I started writing short stories before I started writing books because I assumed that if I had short story credits then literary agents would take more notice of me. This is not necessarily the case but I did find that I enjoyed writing short stories... Read more

I started writing short stories before I started writing books because I assumed that if I had short story credits then literary agents would take more notice of me. This is not necessarily the case but I did find that I enjoyed writing short stories. The five short stories below are between 2,000 words and 4,000 words. My first short story was published by Matt Ward (no relation) who runs Skive Magazine in Australia. There are five free short stories below and also the first part of my book “The Banker With a Face Full of Evil” by Michael Ward which is available on Amazon for 99 cents. Use the Amazon free kindle reading apps if you want to download to a Personal computer, an iphone, an ipad, a blackberry or any other device – Amazon has free apps to download to just about anything. Here is a quick summary of each short story.The House That Collected RealtorsJill and Colin are realtors with the top firm in their city. They have just finished showing a house to a valuable client when there is a shift at the edge of reality. The front door and hallway of the house look the same but the kitchen is completely different and Jill’s briefcase, which was on the kitchen counter, has disappeared. As they walk through the house they realize that this house has stairs but the one they entered did not. The biggest shock awaits them when they look out of the back window. Instead of a snowy Connecticut landscape the backyard has a lake and palm trees. They are now inside The House That Collected Realtors.Your Mission is to Kill Saint Paul on MaltaA MUslIm extremist goes back in time with the aim of killing Saint Paul when he arrives on the Island of Malta in the year 60AD. In his pocket is a “hit list” of all the major players in the early Christian Church and his mission is to kill as many of them as possible. He is caught but escapes back to his own time. He has been successful because nobody there has ever heard of Christianity. However, nobody has ever heard of Islam either. There is a short window he can use to return to the original timeline but his circumstances have changed and on this new world he is a rich man instead of living in abject poverty. If he returns then he will go back to poverty but if he does nothing then Islam will not exist. What will he do? Two Thousand Years LaterA man sits at a computer in Miami, Florida. For the last three weeks he has been troubled by unusual dreams and strange visions. As he types at the keyboard a veil that has been in place since he was born falls away and the Earth will never be the same again.Canadian Train Steve Addison sits on a train heading from Vancouver to Kamloops in Canada. He has a feeling of unease and a vague sense that something is seriously wrong. Although most of the people on the train are unaware that anything is wrong he sees that some of the other passengers on the train share the feeling of unease. Addison looks out of the window at the snow stretching to the horizon. At the other end of the train a man starts yelling that the snow is an illusion and all he can is a vast desert.The Vampire Who Sold HousesA female vampire works as a realtor and feeds on some of her male clients. One day she feeds on the wrong man and is attacked as a result. Is this the end of her or will she prevail to feed again.Books by Michael WardNovelsThe Banker With a Face Full of Evil –Scandinavian Crime NovelShort Story BooksSHORTS - Five Free Short StoriesSHORTS 2 - Five Short StoriesSHORTS 3 - Five Free Short StoriesSHORTS 4 - Five Free Short Stories – to be published July 2012Individual Short StoriesYour Mission is to Kill Saint Paul on Malta Siberian ShamansThe Civilization of the RavensBlowbackEngland is the Property of New DelhiLisa Molin – A Hit Ordered by a Woman from LondonLisa Molin – A Quiet Kill in Interlaken The Conquest of France AD 2013Xannefly – science fiction storyThis short story includes a bonus copy of the first part of THE BANKER WITH A FACE FULL OF EVIL by Michael Ward Less