N J Delmas
Bio
I lean towards the darker side of fiction and poetry. I love folk lore, fairy tales, ghosts and witches, often giving old themes a new twist. I have published with several magazines and am in the process of writing a dark YA fiction.
Stories (18)
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Little apple of death
I arrive at the meeting and stand to attention in front of the holographic display module. The room is creamy white and brightly lit. There is a communion ball suspended from the ceiling. Once the door I entered closes, it instantly conceals within its structure. The walls appear soft and padded, but on closer inspection they are in fact spongy, constructed from a white fungal material.
By N J Delmas2 days ago in Chapters
The Photograph
I return exhausted after submitting a watertight report on the lost rover. I get back to the dwelling before Dr Cho and take the stair two at a time as I ascend. Picking up the carafe of water by my bed, I quickly cross the hallway into Dr Cho’s bedroom. It’s sparsely decorated, clinical and void of personal effects. I don’t have time to linger as I swop her carafe with mine, however I notice a photo frame face down on the side table. I turn it over to see an image of the doctor and a teenage girl. They smile at the camera as the doctor wraps her arms around the girl’s shoulders from behind. There is no doubt in my mind it’s her daughter. The similarities are astounding. I leave the room and make myself a coffee in the replicator downstairs and wait until she arrives home.
By N J Delmas6 days ago in Chapters
Manchineel - OBE
That evening, when I enter my room, Dr Cho is already there. She jumps slightly as she turns and sees me. “I’ve just bought you some fresh water.” She pours a glass, then places the carafe by the bed. She covers her initial shock well, but I’m left with a niggling feeling like I’m 15 and she’s been reading my diary.
By N J Delmas8 days ago in Chapters
Manchineel
A gentle whirl announces the arrival of a pod from above, down through a central column. It floats to a stop. The egg-shaped capsule twists to the right with a pneumatic whirl, revealing a door. A small, dark-haired woman emerges. Her hair flows down her back in waves, black and shiny like raven's feathers. Her eyes are almost as dark with a cold, precise beauty.
By N J Delmas12 days ago in Chapters
Bell book and Candle
I sit on the wooden pew with my head bowed, concentrating on the green chequered pattern of my pleated school skirt. The chapel is small and located in the old Manor House part of the building. The alter stands in front of a large bay window looking out on the grounds and the ha-ha wall beyond. A single candle drips warm wax at its centre filling the air with frankincense scented smoke.
By N J Delmas17 days ago in Horror
Manchineel
A distant lilac ball hung in a clear desert sky. The sun reduced to a small purple sphere before it set behind volcanoes. Streaks of silvery blue clouds shone in the twilight before relenting to the night and its two silver moons. Deep, deep down inside a canyon, amongst red cracked regolith, reaching up with twisted branches, a tree grew on Mars.
By N J Delmas22 days ago in Chapters
Dial One for Heaven. Top Story - February 2026.
A red phone box stands alone in the middle of a field. Long grass and wildflowers surround it and little else. I make my way over; glad I’m wearing my wellies. I avoid the cow pats along the way and bat a couple of flies from my face.
By N J Delmas25 days ago in Fiction
