Microfiction

The Incident
They just stood there staring at each other. I’m not sure if everyone was simply at a loss for words or afraid to be the first to say something. True, an incident like this does take time to process, but someone had to be the first to speak. Since he was the oldest of the group and the owner of the small manufacturing plant, Peter knew that the responsibility to start a conversation about the incident fell directly on him. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and began.
By Mark Gagnonabout a year ago in Fiction
Toast, Towels, & Tights (& Bisoprolol)
Journal Log - SUBJECT M 03/05 07:12 Exited Statham Road terrace carrying standard grocery tote. Fingernail polish chipped (burgundy, left index). Leopard-print scarf worn loosely. No umbrella. Forecast: rain. 05/05 07:46 Kitchen curtains open. Seated at corner table, drinking from glass tumbler. Toast cut diagonal, crusts off. (Just like E) 07/05 08:28 - Garden activity: rosemary clipped with bent scissors. Soil residue on kitchen tile, 3rd from left nr door. 10/05 22:01 - Bathroom light active. Blind raised ~4cm. Subject stood unmoving for extended period in front of mirror. Steam patterns indicated close proximity. Towel pale blue, faded embroidery. 14/05 16:55 - Television audible. Crime series with abrupt tonal shifts. Subject laughed ~27min mark.
By L.C. Schäferabout a year ago in Fiction
The Clock That Counts Backwards: A Short Story About Time Travel and Regret
Introduction Have you ever wished you could turn back time, even just for a moment? To fix a mistake, say something you left out, or take a different path? This story looks at how strong regret can feel and how tempting it is to change the past. It features a strange clock that doesn’t move forward like normal, but backward instead.
By Racha about a year ago in Fiction
Pooh Meets Paddington
When Pooh and Paddington finished up with their new snacks of marmalade and honey, they decided that they needed a walk. Pooh said, "Let me introduce you to some of my friends." Out the door they went. Just a little way down the path they bounce into Tigger. Paddington wondered what's a Tigger. Is he a tiger or something different? Tigger in his usual manner showed him Tigger's bounce not a tiger. "Oh, said Paddington how interesting." Tigger bounced down the path and Paddington and Pooh continued on down the path wondering who will be next that they will see.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Fiction
Groundhog Day of Coffee and Tea. Runner-Up in The Second First Time Challenge.
I had been heavy before. Heavy in the way people don’t see. Not the kind of heavy that slows you down, but the kind that keeps your muscles ready for war. I’d lifted things like people, grief, myself. I always knew where to go. Forward.
By Cadmaabout a year ago in Fiction
Picnic - A Breath Of Fresh Air. Content Warning.
They were billionaires having made their fortunes in weapons sales, and knew that at some point they would be subjected to a nuclear winter, so they built their bunkers where they would live when humanity was wiped out by the things these people had sold.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Fiction
Domino Effect
The old coffee machine in the corner of the break room at Sterling & Co. always wheezed before it dripped, a familiar, comforting sound that had punctuated countless hurried mornings. Today, it was the backdrop to Sarah’s internal battle. The quarterly reports were due in an hour, and she’d spotted a discrepancy, a small, almost negligible error in the sales figures from the North division. It was a single digit, off by a mere few thousand dollars, easily missed amidst millions.
By FlammyWritesabout a year ago in Fiction
The House That Watches Back
I didn’t expect the house to breathe. But on my first night in Windlow, lying in the guest room with the crooked chandelier and the window that refused to latch, I heard it—slow, deliberate, like a sigh pulled through swollen old wood. Maybe it was just the wind, or the shift of ancient beams in the cool night air. Or maybe it was my imagination, already playing tricks on me.
By The Hopeabout a year ago in Fiction
The Witch’s Bargain
Once upon a time… a man was sentenced to death. No one really knew what his crime was. Maybe he spoke truth in front of powerful people, or maybe he just hurt someone’s ego. Whatever it was, his life was near end and he had no hope left.
By Usamaabout a year ago in Fiction
The Echo in My Veins
Aris Thorne’s favorite sales tactic was fear. “Feel that anxiety in your chest, Mr. Reynolds?” she whispered, her neural implant syncing with the client’s emotions. “That’s your competitors’ ambition… But our security AI can make it stop.”
By Habibullahabout a year ago in Fiction
Blue Eyes
"You don’t even know them," Jaymie said, voice tight, juice untouched. Scowling, Harry reached for the butter . "I don’t need to. I don't like that sort of thing, I never have. You know that. Some things should stay… traditional." Jaymie scoffed. "You’re being ridiculous." Harry was long past the age when he blushed easily, either from embarrassment or anger. Still, the tops of his ears gave him away. He was stung, but he wasn't backing down. "How are you going to give me grandchildren, that's what I'd like to know," he grumbled. "I don't owe you grandchildren," Jaymie bristled. "Okay, that's fair," Harry forced himself to speak softly, caging his temper behind tired teeth, but it just made him sound all the angrier. "It's all very well, this lifestyle-" "It's not a lifestyle, Dad, we can't help who we love!" "Yes! Yes you can! That's the point! Grass grows where it's watered, as well you should know, or have I taught you nothing?" He glared, and then sighed, pulling a hand down over his craggy face. It made him look like a Basset Hound. "You’re just too young to see it clearly." “I’m not. We've talked every day for a year. Lyric knows me better than anyone ever has.” "Pfft. Talking. Knowing. That's not love." "Then what is? I love Lyric. I know I do. They-" "They." Harry snorted. "That's ridiculous." Jaymie's ears were just as rosy. "You're just a...a... a dinosaur! You don't understand. Or... or maybe," Recklessness took over now, "Maybe you do get it. Maybe you know my generation will bury yours, and you resent us for it. The world is changing, Dad! It belongs to us! Get with it, or get left behind!" Harry put his knife down, slow and deliberate. "I will not be steam-rollered into agreeing with this... this new-age nonsense. It's wrong. It's amoral. Love should be between..." Eyes rolling, Jaymie stood, chair scraping on the kitchen tiles. "Yeah, yeah, a man and a woman, we get it, dad." "Between two people," Harry countered, his voice rising despite himself.
By L.C. Schäferabout a year ago in Fiction
The Secret Room Beneath My Grandfather’s House. AI-Generated.
The Secret Room Beneath My Grandfather’s House Some secrets are meant to be discovered. Others, to be left alone. I never believed in ghosts.
By The Hopeabout a year ago in Fiction