Bridport competition Short Story shortlist 2025

My short story "BC" was shortlisted by the Bridport competition.

Excerpt:

"I once asked my father what ‘BC’ meant. I came across it in a large historical atlas that I found in my school’s library. The book had the scent of both wood and vanilla, and it reminded me of walks through Ithan Valley Park near Villanova, a suburb of Philadelphia where we once lived. My father always took his time before answering a question. I loved how calm, deep and composed he was. He had wavy black hair, and wore round glasses with a golden frame. Sometimes I would ask him a question just to observe him pause, and then carefully respond. I had memorised his mouth, the way his lips pressed against each other, then parted, and his voice arrived, deep, deep enough so you would know that whatever he was saying, it just had to be true. Lies and mistruths could not live at such depths. Besides, lies don’t have the smell of menthol, and my father always carried a strong scent of mint."