tales and telling me every day how proud of me he is for following my dreams. I want to thank my friend Patsy for listening to me moan and telling that my book is really good when I would send her chapters and ask for her opinion. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and getting me through this process. I hope I have done every one proud with my book. I would also like to thank the staff at author house for giving me the opportunity to have my book published.

    Preface

    NO FAIRY TALES CAME about when my husband who is a submariner in the royal navy was based in Plymouth and I was living in Fareham. During the day I had university and friends to keep me from feeling lonely but once I had tucked my son into bed I felt alone. I started scribbling down notes for a character called Georgia who loved party planning and I found the more I wrote about her other characters appeared, so I started making up stories for them. By the time me and my husband were living together in Scotland I had written a full book but I decided to put it in a draw and let it gather dust. That was until one day I just thought why don’t I send the book off to be published with the attitude that the worst that could happen was that I got told no. after seeing an advert for author house I decided to send my book to them. Now my first book is in the big world and I have been bitten by the writing bug and I am now writing full time and I love it.

    Introduction

    ‘A nice cup of tea and everything will be fine’

    NO FAIRY TALES LOOKS at the lives of three couples at various stages in their lives and how they deal with everyday life such as divorce, adultery, sex and marriage with often hilarious consequences. No fairy tales takes a look at life with humour, sadness and the odd gross moment throwing in. Georgia is in her mid-thirties and is a control freak who loves nothing better than organising parties and life in general even the conception of her much longed for baby is meretriciously planned but a health scare threatens to throw this once organised woman’s life into complete chaos. Karen is in her late twenties and is married to her childhood sweetheart and has two children, she plods on with her simple life making the most of what she has but with her thirtieth birthday looming she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her life and dreams of a better life, will a chance encounter give her the life she has always dreamed off and is the grass really greener on the other side. Sue is in her late forties and has been happily married to Richard for twenty five years and believes she will ends her days with her husband, that is until a giggly, overly self-tanned woman comes bouncing into their life and threatens to derail this once stable marriage, can life really begin again at fifty. No fairy tales shows that nothing is impossible with good friends and a good cup of tea.

    Chapter One

    WALKING THROUGH THE GRAND arches, clinging onto my books my body begins to tingle with excitement. I had finally got into university. I was the first female in my entire family to attend university and I felt proud. I could not contain my excitement and I could feel a huge smile appearing across my face and I didn’t care what anyone thought. My head was buzzing with plans for my future, as I am keen on history and I have wanted to be a teacher since nursery it made sense for me to become a history teacher. As I am planning what kind of teacher I was going to be and coming to the conclusion that I was going to be strict be fair, when I hear footsteps running up behind me. ‘you’ll be locked up for smiling away to yourself’ I turn to see my best friend Robert standing there was his light blue jeans and trade mark bright white t-shirt. Robert was tall and handsome and was often mistaken for an old time Hollywood movie star and a personality to match ‘I’m so glad to be here and away from the family’ says Robert giving me an unusual weak smile. Robert had just told his family about being gay and his father did not take it well as his father had strong opinions about homosexuals and after one to many bottles of brown ales he would voice these opinions. One night after a few to many he came home and tried to beat the gayness out of Robert. Luckily Robert managed to escape before he was beaten to death and make it to my parents’ house, where he remained through the summer holidays. ‘Robert I hope you meet the man of your dreams here’. Robert squeezes me tightly ‘Sue I love you and hope you meet the perfect man too’ I laugh ‘I won’t I have the time as I have too much work to do’ we look at each other and both know that I am still nursing a broken heart after my ex-boyfriend dumped me for being a gay lover. Robert gives me another big squeeze as though he was reading my thoughts ‘I must run my class is starting’ then he runs off to catch up with his class mates. After my first lecture I decide to go to the library to read. The library is grand and almost feels like I’m sitting in a church with its plain glass windows that would just let in hints of light. I manage to find a vacant seat next to the window. I place my books on the table and sit back and look out of the window at the shadows of other students running around outside. I was so far away from home but it was just what I needed as I was starting to feel stifled at home by my parents ‘sorry is this seat taking’ I’m dragged out of my thoughts by a lad standing next to me, who was obviously a big Duran Duran fan as he channeled Simon le bon with his clothes ‘sorry I was away with the fairies, that seat is free’ I say pointing at the seat opposite me ‘thanks I need to get this essay finished’ he says whilst not so quietly placing his large bundle of books on the table and causing the librarian to shoot him a disapproving look. I can’t help but stare at his selection of books, they were all medical based with a few anatomy books and I really old battered leather bound book that I couldn’t quite make out the writing on it ‘so are you studying to be a doctor or do you just like looking at the gory pictures’ he looks up at me from behind his book and looks at his selection ‘a bit of both, I’m a second year medical student and the pictures are pretty awesome’ he laughs and I can’t help but laugh with him ‘what about you?’ I stop laughing and give a nervous laugh ‘teaching, I am going to be the world’s best history teacher’ I say holding my head up high and getting another laugh out of the sexy stranger. The hours pass by and it begins to get dark but I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to sexy stranger ‘do you fancy a coffee’ he says stretching and doing an exaggerated yawn ‘I would love one’ I say rather to quickly but it would extend our time together. ‘My name is Sue, Sue McCarthy by the way’ I say giving him a big smile ‘I’m Richard Blackthorn’ he says and gives me an even bigger smile. After we had finished our coffees, the librarian informs us that they are closing ‘I’ll walk you back to your halls, its dark and lots of weirdo’s around’ says Richard whilst grabbing mine and his books. I was all for equal rights and a bit of a feminist but I loved that Richard was carrying my books. As we are walking back to the halls we talk about the future and I see we both share a love for traveling the world. Richard wanted to be a doctor and traveling to small villages and give immunisations; he joked that I could go with him and educate the children. When we reach my halls Richard leans in and kisses me on the lips ‘I’m sorry that was a bit forward’ he says as he backs away ‘no its ok I don’t mind’. We stand there awkwardly for a few moments ‘should we meet tomorrow same time, same place’ I say breaking the ice ‘I would love that Sue, see you tomorrow’. With that he walks off into the darkness as I slowly see him disappear I realise that he could be the man to mend my heart or break it.

