family

An Instruction Manual for Keeping Your Child Alive:. Content Warning.
Author’s Note This story contains references to childhood trauma and a parent’s experience supporting a child through recovery, including moments of emotional crisis. The focus is not on graphic detail, but on a family’s survival, vigilance, and the quiet, ongoing work of caregiving.
By Stacey Mataxis Whitlow (SMW)8 months ago in Fiction
In the Woods
"Pick it up!" "Ew, no you pick it up!" "I said it first" "No way. It's slimy." "How do you know if you won't even try? "Because look at all the leaves stuck to it. It's gross."
By Faith M Adam8 months ago in Fiction
Instructions I Never Received
Not the polite kind people give you. The ones that say things like take your time or stay strong. I mean real instructions. Step by step. Like the ones that come with furniture, except no parts are missing and nothing ends up crooked.
By Salman Writes8 months ago in Fiction
For the Next Girl. Winner in Instructions Included Challenge. Top Story - January 2026.
Hey, Next Girl, I’m Holly. You and I will probably never meet, but for some reason life has brought you here – to Walter’s broom closet. I know when I started working here, I could’ve done with some instructions... anything at all.
By Cristal S.8 months ago in Fiction
My Baby Laughs at the Corner of the Room Every Night at 3 A.M.
The pediatrician says it’s normal—my mother says it’s not By Anees Ul Ameen My son learned how to laugh before he learned how to crawl.
By anees8 months ago in Fiction
The Neighbour’s Wife
In every neighborhood, relationships are formed not just by proximity but by shared values, mutual respect, and unspoken boundaries. The phrase “the neighbour’s wife” often appears in stories, gossip, and even moral discussions, sometimes carrying unnecessary suspicion or curiosity. Yet, when examined thoughtfully, it opens an important conversation about ethics, social responsibility, and the way individuals choose to see and treat one another within a community.
By shaoor afridi8 months ago in Fiction
I Do Remember. Top Story - January 2026.
“Hi, Pop. How are you feeling today?” “I’m feeling fine, but who are you?” “I’m Jacob, your son. I was here visiting you yesterday, remember?”
By Mark Gagnon8 months ago in Fiction
I Still Receive Messages From My Wife—Three Years After Her Funeral
Every message knows something only the dead should remember By Anees Ul Ameen The first message arrived on a quiet Sunday night, exactly three years after my wife’s funeral.
By anees8 months ago in Fiction
The Town That Forgot Tomorrow
The town of Bellmere had one strange rule: no one talked about tomorrow. At first, Maya thought it was a joke. She had arrived in Bellmere on a rainy evening, her car breaking down just beyond the town sign. The sign itself was old and rusted, with faded letters that read: Welcome to Bellmere. Nothing unusual until she asked the mechanic when her car would be ready.
By Asghar ali awan8 months ago in Fiction
The Coming Darkness
“We won’t always be here for you. You do understand that, right?” “I know, but that still doesn’t explain why I have to do laundry. I can’t see the buttons on the washing machine, remember? Eyes no work anymore.”
By Barb Dukeman8 months ago in Fiction
How to Check the Oil
Oil, in no small measure, is what makes the world go around. It’s the truth of a modern society. It keeps the parts humming, moving smoothly against each other in a rhythm you can catch just before the sound waves leave the bounds of human range.
By Natalie Wilkinson8 months ago in Fiction
Seeing from the other side
So, after getting some blood work done, I was told that I had traces of another human in my blood, which means it's a dead twin. This happens when a set of twins is in the same wound, and 1 twin dies during development and gets absorbed by the stronger twin as nutrients. Basically, resulting in the surviving baby as a chimera.
By stephanie borges8 months ago in Fiction