Pie and Mash

Our story of the week is a mystery story from the writer Mark Lynch.

Mark Lynch grew up in East London and has been interested in storytelling as far back as he can remember. He’s done brief stints in amateur acting, having once played Bill Sykes in a school play and then many years later going on to join acting classes and taking part in small performances in central London. He also enjoys the great outdoors and likes reading about history as well as visiting historical places.

The first time Mark was introduced to the three-act structure was when he was in school. They would write short stories at least three times a week. Looking back, he’s extremely grateful to have been allowed to do this. He was around nine years of age when he first tried to get one of his short stories published. It was a ghost story and he took it to the local newspaper. They wrote him a short note gratefully declining but encouraging him to carry on – a first piece of feedback for him. Fast forward a few years and he purchased his first screenplay in book format which increased his fascination and opened up another writing avenue for him. He’s since written a few spec screenplays for TV and film, as well as more short stories, and was lucky enough to be a runner-up in the Tower Hamlets Writeidea short story competition back in 2017. His entry was called The House in Stepney Green and was, ironically, a ghost story.

In Pie and Mash, a teenage boy has a memorable experience when he starts a new Saturday job.

Enjoy!

‘I’d been badgered for a while by mum to get a Saturday job but this time the threat felt real. Dad was kind of on my side, but he also was adding the pressure lately.

“You have to get a job, Michael. We’re not going to pay for another computer game, and that’s that,” my mother said.

“Your mother’s right, Mikey,” my dad said, briefly lowering his newspaper across the breakfast table.

This was a typical Saturday morning at the table, the day after I’d been at school all week. Like I didn’t have enough to deal with. The computer games tactic was a new one; and felt heavy to be honest.’ Read more…