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Category: L3 – Intermediate
The Hunt
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: FutureNew Vocabulary: Baptise, Belly, Cave in (willpower), Crush, Curl up, Epiphany, Holy water, Hunter-gatherer, Intended recipient, Rock bottom, Transition, Whiskers, WombWord Count: 2568Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyYou have nowhere else to go. Beth left. Kai attacked. Faruq crashed. You hid. So one day, you go to that place you’ve heard about, where you can buy a certain drug. It’s a crazy idea, but maybe you’ll feel less lonely. Your cat is your only friend left, after all.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 3 & 4
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Banter, Bargain, Bind, Coarse, Decrepit, Dodge, Fellow (person), Flatter, Flinch, Handsome (a lot), Immortal, Long for, Make a mockery, Nick, Noble, Owe it to yourself, Prey, Sham, Sin, Solely, Tact, Tick (clock), Triumph, Vow, Waver, Wild boar, WreckWord Count: 4006Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyEvery day, the lord of the castle goes hunting and Gawain stays in bed, bantering with the beautiful lady. Each night, Gawain and the lord exchange their ‘gains’ for the day. But Gawain cannot stop worrying about meeting the Green Knight, and when the lady offers him help, he can’t resist…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 1 & 2
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Alliteration, Axe, Be on your guard, Bless, Blow (hit), Chapel, Chastity, Chatter, Chivalry, Court (royalty), Feast, Fruits of …, Hag, Holy, Hop, Knight, Lady, Lord (Middle Ages), Mass (religion), Offspring, Potion, Rhyme, Shield, Siege, Sire (verb), Spoils, Step in the ring, Suit of armour, Trencher, WickedWord Count: 2910Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyKing Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table lIve peacefully at Camelot. But on New Year’s eve, a terrible knight rides into the castle, made entirely of green. He gives them a challenge: a man must come and attack him with his axe, and if the Green Knight survives, he will attack the man in a year and a day. Arthur’s nephew, Gawain, accepts the challenge, but things are not as they seem…
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…
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.
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.
The Flesh and Blood We Share
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Genre: RomanceSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Alley, Armour, Beast, Bladder, Choke on your own spit, Claw, Dignity, Disarm, Dragon, Flesh and blood, Penance, Prostitute, Slay, Sorcerer, TameWord Count: 4436Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyIt was the place he and Bulan had first kissed. Hale fell to his knees and threw up all his beer onto the dirt. The edges of his armour plates cut into him, and he felt like a skeleton dancing inside it, like a sorcerer had used magic on him or something. He threw up twice, then three times, and finally stopped. A bit of sick slid down his chin and neck, leaving a stain…
Strange Friends (Intermediate)
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: ‘Good things come in threes’, Altar, Anticipation, Christening, Deter, Evoke memories, Fantasise, From top to bottom, Gravely, Spare (Give)Word Count: 1384Original Author: Fairy TalesBut as the weeks passed, she thought more and more about the fat, and her thoughts began to turn selfish. She fantasised about going and eating the fat. It would taste so good! So the cat came up with a plan. She came to the mouse and said, ‘Dear mouse, I have to ask you a favour. You see, my cousin has given birth to a beautiful little kitten with white and brown fur. He…
The King’s New Clothes
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Adviser, Knight (verb), Loom, Moth, Outfit, Rule, Thread, Train (clothes), Trickster, Unfit for office, WeaveWord Count: 1772Original Author: Hans Christian Andersen‘My dear king,’ said the first brother. ‘We have travelled through the whole country, and we have heard all sorts of stories about your fantastic outfits.’ ‘You have?’ said the King, satisfied that his efforts were being seen. ‘How wonderful.’ ‘We have a proposal,’ said the second brother. ‘We wish to weave you a beautiful outfit, so that your fame might spread not only to our kingdom, but to the whole world.’
Jack and the Beanstalk
In the morning, he noticed there was less light in his room than usual, and when he went to the window, he saw why. Overnight, a beanstalk had grown, and it was huge! It rose above him like a tower, thick as an oak, and reached far away into the sky where he couldn’t see. Jack and his parents were thrilled about the magic beanstalk.