GK Bird

Joined July 2021

0 stories

Bio

Australian fiction writer and reader, always on the lookout for good writing.

Achievements (2)

Stories (22/0)

An Intake of Breath
“Breathe! You have to breathe!” Thump, thump, thump. The sound of my fists thumping Michael’s chest reminds me of the heavy bass that used to shake our walls every Sunday morning. Like a religion, our neighbour blasted rock music, assuming everyone else in the neighbourhood wanted to worship like he did.
By GK Bird23 days ago in Fiction
The Bears
Once upon a time there were three Bears: Poppa Bear, Mumma Bear and Baby Bear. One Sunday in late August, Poppa Bear cooked them all porridge for their breakfast. It was a tradition that had been going for six generations: Sunday breakfast was always porridge and always cooked by the patriarch. The secret recipe was handed down from father to son and they were the only ones who knew the proper proportions of oats to water to milk to honey to sultanas. Sometimes, Poppa Bear varied the recipe and replaced the sultanas with dates, which was even more delicious.
By GK Bird4 months ago in Fiction
With Child
The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. Whoever I was seeing in the mirror was more than a bit pregnant. She was almost-ready-to-pop pregnant. I wasn’t pregnant at all. I knew with one hundred per cent certainty I was not.
By GK Bird8 months ago in Horror
Top Story - December 2022
The Last WindowTop Story - December 2022
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. The embroidered hem of her white dress trailed behind her across the gritty granite tiles. Her dark hair curled and floated behind her, almost touching the floor.
By GK Bird11 months ago in Fiction
What Do You Hide?
A mountain obstructs my view. What are you hiding? Please tell me the truth.
By GK Birdabout a year ago in Poets
Them
What is that? Even with his keen eyesight, he couldn’t make out what it was from this height. He circled lower, lower, riding the wind until his talons started skimming the tops of the tallest trees.
By GK Birdabout a year ago in Fiction
The Ash Man
The long plaintive wail of a train horn startles me awake. I blink rapidly then close my eyes and sit still while my mind tries to catch up to my body. I take deep slow breaths, in through my nose, out through my mouth, as Dr Hughes taught me. The breaths coming in are silky and smooth, the ones going out jagged and rough, matching the beat of my pounding heart.
By GK Birdabout a year ago in Fiction
Understand
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Todd was the first to see it.
By GK Birdabout a year ago in Fiction
Black Sleep
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. But, like everyone else, Hale didn’t remember a time when there were none. She was thinking about dragons as she stepped carefully over the trickle of icy water that in spring would become a fast-flowing stream. Instinctively, she glanced up. Raindrop icicles clung desperately to the leafy canopy determined not to let go, much like this year’s winter. Oppressive grey clouds skimmed the tops of the trees, visible where some of the dry yellowing leaves had given up and released their grip.
By GK Bird2 years ago in Fiction
Runner-Up in Mother's Day Confessions Challenge
BowerbirdRunner-Up in Mother's Day Confessions Challenge
Dear Mum I hope you don’t mind me calling you that. I’m not sure what to call you. It feels like a betrayal to the Mum who actually raised me, but I don’t think she’d mind now. Mum always said you must have had a good reason to give me up. She made sure I never blamed myself or you.
By GK Bird2 years ago in Fiction
Portent
Grandma always said that barn owls were a portent of death. As I lie here in the dark, in the silence, listening for his footsteps, I hope I don’t see one tonight.
By GK Bird2 years ago in Fiction
I Am Sleep. Let Me Lull.
SLEEP: “Hi, I think it’s time you and I had a little talk.” ME: “OK.” SLEEP: “Now, we don’t talk as much as we should. We both know that. But I’m hoping you’ll listen to me now. Do you think you can hear me out?”
By GK Bird2 years ago in Longevity