Author Archives: mickbloor3

Michael Bloor (first published in The Sea Letter, Issue 7, Nov 2019) Darek was thinking about how his children slept, sprawled so peacefully in their bunkbed, back in Gdansk. It was a long time since he’d slept like that. Indeed, it was quite a long time since he’d slept. As the tanker’s first officer, cargoContinue reading “Incident Report”

Michael Bloor (first published in Ink, Sweat & Tears, Oct 21, 2019)   Dear Kylie, Saw this in the motorway services – I know you like pandas. You’d be expecting a card from Scotland, but we’ve only got as far as Doncaster – it’s your Uncle Raymond’s erratic bowel movements again. He blames it on growing upContinue reading “Auntie Pam’s Postcard”

Michael Bloor (first published in Cabinet of Heed, Issue 25, Oct 19th 2019) Some said that Alwyn Wyckham-Smith M.P. had suffered ‘a mid-life crisis.’ Some said it was ‘a secret sorrow.’ Some said it was Brexit. But no-one really knew what happened… The M.P. held two constituency ‘surgeries’ in his West Barsetshire constituency every month,Continue reading “The Servants of the People”

Michael Bloor (first published in Ink Sweat & Tears, Feb 25, 2018) Sandy Brodie pushed open the door of the Inverallan Barber’s. Lachie Brown was in the chair, with Jim MacBeth, the barber, in attendance and Willie Bain next in line for a haircut. ‘Aye boys, helluva storm oot there.’ There was a ragged, muttered chorusContinue reading “Bishop Shock at Inverallan Games”

Michael Bloor (first published in Spelk Fiction, Oct 7th 2019) Anthony Morgan, Professor Emeritus, came away from the staff seminar (on Malory’s story of the Death of Merlin) feeling ruffled and bruised. Anthony hadn’t expected his comments on the paper to be treated with murmurs of respect and gratitude. But the junior staff member deliveringContinue reading “Memory, the Fickle Jade”

Michael Bloor (first published in The Cabinet of Heed, Issue 24, Sept 15th 2019) On his way to the airport for his early morning flight, Charlie felt shrivelled and cowed. The previous evening, a meeting at the university had been cancelled and so he’d arrived home early, only to find Huw Pryce-White at his easeContinue reading “Heterochromia in Charlie’s Living Room”

Michael Bloor (first published in Ink Sweat & Tears, Jul 22, 2019) Kim Brown (kim25071999@quiknet.com)                                        Sat 5 Jan 2019 11:50 To: Alex Brown (alexkbrown1969@quiknet.com) Hi Dad, We had a lecture the other day on an eighteenth century Idealist philosopher, Bishop Berkeley. He was a pretty cool dude – a co-founder of Yale University and of the London FoundlingContinue reading “Bishop Berkeley’s Theory of Abstraction”

Michael Bloor (first published JULY 15, 2019, in THE DRABBLE) On Andy’s stag night, Willie Macleod claimed that Joe Stalin was supposed to possess just four English phrases: ‘You said it;’ ‘So what;’ ‘What the hell goes on here?’ and, ‘The toilet is over there.’ In retrospect, it was clearly unwise for Willie to makeContinue reading “The Buffet Conversation Piece”

Michael Bloor (first published in The Cabinet of Heed, Issue 21, June 15th 2019) Very occasionally, one comes across a person of natural authority, a person who impresses without effort and without design, someone who just seems more human than the rest of us. Last week, I met just such a man on the trainContinue reading “The Man on the Train”

Michael Bloor (first published in Every Day Fiction, MAY 21, 2019) We met at art college. Dorothy was the one with talent, everyone saw that. And, I imagine, no-one could see what she saw in me. I got thrown off the course at the end of the second year, but we remained a couple. HerContinue reading “REFLECTIONS AT AUCKLAND AIRPORT”