David Gaffney, The Half-Life of Songs. First came across him cos he's a Cumbrian author (and there aren't many of those for a start), my age and brought up in the next town to the one I was. So, obviously, if we'd met back then we'd have had to fight. Anyway... he writes short stories. Micro-stories, in fact, ordinary and weird at the same time, which pack more into half a page than some folk get into an entire book.
At the risk of copyright infringement, here's one I liked: You Would Have.
"I was at a fancy schmancy media party and I asked this girl what she did and she said she worked for the Gas Board.
'Oh yes', I said, 'what do they do?' thinking the Gas Board was some Hoxton Square design agency.
She looked at me for a long time, then said, 'They deliver gas to people's homes. For heating and cooking.'
'Oh yes', I said, 'I've heard of them.'
'You would have', she said.
You would have. I thought that was very funny of her. I thought that was a very funny thing to say."
