Holiday
The Rocking Chair Rocked Back and Forth. Winner in Out of Season Challenge. Top Story - September 2026.
I can’t remember if I told you, but I was kind of raised by my great aunt Helena. I had parents that loved and cared about me; they wanted to give me a life they didn’t have growing up which meant sacrificing some of their time for day jobs. This meant that they weren’t about to pass up free day care.
By Amos Glade2 months ago in Fiction
Trick Or Treat
Geneva smiled as she inhaled the heavy scent of lavender and eucalyptus floating through her living room. As the senior massage therapist at Serendipity Spa, she was used to spending fifty hours a week kneading out the knotted shoulders of stressed out people. Most recently, her schedule had been overflowing with an endless flow of Valentine's Day couples.
By Sara Wilson2 months ago in Fiction
The Fatal New Year
“Ten! Nine! Eight!” the crowd is shouting. The year 1993 has finally come to a close. It’s officially 1994. The year of Forest Gump, Pulp Fiction, Ace of Base’s big hit “The Sign,” and “I Swear” by All-4-One. Bill Clinton is still in office, and McDonald’s Big Mac is under three dollars. What a year. The first time I went through this year, I was only eight. I was too young to care about much of any of its highlights except the Big Mac, of course. Now I find it a glorious time to return to. Through all the time periods I’ve experienced, the 1990s seem to be one of the pinnacle times in human existence. The economy was booming, and people were filled with hope and promise for the new millennium. Nothing has ever been so beautiful as watching the hope fade from someone’s eyes. What could be a better time to do what I do than in a time of so much hope? It also helps that there are no cameras around; fingerprinting and dental DNA testing aren’t as widespread. Also, being able to transport myself to any time in history has kept me off the radar of police. It is much easier to live my joy.
By Leah Suzanne Dewey2 months ago in Fiction
The Cold Comfort
The flavor hits the sensory cells of the tongue’s papillae, and suddenly, I am floating in the clouds. It was a hot summer afternoon. After walking in the sun for hours — shirt soaked, surrounded by a suffocating flood of people — I spotted an ice cream parlor. I have never been a particularly devoted fan of ice cream. But that afternoon, the ice in the cream was icing and was simply calling my name, and I answered.
By Elizabeth Agyeman Prempeh3 months ago in Fiction
"Stay King-Free!"
On behalf of Great Britain, congratulations on 250 years of independence. It was a rather dramatic breakup, but we've all said things in our youth. Tea was thrown, wigs were powdered, and someone insisted that no free people should ever bow to a king again.
By Lana V Lynx3 months ago in Fiction
"Stay Independent, Let Others Be, too!"
On behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark, congratulations on 250 years of independence! It's an inspiring achievement. After all, declaring that no distant out-of-touch ruler should decide your future is a principle we've always admired.
By Lana V Lynx3 months ago in Fiction
Home for the.... Top Story - July 2026.
“Platform Number Four, now boarding.” He was a cynic, but there was nothing now that could possibly ruin his trip home. The plane that took him across a time zone had faced very little turbulence, and he knew that this was helping with his fear of heights. The therapist’s suggestion that he fly back was actually useful (better than that nonsense about opening up to people). He had a good flight with no alcohol necessary, and he even took an air-sickness bag as a memento (strange little collection he had now). No, he was simply one bus ride away from home and he would see the family, old faces and sights that he knew so well.
By Kendall Defoe 3 months ago in Fiction
You Had To Be There
An Independence Day Miracle I love to dance. Since I was a child, I danced a lot, even if there was no music. I could hear in my mind's ear. In Los Angeles, during high school, I was a street dancer as we competed against other street dancers. Since I was a gymnast, I could do flips when I danced.
By SAMURAI SAM: Wild Wayne3 months ago in Fiction
Matter and Energy
Most churches have had their share of easing life’s journeys. From the time an individual is introduced into the community, accepts its rules and rites, marriage, confession and death. Often, we remember when the weather reflects the emotions being experienced. Tears pour down as it rains at a funeral or a moment of hope appears as light streams through the window during a wedding service. Churches are often built to remove or extol the grandeur of the unknown supreme presence(s).
By Katherine D. Graham3 months ago in Fiction
Don’t Be Late!. Top Story - July 2026.
“We should be leaving now! Are you ready?” My daughter’s cheery voice drifts through the open doorway of my walk-in wardrobe. I snatch an outfit off the nearest coat-hanger. Clambering into it, a muffled response limps back to her. My cramped quarters barely impede my speedy transformation. Even Clark Kent would be impressed.
By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶3 months ago in Fiction
