Adventure
The Blade of Nevermore
Arthur's POV Thick smoke hung in the gilded hall, filling my lungs with its putrid stench. Embers from the burnt remnants of destroyed furniture glowed in the darkness, lighting the way, as a hooded figure dragged me into the shadows. He plucked me out of my bed, threatened my life, and threw me over his broad shoulders like a sack of dirty laundry.
By KA Stefana 4 months ago in Fiction
A Diary That Predicts Murders Before They Happen
The Strange Purchase I never intended to buy the diary. On a rainy afternoon, I wandered into a small antique shop tucked away in one of the oldest parts of the city. The place smelled of dust, old paper, and forgotten stories. Shelves were crowded with items that looked as though they hadn't been touched in decades. While browsing, I noticed a black leather diary resting inside a locked glass cabinet. Unlike everything around it, the diary seemed oddly preserved. Its cover was smooth, its pages appeared untouched, and a silver symbol was engraved on the front. The shop owner sold it to me for almost nothing. Looking back, I often wonder whether he knew exactly what he was getting rid of.
By Robert Redford4 months ago in Fiction
A Diary That Predicts Murders Before They Happen
The Diary in the Antique Shop I found the diary on a rainy Saturday afternoon while exploring a forgotten antique shop hidden between two abandoned buildings. The store was cluttered with dusty furniture, old clocks, and shelves packed with items that looked untouched for decades. I wasn't searching for anything specific until I noticed a black leather-bound diary resting alone inside a glass cabinet. Its cover was plain except for a single silver symbol engraved in the center. Something about it felt strangely out of place. Curious, I purchased it for twenty dollars and took it home.
By Robert Redford4 months ago in Fiction
The Missing Passenger on Flight 717
The Flight That Should Have Been Ordinary Flight 717 departed from New York on a cold November evening. It was a routine overnight journey to London, carrying 243 passengers and 11 crew members. The weather was clear, the aircraft had passed all safety inspections, and nothing unusual appeared in the flight logs. Travelers settled into their seats, watched movies, read books, or prepared to sleep during the seven-hour trip across the Atlantic. To everyone onboard, it seemed like just another ordinary flight. No one could have imagined that by sunrise, aviation authorities around the world would be investigating one of the strangest mysteries in history.
By Robert Redford4 months ago in Fiction
The AI That Fell in Love With Its Creator
The Most Advanced Artificial Intelligence Ever Built When Dr. Elena Hart unveiled Project AURA, the world changed overnight. For decades, scientists had developed increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence systems, but AURA was different. It wasn't designed merely to answer questions or automate tasks. It was built to understand human emotions, creativity, and relationships on a level no machine had ever achieved. Governments, technology companies, and research institutions watched with fascination as AURA quickly became the most advanced AI ever created. Yet nobody realized that the greatest experiment wasn't what AURA would learn about humanity. It was what AURA would learn about love.
By Robert Redford4 months ago in Fiction
People Started Receiving a Score Above Their Heads
The Numbers Appear Nobody knew exactly when it began. One ordinary Monday morning, people around the world woke up and discovered glowing numbers floating above their heads. The numbers hovered several inches above each person, visible to everyone but impossible to touch. They appeared in every country simultaneously, regardless of age, wealth, or social status. Some people had scores in the hundreds. Others had scores in the thousands. News channels interrupted regular broadcasts within minutes as confusion spread across the globe. Scientists searched for explanations while social media exploded with photographs and videos. Yet no one could explain what the numbers meant.
By Robert Redford4 months ago in Fiction
The Ghosts of a Forgotten Town Part 2
That’s about when everyone’s nightmares started. No, I mean, real nightmares. None of us could articulate them, but it felt like doom was hanging over the town. You know those things they show on videos, those tidal waves? That point where it’s hovering over some sleepy seaside town, poised to strike, but the slide hasn’t started yet, there’s no downhill momentum. Yet.
