Author: Ariel Goodbody
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Sisters, Sisters
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Genre: DramaSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Broadsheet, Compliment, Cut out, Dye, Fiddle, Flap, Flirt, Hike, Keep your nose clean, Note (music), Pinch, Sprinkles, Synthesiser, Vocals, X meets YWord Count: 5405Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyAngeline and Annabelle are a classic sister act. Annabelle writes the songs and they sing together, but Angeline gets all the compliments. When a music producer offers a deal to Annabelle, she realises she can’t let the opportunity go. But what starts as a harmonious collaboration soon turns into a discordant nightmare…
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I Bet I Could Taste It
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: FutureNew Vocabulary: ADHD, Association, Beetroot, Conjure, Diagnosis, Fidget, Genetic disorder, Glittery, Gooseberries, Gravy, Howl, Hum, Low-frequency, Magician, Medication, Mould, Poetic, Radiation, Rice pudding, Stereotype, Turkish delight, Whipped creamWord Count: 331Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyIn this episode, I present the story I won second prize with in the 2022 Summer Reflex Fiction flash fiction competition, and I also talk about my recent ADHD diagnosis.
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The Last King of the Britons
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Banquet, Be reunited, Crack, Dismount, Do someone an honour, Dwarf, Faerie folk, Give up (defeat), Make a deal, Risk your life, Rule, ShepherdWord Count: 1272Original Author: British MythsKing Herla is fighting a war against the Saxons and winning. A group of dwarves comes to his wedding and makes a deal with him: if they can come to his wedding, then in the future the king will go to the dwarf king’s wedding. He thinks the dwarves will give them amazing gifts, but he doesn’t know the risk he’s taking…
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The Boy Who Knew No Fear (Beginner)
One day, a young man called Anders hears his brother say, ‘Oh, those scary stories make me shudder!’ ‘I wonder what it means to shudder?’ Anders thinks, and he goes out on a journey to find out.
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Hector the Snail
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: All over, Cave, False eyelashes, Free (verb), Human, Kick, Ostrich, Ride, Snail, Snail trail, Solve a problem, Swap, WizardWord Count: 1033Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyHector is a snail, so of course he’s very slow. But he dreams of becoming fast. He decides to find a wizard and ask the wizard to swap his body with an ostrich’s. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually…
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The Digital Fugitive
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: FutureNew Vocabulary: Accessibility, Bodybuilder, Cog, Fugitive, Merge, Middle management, Nerve endings, Painkiller, Physiotherapy, Powerchair, Prosthetic, Puff, Scrap, UnderclassWord Count: 1170Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyThe war is raging on, and the government needs a part from her wheelchair. The only problem is, her wheelchair is now a part of her body. And she’s illegally modified it.
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The Turnip Princess
A young man called Arran hates eating his vegetables. One day, his mother locks him out. Arran finds a house with a strange old woman inside, and a dog that talks. Will he find his way home, and will he discover the secret of the house?
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His Latest Experiment
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: AncientNew Vocabulary: After-show party, Bark (dog), Calculation, Coding, Disaster, Drag (art), Earthling, Economy, Error, Flash fiction, Gender, Graduate, Heartwarming, Heaven, Lifespan, Magnesium, Move on, Pregnancy, Rounding (maths), Times (maths)Word Count: 522Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyGod is trying to make humans, but something is wrong. His calculations look right, but the humans are staying babies for fifty years. What is the problem?
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The North Wind and the Sun (Pre-Intermediate)
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Bam, Bathe, Bitter cold, Harmony, Hold tightly, Kindness, Retreat (holiday), Strength, Suffocate, Sweat, WeaklingWord Count: 862Original Author: Aesop’s FablesThe North Wind and the Sun are always arguing about what true power is. Does power come from strength, or from kindness? So the North Wind challenges the Sun to a competition to see who is right.
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A Lucky New Year
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Genre: ComedySetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Ashes, Choke, Clock strikes midnight, Coal, Doughnut, Good-luck charm, Lead (metal), Noodles, Pomegranate, Shortbread, Signify, SuperstitionWord Count: 2081Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyHarold has terrible luck. Bus shelters collapse on him, he makes his dates vomit, and no matter how many good-luck charms he wears, his luck won’t change. So he decides that this New Year’s Eve, he’s going to follow every tradition and superstition in the world, to see if he can change his luck around.