Into Slumber

A collection of short stories, satirical pieces and anecdotes, ranging from the dryly humorous to the somewhat serious; from fairly light to very dark; from the rather touching to the deeply distasteful. Whatever your literary leanings, you may be assured that there will be something in here to offend you.

To learn more about the inspiration behind these unexpectedly erudite pieces, visit the About the Author page.


Slip into this selection of sagacious short stories, sophisticated satires, sardonic soliloquies and other, less alliterative tales of unease, romance, fantasy, wistful longings, elusive dreams, and bittersweet memories.

  • Earnest Whisper Story Wistful The tale of a young man, an orphan, who knows nothing of either his father or his mother, and how he learns of his strange origins.
  • They Say These Woods Are Haunted Satire A curious – some would say incredible – account of how a world fell into barbarism as a result of poor dietary decisions.
  • Regal Splendour Satire Memory A moving description of what it was like to own and drive that most remarkable of vehicles, the Reliant Regal.
  • Do You Use Cash? Satire An interview with a victim of a new form of substance abuse that has been emerging in recent years, and who has suffered its dreadful consequences.
  • The Wonderful Dream Leaves Story Wistful Dream A young man who is plagued by insomnia discovers a herbal remedy, but finds himself being drawn into his dreams to a greater degree than he expected.
  • They Are Among Us Satire Have you ever wondered why calls made to customer service lines are so frustrating? Find out here.
  • Virtual Unreality Satire Can something have a real existence but not a virtual one? The philosophical dilemma is examined here.
  • White Ribbon Painting Sensual Back in 2007, a friend wrote a vignette that captivated me. Years later, I captured that scene in a painting. Here is the story of how it happened.
  • Lying and Laying Satire How a well-known company tests the grammatical skills of its employees, and the surprisingly stringent measures that are taken against those who fail.
  • Do You Want to Live Forever? Satire JS Why was everyone on Myspace so young, back in 2006? I discovered the terrifying secret while on Journalspace: now is the time to reveal it.
  • Sport Utility Vehicle Satire Vulgar Do American men treat their cars as they do their women, or vice versa, or both, or neither? A chance discovery revealed the shocking truth to me.
  • Family Matters Story Uncanny Dream A woman returns to her childhood home after the death of her father, but while going through his papers she finds something rather disturbing.
  • A Matter of Taste Painting Memory I was rather proud of a painting I did of the six-year-old daughter of a couple I knew, but there was a factor I had not catered for.
  • That Shrinking Feeling Satire Memory How I sought to help the unfortunate members of the psychiatric profession in Britain to overcome their struggles with mental health treatment.
  • Moonchylde’s Lover Satire JS Will humans one day be replaced by androids when it comes to finding a sexual partner? Maybe. Maybe not.
  • Don’t Talk to Strangers Story Dark Sensual A very dark tale illustrating why that parental warning should always be adhered to.
  • Dream Well Story Dream JS Jayesse is a land built on dreams, but one day its people lost the ability to dream, resulting in the new trade of the dream-peddler.
  • Don’t Drink the Tea Memory A more sober look at the staff and patients of Parkside Hospital at the time I was there; an accompanying piece to ‘That Shrinking Feeling’.
  • Street View Story Dark Uncanny John has moved back in with his parents after his girlfriend has told him that she needs time to think things over. But John does some thinking too.
  • The Death of an Artist Memory Painting How I overreached myself in my ambitions to be an artist, and settled for a mundane but more indolent life.
  • When Your Private Shrink Parts Satire Memory How my paying for the services of a private psychiatrist began… and ended.
  • Making an Entry Satire JS Writing blog entries can be very demanding on one’s time – but there are ways to expedite the process.
  • Dreaming in Black and White Memory Dream Have you ever dreamed in black and white? Some people do; I rarely have, but give a couple of striking examples of when I did.
  • We All Have to Make Sacrifices Satire Dark Those who become addicted to online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft may be encouraged to learn that worse things can happen.
  • To Be Shot at Dawn Memory Photo How I made a strangely silent encounter with an armed man on a lonely country lane early one morning just before dawn.
  • The Old House Memory Painting How a commission to do a painting for a friend turned out to be a shambles – though luckily a successful one.
  • I Will Never Forget Her Satire JS When faced with the challenge to write a journal entry about romantic love, a subject about which I am not qualified, I fell back on crude parody.
  • Second Thoughts Satire JS An inmate learns that there may be circumstances in which remaining in prison is to be preferred to release.
  • The Inheritance Story Uncanny Dark A young man with a penchant for myths and folktales finds himself captivated by a storyteller’s vivid narration.