The Standing Man – Written by Tom Mason

The standing man is at my window again. He always appears at twilight; a dark silhouette set against the dying orange embers of the evening sky. He comes, I think, from the wood behind the house. A crooked, twisted man, sculpted from the damp, rotting forest, standing motionless on the brown grass outside my window. [...]

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What Kind Of Year Has It Been – Written by Tom Mason

Another year has drawn to a close and it’s been a sexy 12 months for 330 Words. The site celebrated its first birthday, helped organise two excellent literary events, took part in writing a book and got nominated for a couple of awards along the way. Still, all this pales in comparison to the excellent [...]

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3:30 – Written by Dom Conlon

This is where we tortured Mrs Jones. “These are the castles of your generation. Shells of buildings ravaged by cutbacks, they should be managed by English Heritage.” I’m listening, sort of. But it was easy being distracted by memories. The old place had been left to street kids years ago. A desk was still visible, [...]

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Running Man, Hemmed-in Horse – Written by Sal Page

First day. Hard to get out the door so early. He tries not to think of his warm bed. On quiet streets, he’s aware of feet stamping the pavement, breath coming in rasps. He turns into the footpath between allotments and new houses. Wet leaves slap his face. Twelve weeks till the marathon. Can he [...]

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December 25th, 2010 – Written by Laura Maley

I’m surprised they’ve all come, especially the children; there’s not much festive cheer here. They said they would come, but saying and doing can be poles apart; you learn that working here, especially today. I smile to myself; I’m glad they’ve come. They trample in from the sleet and their coats start to steam once [...]

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Fish Facts – Written by Zach Roddis

Most people will present impossibilities as true facts. They will say that every cloud has a silver lining or that the grass is always greener on the other side. There are some elements of truth in the phrase “there are plenty more fish in the sea”. Timothy the tuna had being separated from his parents [...]

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Cheese Bites – Written by Dom Conlon

He doesn’t like cheese. Can’t stand the smell of it, he says. Can’t stand the smell so won’t like the taste. I’ll be honest, it’s a struggle knowing how to move forward from that. I need to accomplish certain things whilst I’m here, and this isn’t a great start. But do I want to know. [...]

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Oversight – Written by Guy Garrud

[Exchange Shopping Centre, Ilford, Essex, 00:03 25/12/2011] “Wow, this is so amazing!” “Yes Dave.” “I mean, look at this, I’ve got a nose, a real nose… I can smell things.” “I know Dave, me too. But, do you think—“ “—And these feet, look at them, they’re, made of some kind of wood or something.” “Well, [...]

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Xavier – Written by William West

My next meeting with Xavier was different. He seemed to have lost something, some of his edge, some of his vitality. It was as if he was truly becoming the down and out that I didn’t believe he really was. Was this change in him a consequence of his contact with the Naylorites – a [...]

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The Art of Sitting on One’s Hands – Written by David Stedman

Sat up in the tree, lightheaded above the allotments, Blake felt that he had at last been relieved of a heavy burden. The bark was rough, brown. Here were smells a man could rely on: split logs, mulch, boot polish. He couldn’t remember when he had last climbed anything, let alone a tree. And now [...]

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