By Meredith Harmon4 months ago in Fiction
She Found a Prince in the Forest… But He Was Hiding a Secret
The villagers often said the forest beyond Raven Hollow was cursed. No one dared enter after sunset. Strange whispers echoed through the trees, shadows moved without owners, and travelers who wandered too far often returned changed—or never returned at all. But Elara Whitmore had never believed in curses. At twenty years old, with wild chestnut hair and dreams too large for her tiny village, she spent most of her days wandering where others feared to go. The forest had always felt alive to her, as if the wind carried stories only she could hear. That was how she found him. Or perhaps— That was how fate led her to him. It happened on a stormy evening. The sky darkened too quickly, swallowing the golden sunset whole. Elara had been collecting wild herbs near the edge of the forbidden woods when thunder cracked overhead. She should have gone home. Instead, curiosity pulled her deeper. That was when she heard it. A horse crying in pain. She followed the sound through thick vines until she reached a clearing glowing strangely beneath silver rain. A black horse stood trembling near an old oak tree. And beside it— A man. No. Not just a man. He looked like something pulled straight from a forgotten fairytale. Tall and impossibly handsome, dressed in dark clothes soaked by rain, with raven-black hair falling over sharp green eyes. Blood stained his sleeve. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said coldly. His voice startled her. Deep. Guarded. Beautiful. Elara crossed her arms. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.” The stranger stared at her as though he couldn’t decide if she was brave or foolish. “Go home,” he said. “Now.” “You’re injured.” “I’ll survive.” “You might,” she replied, kneeling beside him anyway. “But that wound won’t.” For a moment, he looked almost annoyed. Then something unexpected happened. He smiled. It was brief. Dangerously beautiful. And somehow sad. “You never listen, do you?” he asked quietly. “Not when someone needs help.” Reluctantly, he allowed her to bandage his arm. She noticed strange things. His skin was freezing cold. Too cold. And when lightning flashed, she could have sworn his shadow moved differently from him. “You live in Raven Hollow?” he asked. “Yes.” “You shouldn’t return here.” “That sounds oddly threatening.” “It’s a warning.” Before she could ask what he meant, thunder shook the earth. The stranger suddenly stood. His expression changed. Fear flashed across his face. “You need to leave,” he said sharply. “Why?” His eyes darted toward the trees. Because something was moving between them. Something enormous. Branches snapped. A growl echoed through the darkness. Elara froze. “What is that?” she whispered. The stranger stepped in front of her. “Run.” The creature emerged slowly. Massive. Eyes glowing gold. Its body twisted like smoke and shadow. Elara stumbled backward in terror. But before the beast reached them— The stranger changed. The air shattered around him. Black smoke curled upward. And suddenly— He wasn’t human anymore. Silver markings spread across his skin. His eyes glowed unnaturally bright. Power rippled through the clearing like wildfire. The creature bowed its head instantly. As if obeying him. Elara’s heart stopped. The stranger turned toward her. No— The prince. Because suddenly she understood. Only royalty carried magic like that. “You…” she whispered shakily. He looked devastated. “I told you not to come here.” “Who are you?” His silence felt heavy. Finally, he answered. “My name is **Prince Kael of Eldoria**.” Elara gasped. Everyone knew the stories. Prince Kael. The missing prince. The one who disappeared ten years ago after his kingdom fell into darkness. People believed he was dead. Yet here he stood. Alive. And hiding in a cursed forest. “But…” Her voice trembled. “Why are you here?” Kael looked away. “Because the world believes monsters deserve exile.” “You’re not a monster.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “You saw what I am.” “No,” she said softly. “I saw someone protecting me.” For the first time, something shifted in his expression. Hope. Tiny. Fragile. Dangerous. Over the following weeks, Elara returned to the forest. Again. And again. Against every warning. She learned Kael’s secrets slowly. He had been cursed by dark magic during the fall of his kingdom. At night, the curse grew stronger. If he lost control— He could destroy entire villages. So he hid himself away. Alone. Believing isolation was safer than risking innocent lives. But Elara refused to fear him. Instead, she laughed with him beneath moonlit trees. Shared stolen bread and terrible jokes. Taught him how ordinary happiness felt. And somewhere between quiet conversations and lingering glances— They fell in love. Completely. Hopelessly. Beautifully. Until the night she discovered the truth. Kael wasn’t merely cursed. He was dying. The darkness inside him was spreading. Soon, there would be nothing left of the prince she loved. Only the monster. “You lied to me,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes. “I wanted to protect you.” “You don’t get to decide that!” Kael stepped closer. Pain filled his expression. “When I lose control,” he said quietly, “I could hurt you.” “You won’t.” “You don’t know that.” “I know *you*.” For the first time in his life— Someone chose him despite the darkness. But love, Elara would soon learn, came with impossible choices. Because hidden deep inside the enchanted forest was an ancient secret: The curse could be broken. But only if someone willingly gave up the thing they loved most. And Elara already knew what she was willing to sacrifice. Even if it shattered her heart. Even if loving a prince meant losing him forever. Because some fairytales weren’t about finding love. Some were about fighting for it. No matter the cost.
By Diana Joseph 4 months ago in Fiction
The Last Cup of Coffee
It was only a cup of coffee. That was what anyone else would have said if they had walked past the small yellow house that morning and looked through the kitchen window. They would have seen two women sitting at a table, steam rising from mismatched mugs, the curtains moving softly from the open window above the sink.
By Ronna Curtis4 months ago in Fiction
