Stephen Mossop

The Stone-Cutter of Lyonesse and other stories Stephen Mossop

10 short stories. 10 very different stories: from myths and fairy tales to true 'tales of the unexpected'.....'The Stone Cutter of Lyonesse': A 'Lyonesse' myth, describing how the undoubted skills of a master stone-cutter enable him, assisted by his family, to create the most exciting and unusual monument of its time; and how his ambition and vanity, together with a couple of simple errors, combine to prove disastrous for the land he loves.'The Grandfather's Tale': A kindly and inventive Grandfather teaches his grandson the value of money, by describing how his own grandfather had shown him an unusual way to make money.'The Captain's Tale': A former sailor, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars, is now working as a waiter and finds an unusual way to get his own back on the ship's captain whose meanness has caused him to limp.'The Counterfeit Reality of Toys': A brief monologue: through which I describe my juvenile relationship with toys, my parents, and my new baby sister; and my regrets at having to sell my collection later in life.'The Adventurous Miss Flowers': The adventures of Miss Flowers: a lady of 'advanced middle age', who decides to take an impromptu holiday to rural France. Trouble is, the lovely town she visits isn't always as quiet as she imagined it would be - and, we discover, she is hiding secrets of her own....'The Librarian's Tale': A tired librarian plays an unkind trick on an irritating patron.'The Miller's Tale': A fairy tale: a miller receives an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night, and finds himself the victim of an elaborate con.'The Prince's Fortune': A displaced prince is forced to go out in the world to find his fortune. This fairy tale follows his adventures as he makes friends with those he meets and gradually gives away all his possessions, and how he eventually finds his fortune in an unusual way.'As Night Falls': A brief snapshot description of a winter's night falling over a valley in rural Cornwall.'Ulf's Saga': A young American couple find themselves lost, separately, deep in the snowy Scottish highlands. Individually, they take advantage of the hospitality extended by an elderly couple in a remote valley. A story within the story hints towards a very unexpected twist to