Liars' League

Rat by Liam Hogan

Read by Silas Hawkins

 

They say that in the City of London, you’re never more than 6ft from a rat.

Mine was called Boris.

When people said there was a rat following me, I didn’t believe them.  I assumed it was an elaborate joke, the sort of thing my brother would orchestrate.  I’d laugh, and they’d shake their head and swear that they were sure they’d seen SOMETHING.

Then I saw the SOMETHING they’d seen running along a countertop.  I only glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye, but it was fast, and brown.

 If you would like to read the rest of this story, please check out London Lies, the Arachne Press anthology in which it, and many other London-based stories from the League archives, appears.

Leaving by Cherry Potts

Nov 09 Leaving

Read by Susan Moisan

Friday: lunchtime.  In the pub, getting drunk.  Goodbye drink - have another - leaving work.

Sitting crushed into the corner of a table-for-ten at the Tiger.  Feeling slightly sick.  Always hated leaving dos.  Two too many gins.

Been here over an hour already, the others come and go in shifts - someone has to keep the office open.  We'll all be ill by half past three.

Not really listening to their chatter; no need, they aren't talking to me, as though I'd already gone.  Anticipating freedom, my pulse is racing, waiting to be on the train, waiting to go home, waiting to leave.

If you would like to read the rest of this story, please check out London Lies, the Arachne Press anthology in which it, and many other London-based stories from the League archives, appears.

The Sacred Duty of Mexican Mothers by Michael McLaughlin

MP3: The Sacred Duty of Mexican Mothers

Read by Lin Sagovsky

Pepe waited on the street corner in San Antonio, a small Mexican pueblo. He held a long stem red rose and knew la cita, the date, with senorita Lucinda Sanchez was under control. Lucinda’s mother was a problem, but he had a plan for her too. 

A moment later Pepe knocked on the door and knew he was the matador going into the ring and Lucinda’s mother was a wounded bull.

If you would like to read the rest of this story, please check out Lovers' Lies, the Arachne Press anthology in which it, and many other sexy and lovable stories from the League archives, appears.

At long last... the Twitter Sex & The City Stories #llsatc are here

Some time back we announced our second Liars' League Twitter contest to coincide with the Sex & the City themed evening in November. Unfortunately, a series events meant that the winners were not read in November, nor even in December. It seemed, in fact, that the tweet stories were lost forever in the ether. 

Miraculously, however, they have been retrieved and are collected in their entirety here below. The winning best ten will be selected and chosen to be read at our next event in February before being posted in a podcast.

So... apologies to all who entered for the delay. All will be well.

The Games They Played by Jackie Walker

Nov 09 Games They Played

Read by Adam Ganne

 

There was not much time. Soon the edge of the water would push its way against the rocks that ran along the opening of the cave; that would be the first breach. Then the water would halt for a moment, or that’s how it would seem, before it found the line of least resistance. Simon had spent many happy hours imagining how it would happen, from the bottom up he thought, the water lapping its way, gently at first, making little fjords from the spaces between his toes, straddling the lines of his tendons, seeping through the gaps of his buttocks till at last it would find the little hollow beneath the bow of his chest. He smiled again. If he lay down, Simon knew, it would be over sooner, the pleasure more intense but then again, more fleeting.  Simon pushed a hand into his pocket and laughed; memories of her... God, he was a lucky man. It was still only six o’clock but the sun was already at the crown of the cliffs. Drowning was a gentle way to die she had said as she turned. Simon closed his eyes. Yes, he squirmed, that was good. It made it even stronger when he thought of her like that, remembered the way she looked when she said things that way.

Ten Years On by Rob Ganley

Nov_09_Ten_Years_On

Read by Paul Clarke

London, August 2009

‘Hello stranger.’

I was expecting her, I knew her voice well, but despite people around us rushing to catch trains, I jumped at her greeting.

She gave me the kind of hug you give at a funeral.

‘You haven’t changed a bit, Joe,’ she said.

Even after all these years, the heft of her body was second nature to me.

Night by Gerri George

Nov_09_Night

Read by Katy Darby

“Slow down,” the woman in the back seat says to the driver as he guides the cab onto West 42nd Street from Seventh Avenue.

“It’s a lousy part of town, Miss,” the driver says, cleaning smudges from his glasses with his shirt. “Eden to some, end of the road to others. Why’s a genteel little-old like you wanting to slow down at this time of night in Times Square?”

Can you write something short and tweet on Sex & the City? (#llsatc)

Following the marvellous response to our Blood & Thunder Twitter competition this month and a very positive response from our audience (audio here) we're doing it again.

So rules are:

1. Tweets should include hashtag #llsatc (Liars' League Sex and the City - to distinguish it from hashtags on a certain piece of television)
2. Stories can refer to either Sex or the City or both
3. Stories can be of any genre
4. You can post as many as you like
5. We retain the right not to post all entries to this site
6. Deadline is Saturday 7 November midnight GMT

Quick thoughts on what worked well last time:

• Entries that managed to set place and character
• Tweets that were more than a gag
• Twists
• Anything that made a virtue of brevity
• Humour - though not exclusively

There. Get tweeting!