Diamond in the rough

Ben hunched over in the cab of the lorry, eyes cast down, earphones firmly in place. He tugged his hoodie further over his face and ramped up his music, trying to drown out his stepdad, along with the

MUMMY says you need a new lady in your life. Do you need a new lady in your life, Grandpa?” Lily lifted her head from the drawing she was doing and looked Joe in the eye. If he’d been drinking coffee

TESS was completely disorientated when she woke up. Her eyes flickered open and she found herself facing an unfamiliar pale green wall. The room, wherever it was, held a faint hint of the new wallpape

Keith screamed as he leapt out of the way. The wild-looking animal glared at him, gave a loud grunt and bared its sharp teeth. That was more than enough for Keith. Any ideas of bravery or overcoming h

THERE’S a nice new girl working at the Post Office,” I said casually, as I unpacked my shopping on to the kitchen table. “Oh?” my daughter Debra answered, without looking up from her book. “Yes,” I co

I WAS a nightmare in the early days of my marriage, I admit it. I’d met Johnny on a skiing holiday in Courchevel, where we’d both gone with groups of chums. Johnny was the most daring of us and the be