The day I met Dennis, I was a little alarmed, to say the least. My minister had asked me to take the 20-year-old under my wing and try to work with him on the farm. He was an addict with a preference for ‘Tik’ and from our initial meeting, it […]
Author: Mark Roberts
TRUE STORY: The boy who could have been a model — Mark Roberts
Written by Mark Roberts on Nov 8 2021 Colossus of Rhodes. (PHOTO: flickr) The Colossus of Rhodes was a gigantic statue of the Titan, Helios: The sun god, who stood 100 feet (30.48m) tall and rested on a marble pedestal, fifty feet (30,24m) high. The statue stood in the Greek city […]
True story: The man who loved geography — Mark Roberts
In 1954 Graham Sutherland was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of Winston Churchill which was presented to him at a public ceremony celebrating his 80th birthday. Sutherland was a brilliant painter, but he had the reputation of capturing the “real side” of his subjects. He painted Churchill exactly as […]
TRUE STORY: The girl with the freckled face — Mark Roberts
As the clouds began to gather overhead, I stood at the farm gate, watching young Maya approaching sheepishly. Her features were not striking in any way and on any ordinary day at the mall, it was improbable that any young boys would turn to look at her twice. Maya was […]
TRUE STORY: The girls on the train track — Mark Roberts
It was early winter and the sun was already beginning to set as the two teenage girls marched along the railway tracks. Debbie, aged 14 and Stacy aged 16 were running away from the reformatory school in town. Most girls hated the place. It was a school where young problem […]
TRUE STORY: The girl in the flames — Mark Roberts
“The flames are too high, we need to get out of here,” she shrieked as the flames from the bush fire leaped two meters high. The flames seemed to jump and leap, dancing to an unheard rhythmic tune. Like surfers, they were caught in a tunnel while the flames attempted […]
True Short Story: The boy at McDonald’s — Mark Roberts
I was sitting in the back corner of my local hangout, McDonald’s, enjoying a hefty quarter pounder when a young man walked up to me. I didn’t recognise him at first, but something seemed vaguely familiar about his features. He sported a long beard and was exceptionally well-groomed. From the […]
True short story: The baby who was blind, but was seen — Mark Roberts
“You never talk to me. You never share how you are feeling!” My wife was definitely not in a good mood. I had just got home from responding to the rape of a five-year-old girl. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about work or my feelings. As […]
True short story: The man on the railway track — Mark Roberts
He sat behind the wheel, head bowed forward, resting gently in his hands. He turned to look at his eighteen-month-old son in the passenger seat, buckled up snuggly, and then stared in front of them. How had he got to this point in his life? His wife was remarried, happy […]
True short story: The girl who died on the streets — Mark Roberts
It was bitterly cold as the young Rebekah wandered down the frost-laden streets of the old city. Most people were in bed, snuggled up next to loved ones or sitting in front of the evening fire. Rebekah had no family and the only thing on the young girl’s mind was […]
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