Things Lost and other short stories

"Highly enjoyable", "thought-provoking and moving", "amusing and engaging", "tender and evocative", "enchanting", "touching and hilarious", "extremely well written", "elegiac", "awesome", "a pleasure to read" (readers' comments). This volume contains six original short stories and a novel extract: Glass A young girl’s fear of glass has everyone mystified. What caused it and can there ever be a cure for her phobia? A Farewell Performance A failed actor and a murderous gunman on a rooftop. Will the pen prove mightier than the sword? The Mayor’s Tale The little town of Market Hampden finds itself at the centre of a media storm. Mayor Hodges resolves to make the most of it… Things Lost It was the summer when everything burned. Amid the fires, two teenagers, on the brink of their future lives, spend an afternoon in a countryside lost in the past. Weighing of the Heart Four couples honeymooning on the Nile decide to visit the tomb of the Aga Khan and to witness a proof of deathless love. But will their own marriages turn out so well? How to Eat a Seagull An old lady shares one of the secrets of a full and surprising life. Dedicated to Grannies everywhere. And Stones Shall Dance (extract) The opening chapters of a Gothic-teen extravaganza combining elements of youthful confusion, millennial anxiety, public schools, witchcraft, archaeology, first sex and hedgehogs.