He reached out a large, meaty hand. “Hello, name's Riaan.”
He had a thick Afrikaans accent, a giant of a man with long, curly, somehow inappropriate hair atop his bulky frame. I took his hand reluctantly and introduced myself.
“Adam.”
“Can I buy you a beer?” he asked.
I shrugged non-committally, pointing at my half-full pint, hoping to discourage further interaction from this stranger.
“Look,” he said. “I know I'm being forward, but this is important. Let me buy you a beer, dammit.”
I did not wa…
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Added by Mulled Vine on November 9, 2009 at 1:17pm —
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Shock news today as Douglas Fairbody the renowned architect was sacked from the Westminster Renovation Programme. Mr Fairbody, famous for the controversial introduction of stained glass solar panels at Canterbury Cathedral, had proposed to install an eco friendly water system that would take purified urine from the lavatories and feed it back in to the drinking supply.…
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Added by Mulled Vine on October 23, 2009 at 9:48am —
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Most of my my friends are dead. It’s not surprising really, because so am I. My friends and I dwell with countless others in a place that is neither life nor oblivion. I don’t know why we didn’t pass through, but there it is.
It is frightfully dull, dead dull you might say, nothing to do all day but hang around, observing the life below, talking. Mostly we talk of regrets, regrets at things we did not do, the way we were in life, the fact that we did not make better use of our time. Perhaps thi…
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Added by Mulled Vine on October 21, 2009 at 12:23pm —
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She was sitting alone at the table, wearing a red rose in her lapel – the agreed sign. I kept my rose in my pocket, waiting. I wanted to scout the scene first, see what Ellie123 looked like. After all, I didn’t want to spend the evening with a complete minger. No, life was too short, and my image too fragile. To my delight she looked fairly attractive. Petite, blonde, soft eyes – she would do. The glasses were a bit of a turn off, though. I hoped she wasn’t the bookish type.
In the end I decided…
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Added by Mulled Vine on October 11, 2009 at 7:00am —
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It came to pass long ago, when the earth was young and the internet a fishing term, that a baby boy was born to the farmer and his wife. The farmer was immensely pleased, as he had worked hard to build up his farm and needed a son to help him at his labours. The boy grew up quickly into a fine, handsome young lad of golden disposition, however it soon became apparent to the farmer and his wife that their son was bone idle. At first his mother attributed it to an artistic strain in their family,…
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Added by Mulled Vine on July 9, 2009 at 12:30am —
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It had been troubling me all day but I said nothing. Henry and I had been hiking in the Scottish Munroes for three days, camping overnight next to charming little brooks and living off frugal but delicious rations. We'd only been married just under a year and things had not been going very well, as often happens with newly weds I guess, so we decided to get away for a week and do what first brought us together: hiking. Henry had “rescued” me so to speak when I twisted my ankle during an organise…
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Added by Mulled Vine on July 6, 2009 at 11:26pm —
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Have you ever wondered what people are really like, what they think, what they do when no one is looking? I did, that fateful morning, and it was my undoing.
It was an ordinary Sunday, much like any other. Spring was in the air and I could sense a corporate reluctance from my flock. I had prepared a fairly decent sermon on Grace, intended to instruct and to encourage, but not many were paying attention. Even the normally attentive Harold Withington had dozed off in his usual seat, much to his w…
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Added by Mulled Vine on July 2, 2009 at 6:10am —
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Twins were not particularly remarkable in the great city of Nineveh, but what was unusual about the two Jonas brothers was that they were in fact both called Jona. The reason was very simple: they were identical in very respect, so much so that even their mother could not tell them apart and had to resort to giving them the same name to avoid embarrassment. The consequence of this was that the two brothers rarely left each other's company, for fear of being mistaken for the other, and were gener…
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Added by Mulled Vine on June 30, 2009 at 11:30pm —
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Did you know that all pacifists live by the Pacific? It is true! If they lived next to the Atlantic than that would make them Atlantarians or something, not pacifists. Its makes sense, you know it does.
So these people moved in next to us, but they weren't pacifists like the rest of us, and because of that significant fact we left them alone. I used to watch them from the house, walking their dog on the beach, thinking they seemed nice enough and wondered whether I should try to convert them. B…
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Added by Mulled Vine on June 23, 2009 at 11:52pm —
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“What a cool house, Joe!” cried Tom.
I smiled, not really knowing what to say. I'd lived in the old manor house for so long that I guess I took its size and lavish gardens for granted. My father is the warden of Farley Manor and I am his only son. I don't know my mother – she died when I was very little, my father says of cancer. I have a picture of her: a beautiful, slender young woman with sad eyes and I imagine those eyes knowing that she wouldn't see me grow up and being sad because of it,…
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Added by Mulled Vine on June 22, 2009 at 11:47pm —
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“This is our compartment”, Ariel said, sliding the door open and entering, throwing her bag onto the overhead luggage shelf. “You coming or what?”
I lingered a while, enjoying the moment. I loved these old trains, the expansive compartments, the lush wooden panelling, the gilded edging. Finally I entered and made myself comfortable opposite Ariel who had already pulled out her best seller.
I watched her as she read, twenty-three year old ginger-haired beauty with a fabulous collection of freck…
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Added by Mulled Vine on June 15, 2009 at 1:57pm —
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“Come on girls, we're late already.”
“Coming Dad,” they replied in sarcastic unison. I smiled, remembering when they used to think the world of me, before teenage years arrived and ended all of that. This was the way of the world and there was no use bemoaning it - I was an awful teenager myself and still cringe at the memories.
We reached the front door of the apartment and pressed the door bell. Inside the inappropriate sound of Big Ben chimed, followed by the footsteps of presumably my moth…
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Added by Mulled Vine on June 15, 2009 at 1:55pm —
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“Daddy, Daddy look!”
Jojo was up the tree again, higher than ever before. Aaron smiled at the little fearless, defiant, joyful bundle.
Fiona fretted. “She'll hurt herself.”
“She'll be fine.”
“You always say that.”
“Yes, dear.”
It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and they were sitting in the garden, about to start grilling the fish that had been lovingly marinated. Aaron liked to start the fire early and watch it while sipping a beer or two, sometimes for hours on end, staring into the flickerin…
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Added by Mulled Vine on May 5, 2009 at 10:31pm —
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Jim
was
not
happily
married
until
he
realised
there
were
TWO
important
people
in
it,
not just ONE.
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Added by Mulled Vine on May 5, 2009 at 10:21pm —
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