Here are some sneak peeks from our Dark Shortlist - we can't wait to share these pieces with you!

An Anthropological Study of Leaves - Tim Bolton

“There are thundering herds and those who oat among them. Like reddened leaves they are burned by the sun and shudder at the stench of the stampeding masses that rumble through silent canyons, shaking the earth and weakening dying trees.”

Valentine - Claudia Clarke

“If the girl could have seen him, she would have seen that his hair was long, falling around his face like a lion’s mane, but streaked through with grey and daubed with blood too. She would have seen that his youth was a memory, but he was not as old as the grey in his hair suggested. But she could not see him."

Hillside - Heshani Godakande

“Seven wasn’t old enough for Theo to understand why Pappa suddenly wasn’t there to kiss him good morning, return home with new stories, or to stay with him until he fell asleep. About a week after Leo left, Theo looked up from where he was sitting, tilted his head, and frowned. Mamma. His little voice sounded so serious. Mamma they’ve gone on an adventure without us. Adventures are happy, I thought as I smiled at him, asking how excited he was to hear about it when Pappa returned.”

Susan - Madelaine Lucy Hanson

“There was a thrill to the heaviness of a woman sleeping. e warmth of her dreaming against his hand, the subconscious shudder of her hand gripping his shoulder.Trust was thrilling.To make Susan trust him would be beyond erotic.”

The Last Time - Lauren Hurrell

“I sit on the bleeding carpet in a beam of light from the

dusty window, blind to the brightness,

and I realise you are my worst nightmare:

the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Children Of God - Savannah Mandel

“After I met Dr Calloway things started to change on the reserve. e word resist came from other sources now. If I were human, I’d say it came with the warming winds. The summer mosquitos spread it like malaria. But I’m not human. Resistance came with the violence. My Sentient brothers started collecting weapons. They made plans. They fought back.”