Death of the Empress

I tend to write short fantasy stories more than anything else, but from time to time I write about aliens drinking cocktails …

Not quite. This wide-eyed green fellow above is the logo of Alien Pub, an arts and culture magazine based in New York. The kind editors were of the view that my historical fiction story, ‘Death of the Empress’ was good enough to publish, and on 4th May 2018, it was released on their website.

‘Death of the Empress’ is a flash fiction story set in my hometown, Liverpool. It tells the fictitious tale of the sinking of the Empress of Canada, an Atlantic cruise liner which perished while docked in Liverpool in 1953.

It only takes 5 minutes to read; a perfect distraction for a smidgen of your time.

“Johnny always had a cig in his mouth. Sometimes it turned to ash without him taking a pull. Other times he held it there without lighting it. He always seemed more at ease, more focused, when he had a white stick between his lips. Johnny worked in the engine room. The captain didn’t like people smoking in there. One time he found a ‘prentice puffing away and threw him overboard.”

Click here to read the full story!

Read More Short Fantasy Stories

Below, you can find links to read some of my other short fantasy stories:

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richiebilling

Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. He's had over a dozen short stories published in various magazines and journals, with one adapted for BBC radio. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft.

Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.