A brush with authority

BYE, Mum, Dad. See you later!” fifteen-year-old Ailsa called, heading for the door. Her mum stopped her. “Oh no, you don’t. Breakfast first.” “There’s food laid on. Trish told me,” Ailsa said. “You’re

PAM glanced up at the clock on the far wall of the classroom. Just half an hour to go until the summer holidays began. Six blissful pupil-free weeks, to be spent mostly gardening and binge watching pe

MISS MYRTLE FFORBES took off her knitted bathing suit and eased herself into the scented bathwater. She sighed with bliss. What a fabulous day they’d had at the beach. They’d all swum, even Ena. Granv

POSTERS for a touring circus blossomed in shop windows, and on any vacant stretch of boarding. Some were pasted on top of other posters, from many seasons ago. They were a snowstorm of colour to catch

LESLEY patted her tearful granddaughter’s hand sympathetically and tried desperately to think of something to cheer her up. What could she say to a fourteen-year-old who thought her life was over beca

SATURDAYS were no fun when Mum was on shift. She’d made it clear that while she was at the hospital, whoever was left in the house was expected to get on with all the jobs that had to be done. Today t