Ten Short Stories: Wordsworth Shorts 31 - 40: Wordsworth Collections, #12

By Diane Wordsworth

Ten Short Stories: Wordsworth Shorts 31 – 40 is a Wordsworth Collection of ten short stories, all of which have previously been published as standalone Wordsworth Shorts.

 

31. The Bonfire Party has been published in Take a Break, Twee Tales, Twee Tales More, and Five Stories For Autumn, and in 2022.

32. The Little Orphan Girl has only been published as a Wordsworth Short, in 2022.

33. Paper Roses has been published in The People's Friend and Words Worth Reading, and in 2024.

34. The Kite Festival has been published in The People's Friend and Words Worth Reading, and in 2024.

35. Harvey's Festival has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2024

36. The City of Glasgow has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2024.

37. The Weather Can Be Murder has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

38. The Egg Thief has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

39. Elvis is Missing has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

40. Mavis Braithwaite Strikes Again has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baggy Bottom Books
• Release date: Sep 22, 2025
• ISBN: 9798232849801

Diane Wordsworth

Diane Wordsworth was born and bred in Solihull in the West Midlands when it was still Warwickshire in England. She started to write for magazines in 1985 and became a full time freelance photo-journalist in 1996. In 1998 she became sub-editor for several education trade magazines and started to edit classroom resources, text books and non-fiction books. In 2004 Diane moved from the Midlands to South Yorkshire where she edited an in-house magazine for an international steel company for six years. She still edits and writes on a freelance basis.

Book preview

Ten Short Stories: Wordsworth Shorts 31 – 40

Ten Short Stories: Wordsworth Shorts 31 – 40 is a Wordsworth Collection of ten short stories, all of which have previously been published as standalone Wordsworth Shorts.

31. The Bonfire Party has been published in Take a Break, Twee Tales, Twee Tales More, and Five Stories For Autumn, and in 2022.

32. The Little Orphan Girl has only been published as a Wordsworth Short, in 2022.

33. Paper Roses has been published in The People’s Friend and Words Worth Reading, and in 2024.

34. The Kite Festival has been published in The People’s Friend and Words Worth Reading, and in 2024.

35. Harvey’s Festival has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2024

36. The City of Glasgow has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2024.

37. The Weather Can Be Murder has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

38. The Egg Thief has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

39. Elvis is Missing has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

40. Mavis Braithwaite Strikes Again has been published in Words Worth Reading and in 2025.

31. The Bonfire Party

(This short story has been published in Take a Break, Twee Tales, Twee Tales More, and Five Stories For Autumn, and in 2022.)

I t looks worse now than when we bought the place, complained Katie.

Oh, it’s not so bad, replied Simon. We’ll soon get it cleared.

Yes, but what’ll we do with all the rubbish?

That one stumped her husband for a moment, and the two gazed sadly out at their wilderness of a garden. It had looked neat when they viewed the property. But the cottage was empty and the estate agents had obviously kept the grass mown while they showed around prospective buyers, and let it grow wild once they’d received a firm offer. Three months ago it had been, back in sunny July and in the middle of another drought.

I know, announced Simon. We’ll have a bonfire.

Katie rallied at the idea. Instead of a house warming party you mean?

Yes. We can have a garden warming party instead. They both laughed. And it is bonfire night in a couple of weeks. At least then we won’t have people trampling all over the new carpets.

Katie liked the idea and immediately began making lists: food to serve; drinks to buy; people to invite; and so on.

Lavender Cottage looked nothing like its name at this time of year, and anyway, it wasn’t lavender but wisteria that clambered all over the walls. It was like a dream come true for Katie, who had always longed for a place in the country.

Their nearest neighbours were a good hundred feet away, in Rye House, and although they had a defined garden each, they shared a strip of land between, which was also overgrown.

That’s where we’ll put the bonfire, said Simon.

I’d better check it’s okay with the neighbours, agreed Katie. In fact, I might just invite them too.

LATER THAT DAY, AFTER they’d unpacked as many boxes as they felt able, Katie ventured out and knocked on the neighbours’ painted blue front door. An Indian lady, who was wearing a yellow and red sari with a crimson spot on her forehead, greeted her.

Oh...hello, said Katie. I’m from next door.

The lady’s face broke into a huge smile. Welcome to your new home. She opened the door wider, as if to invite Katie in.

I can’t stop, I’m afraid. A bit busy – you know how it is.

Yes, nodded the lady in sympathy.

Anyway, the reason I dropped by was to see if you mind us having a bonfire in the middle of the joint garden. We’ve got so much rubbish, and we’re going to have more when we clear the lawn, that we thought a bonfire might be ideal.

I think it’s a wonderful idea, agreed the neighbour.

I’m Katie, by the way. And my husband’s Simon.

My name’s Razia, and Bal is my husband.

Thanks for that – Razia.

Let me know if you need anything – Katie.

And Katie went back home to her husband.

SO WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL her about the party? asked Simon. Why didn’t you invite them?

Because I don’t know what their religion is like, do I?

But what’s that got to do with anything?

Don’t they have their own festival for bonfire night?

So?

So, our Guy Fawkes was a Catholic, wasn’t he? We might offend them.

Simon promptly burst out laughing. We’ve been together for more than five years and that’s the first time you’ve been so narrow minded.

I’m not being narrow minded at all, she defended.

What do you call it then?

Ignorance, she replied, quietly.

AS THE DAYS PASSED, the bonfire grew steadily bigger. They found some old chairs in the loft and put those on, and as they emptied cardboard boxes, those went on too. Then they started on the garden and began stuffing woody cuttings in the gaps, although the green clippings went straight onto the compost heap.

Soon their holiday came to an end and they both went back to work. Because of the darker evenings they were unable to do much during the week. But at the weekend they were hard at it again.

Katie stared a while at the bonfire.

Simon... she said finally. He came to her side and they both looked at the pile of rubbish.

What?

Didn’t we put those two old chairs on here last week?

He thought for a second. Yes we did.

So where are they?

He looked around. Anybody can get in here from the street. Maybe someone pinched them.

But they were ours.

But we put them on the bonfire.

"I know. But it’s our bonfire."

I shouldn’t worry about it if I were you. We didn’t want them; someone else did. Good luck to them. He started to go back to his pruning, but she stopped him.

Simon...?

Yes?

Did you put that chicken wire around the bottom? All around the base of the bonfire there was mesh fencing – the kind that comes on a roll.

No.

I wonder how that got here then. Maybe we should use it to block off that access from the road.

It might be a public right of way. Don’t do anything yet, and I’ll check with the library.

Okay. But Katie removed the chicken wire anyway and propped it against the fence. By the time she’d returned from the supermarket and Simon had gone off to the library, it was back around the bonfire. And someone had left an old broken chest of drawers where the chairs had once been.

Katie seethed. It was like