A semi-barbaric king devises a semi-barabaric (but entirely fair) method of criminal trial involving two doors, a beautiful lady and a very hungry tiger.

I need air... I need to breathe, or I'll die... Helena coughed uncontrollably, her chest felt like it was on fire, and she kept throwing up salty water.

Oscar watched his housemate Philippa’s fingers move in staccato beats over the keys, each note prodded from the piano like a confession. All the same, he sang along.

Growing old is cruel. I don't recommend it to anyone. It's like snow in summer. Unseemly and ridiculous.

Albert peered out across the way. Snow stretched for miles. The earth remained silent. Albert was alone. As he had been for the past decade.

Kevin's dad is convinced that there's one weed spawning all the others in his garden and he just needs to find it.

Five years and Nolan had always been there. Five years and Dane always appeared nervous, as if it were a first date.

When he lost his eye, half of Eric Jessop's field of vision became a black sadness that seeped into everything from football to faces. Only skating was strong enough to resist the stain.

For Arabella, Christmas gifts were not judged on how expensive they were. They were an insight into how well I really knew and understood her.

“It’s always the same to begin with,” I said. “I’m on the beach. The sand is hot, the sun is bearing down. It makes the sand look white, like snow.”