Author Archives: mickbloor3

Michael Bloor (first published in The Drabble, April 10th, 2021) Like many toddlers, John was asked what he wanted to be, when he grew up. Surprisingly, John answered that he wanted to be an Old Age Pensioner. He’d been spending time with his Grandad, who had his own shed. In his mid-teens, John secretly decidedContinue reading “Ambition”

Michael Bloor (first published in The Cabinet of Heed, March 30th, 2021) There was no phone signal in that narrow valley. Three days of heavy rain had caused the river to burst its banks and flood the road, just above the bridge. The flood swept the car half off the road and into the hedge.Continue reading “The Long Shadow of the Coal Tip”

Michael Bloor (first published in Literally Stories, March 5th, 2021) I came across the manuscript below in a second-hand shop in Simla, the former British hill-station in the foothills of the Himalayas, among some papers previously belonging to a Victorian military surgeon. The ms was seemingly written in Bombay (now Mumbai) and signed by CaptainContinue reading “Captain Carey’s Luck”

Michael Bloor (first published in The Drabble, Feb 7th 2021) Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Lord Chancellor to James I, was a pioneer of experimental science. Yet his report of one of his most famous experiments, showing that boiling water freezes faster than cold water, was scoffed at by fellow scientists for three hundred-odd years. Bacon’sContinue reading “Sir Francis Bacon’s Belated Vindication”

Michael Bloor (first published in Idle Ink, FEBRUARY 6, 2021) April 8th, 1974. I’m setting this down on paper and placing it in a tin that I’ll be burying under one of the gooseberry bushes. If things don’t work out, I’d like there to be a proper record of what happened… Strangely, the root causeContinue reading “Under the Gooseberry Bush”

Michael Bloor (first published in The Cabinet of Heed, Jan 9th 2021) The train pulled into Aberdeen station just after midnight; it was almost empty. As I walked along the carriage to the exit door, I noticed the bag lying on a seat: one of those re-usable bags that the supermarkets sell. Quite bulky –Continue reading “The Talisman”

Michael Bloor (first publication in The Drabble, DECEMBER 10, 2020) Patrick, my friend and neighbour, and myself were arguing back and forth about our literary heroes: Is their influence always for the good? I spoke in their defense, citing Robert Burns fostering the belief of every Scot that ‘A Man’s a Man, for A’ That.’Continue reading “Heroes”

Michael Bloor (first published by Ink Sweat & Tears Nov 21, 2020) Case No. 1991/203 Witness – Full Name: Ianthe Jane Frobisher-ForbesAddress: 1 Priory Lane, Old Basing, Basingstoke I first met Jason on Johnny Antrobus’s yacht at St. Tropez  in July, 1990. I didn’t know at first that he was from the Alpha Centauri star system:Continue reading “Witness Statement”

Michael Bloor (first published in Idle Ink, Nov 7th 2020) The allotments are a sociable place, especially for me because my plot is right next to the entrance. So I get to greet, and chat to, everyone coming through the gates. The conversations are kindly and cheerful, except when the subject is pigeons or cabbageContinue reading “Hubble, Bubble, Toilet Trouble”

Michael Bloor (first published in Ink Sweat & Tears, Sept 17th 2020) Liam limped listlessly into the lift. It was empty. He pressed the button for the seventh floor (Safetyseal Export Sales). There was the usual hiatus, while the mechanism seemed to consider his request. Liam weighed LIFE in the balance. On the one hand,Continue reading “Fell at the First Fence”