Story Therapy

  Image by AI Fear tastes like stale bread Story: S A Spencer Author of Popular Fictions : The Pink Mutiny , The Black Waters , Dream In Shackles The notification popped up on my screen at exactly 10:07 a.m. “Urgent: 1:1 Meeting – Today 4 PM.” Sent by Mr. Raymond Carter , Head of Operations. Not my supervisor. Not even my supervisor’s supervisor. But the man who practically ran the entire Sydney office. My stomach dropped so fast I felt the chair sink with me. I stared at the invite. No agenda. No description. No hint. Just the word urgent , sitting there like a ticking bomb. My supervisor, Daniel, was on leave since yesterday. He had flown to Fiji for a week-long holiday, leaving me with a cheerful “You’ll be fine, mate!” and a thumbs-up emoji. Fine?          Mmmmm.  Fine? My hands were already sweating. I clicked the invite again, hoping some hidden message would magically appear. Nothing. Just the cold, emotionless calendar block....

  Image by AI One Delivery. One Mistake. One House Full Of Secrets Story: S A Spencer Author of Popular Fictions : The Pink Mutiny , The Black Waters , Dream In Shackles The knock came just as Liam was sliding the delivery bag into the insulated pouch on his bike. He frowned at the address on the screen — a quiet cul‑de‑sac in the western suburbs, the kind where every house had the same beige bricks and the same solar panels. He’d been doing this job long enough to know which houses belonged to families, which to students, and which to people who didn’t want to be seen. This one felt like the last kind. He parked his scooter at the kerb and walked up the driveway, the bag swinging lightly in his hand. The instructions on the app were the usual: Leave at door. Don’t knock. Don’t call. He hated those. They always felt like someone was hiding something. He placed the bag on the mat, took a photo for proof, and turned to leave. Then he heard it — a voice inside. A man’s voice. ...

  Image by AI Danger doesn’t always break in — sometimes it knocks. Story: S A Spencer Author of Popular Fictions : The Pink Mutiny , The Black Waters , Dream In Shackles Margaret heard the knock just as she was lowering herself into the armchair with her cup of tea. She paused, listening. The doorbell had stopped working again — she really needed to get that fixed once she felt better. She’d been waiting for the plumber to call before arriving, but perhaps he’d decided to drop by early. Tradies did that sometimes. She glanced at her phone on the coffee table. No missed calls. Maybe he forgot. Maybe she didn’t hear it ring. Her hearing wasn’t what it used to be. Poppy trotted to the door, tail wagging, ears perked. Margaret followed slowly, steadying herself on the hallway wall. She still felt a little light‑headed, but the thought of finally having hot water again lifted her spirits. She wouldn’t have to heat water in the kettle for bathing anymore. The thought alone made her sm...