Stories by Gerry Gaffney

Dumped by his girlfriend and in a dead-end job, a young man rebels.

A cruel teacher exerts her power over her young charges.

Jimmy meets a girl he likes, but lies about an old tattoo. Will it damage their relationship?

To save costs, a small Greek cafe engages the services of an android and discovers that 98% performance is not good enough.

A young man makes a rash promise, and turns to AI to bail him out of trouble. A story of final wishes, best intentions, deception and redemption.

The Marketing Department has conducted some research and wants Customer Support to make changes to its practices. Jennifer is skeptical and scathing. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Jimmy has to make a speech at his father's funeral. This is a comedic story about the fear of public speaking. And family relationships. It's set in Dublin and Dingle, France.

A former politician who helped block climate action seeks shelter in a community struggling to deal with the consequences of extreme weather.

Imagine a society in which artists - even mediocre ones - are supported financially and emotionally. They have an assured market and ongoing work. But there is a cost.

A young man meets the girl of his dreams, but she is due to leave for her home country. An un/fortunate accident extends her stay.

Preventative maintenance has a particular importance for dog-owners if the pet next door is a rabbit. If you're going to cover up an unfortunate incident, you need to make sure you know what's really going on.

Jimmy is down on his luck and out of money. The prospect of sex work may offer a way out. Or not.

A story of trust, suspicion and jealousy. And the easy trap of enabling an AI to reinforce your preexisting beliefs.

Managing pets and children, especially teenagers, can be challenging. The Instagrammable children of others may not be picture-perfect in real life.

In a strife-torn Sydney, a young man tries to buy a pair of shoes for his dead brother.

A frosty relationship between a young woman and her mother-in-law cools even further in a time of misfortune.

'There is no away' is an environmental mantra. In this story humans have apparently found a way to really dispose of our unwanted junk. Being an allegory, there is of course a downside.

A chance encounter leads a young man to share a London flat with an older gentleman. They develop a strong bond, but what might be a minor breach of trust leads to a schism that may be beyond repair.

Sometimes you have to stop digging. A young man in London gets sucked into a fabricated story that sees him sink deeper and deeper into a pit with no apparent exit.

Damian returns home to Ireland to visit his dying father, and they share a final road trip.

Jimmy is down on his luck and out of money. His girlfriend has left him. A chance to earn some quick cash leads him to embark on a dubious exercise that may not end well.

An ordinary day at work has a deep impact on a young man who will later translate his experience into a work of art.

An entrepreneurial young man returns to London from Aberystwyth with a bag full of magic mushrooms. But first there are the small issues of quality control and preparation for market. Some things go wrong.