Life Science

By Paul Left

A collection of six short fiction pieces, ranging from stories of contemporary life such as 'Friday Pickup' to more experimental pieces such as 'An Ideal Spot to Spend the Day'. Several of the stories have won recognition in writing competitions.

In awarding commendation for the story Friday Pickup, the judge of the University of Auckland's Ingenio Short Story Competition commented that the story 'unfolds a pleasing surprise for the reader exceptionally well'.

In awarding commendation for the story 'An Ideal Spot to Spend the Day', the judge of DigitalNZ's Digital Storytelling Competition commented that the story 'teases with details and invites you to read on!'

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Left
• Release date: Oct 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370698684

Paul Left

Paul Left is a writer based in Auckland, New Zealand. He's also a keen amateur photographer and a musician who performs live in a range of musical genres.He enjoys spending time with his extended family and exploring the wild places where he lives. He's a native English speaker with some knowledge of modern Greek.

Book preview

Life Science

Copyright Paul Left 2016

Published by Paul Left at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Friday Pickup

On Edge

The Caretaker

Level 29: Jungle Mayhem. Level Failed

The Skylark Mirror

An Ideal Spot to Spend the Day *

Afterword

* An Ideal Spot to Spend the Day is based on real events and includes references to self-harm and mental illness.

Acknowledgements

This collection of short fiction is dedicated to my mother, Ida, for her unfailing support and her love of language.

I am grateful for the support of:

The National Library of NZ / Digital NZ who selected for commendation my hybrid fiction work 'An Ideal Spot to Spend the Day' as part of their 2013 competition for digital storytelling.

The University of Auckland Alumnus Association and Ingenio magazine who selected for commendation the story 'Friday Pickup' as part of their 2012 competition for creative writing.

Friday Pickup

I’m inside by the window where I can see Janie. She’s playing in the garden. I hate the school holidays but most of the time she’s pretty quiet. So I can just read a magazine or watch the box. I sometimes watch the soaps but today I’ve got one eye on the shopping channel while I’m reading and waiting for Janie’s dad to come and pick her up for the weekend.

Janie’s drawing