    Chapter Two

    SITTING IN THE PARK with my best friend Beth, I see two lads in the distance running and play fighting. ‘There’s Ben and that Martin’ says Beth. Beth hates Martin after he told everyone that they were dating after a drunken kiss. So are you ready for tonight’ says Beth hugging me. ‘Yes I love Ben and I want him to be my first’ I say looking at Ben in the distance. ‘Here I bought you these’ says Beth whilst shoving a packet of condoms into my school bag. ‘hello ladies’ says a really cocky Martin and Beth just looks at him like crap ‘look what I have’ he says whilst rummaging through his school bag. ‘Why did you bring that rocket fuel?’ Martin looks a bit gutted by Beth’s comment ‘white lightening is all my dad had in the fridge’. We decide to finish off the bottle of cider in the park, as we didn’t want to get stopped by the police in the street. After drinking just two glasses of cider, Beth starts cartwheeling around the park, much to Martins delight as her skirt keeps going up and flashes her knickers ‘are you ready to go’ I ask her. He quickly downs his cider and jumps off the bench ‘we are away mate?’ Ben shouts to a very happy Martin ‘couldn’t wait any longer’ laughs Martin lifting his arm and pretending it’s a hard on. We can still hear Martin cheering as we walk away ‘why do you hang around with that moron’ I ask and Ben turns and laughs at his mate ‘he’s not that bad and he’s my best mate’. As soon as we get to my house, I take Ben straight upstairs, as I don’t want the neighbours to see him and tell my mam he’s here. ‘Wow you really are a big take that fan aren’t you?’ Ben says whilst looking at all the posters on my wall. ‘Yes, I am going to marry Robbie Williams and be rich’ I say smiling at Ben ‘I’ll put some music on’ says Ben and puts on the CD player. The backstreet boys start blasting out of the CD player ‘I really should have checked what cd was in first’ Ben laughs. Sitting kissing on the bed, I pull away and look at Ben ‘are you sure you want to do this’ I ask ‘yes I love you Karen’. Half way through I hear a popping noise and Ben stops ‘what’s wrong’ I ask worried I have done something wrong. ‘I think the condom has split’ says Ben ‘it’s ok I heard that you can’t fall pregnant on your first time’ I naively say.

    Chapter Three

    IT WAS A FREEZING cold night and I and my friend decided to go exploring the local area looking for a nice quiet pub instead of being pushed and shoved in the clubs in Newcastle. Standing at Newcastle bus station, my friend Joy turns to me ‘ok let’s just jump on the first bus that comes in and go there’ says Joy looking around for a bus. Unlike me Joy was impulsive whereas I liked to plan and know what I was going to be doing each day. ‘If we end up becoming a part of some weird country ritual for slaying impulsive university students I’m blaming you’ I say to Joy as I check for objects that could be used as potential weapons in my bag, just in case I need them. I see a double decker pulling up and praying it’s for somewhere nice. ‘Hexham we are going to Hexham’ says Joy all excited as though we were going to Disney land instead, not

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