Microfiction

If Not Free, Then Freely Laughing
Private Penn could hear a noise in the communal cell: a drum-like chant and a rattling chain. Curious, he cracked open the peek door and peered inside.
By Judah LoVato12 months ago in Fiction
Cape Canaveral
With his lookalikes’ spacecraft heavily guarded, Elon had no choice but to commandeer one of his own rocket launches in Cape Canaveral.
By Stephanie Hoogstad12 months ago in Fiction
Cosmic Microcosms. Runner-Up in Through the Keyhole Challenge.
Self-reflection is a science. It can be examined in detail. You just have to be willing to view the objective, however. Not all objectives are equal, especially when you filter out the subjective.
By Gerard DiLeo12 months ago in Fiction
The Door That Wasn't a Door
The key to the thirteenth floor was heavier than the others. It was an old, skeleton-key thing, iron and tarnished, attached to my janitorial ring with a separate, sturdy chain. My boss, a man named Mr. Henderson who smelled of stale coffee and resignation, had handed it to me on my first night with one instruction: “Sweep the hall. Do not, under any circumstances, open any of the doors. Especially not 13A. The locksmith is coming next week to change the lot.”
By Habibullah12 months ago in Fiction
The Light of the Desert: The Story of Bilal ibn Rabah (RA)
Heavy with the sun, with its rays scorching the desert into an oven of light and heat, the sun stood over Mecca. In a small corner near the Kaaba, a man was lying on the ground chained to the burning sand, his back raw from the whip, his lips dry and cracked. Each inhalation was punctuated by pain but from his shaking lips was uttered a word that would not die.
By Nusuki12 months ago in Fiction
The Recluse
I sit in the closet with the skeletons. It’s dark here. Grayscale. A single candle lights the room—a flame that I’ve been trying to snuff out for years, but it keeps coming back, like a trick candle on a birthday cake, its only purpose to remind me that I’ve spent another year smothering my dreams. Each time I blow it out, it takes longer and longer to return.
By Aura Starling12 months ago in Fiction
Private Window
The husband hired me to prove his wife was cheating. I didn’t expect her to be the only one innocent. You learn to keep your voice low in my line of work. Not just in a hallway outside a hotel room or on a stairwell while you count the steps. Inside yourself. The private investigator who shouts in his head misses the small things. The blink of a light. The dip in a timestamp. The way someone looks at a doorknob like it’s an audience. Nobody pays for your opinions. They pay for the small things.
By Aspen Noble12 months ago in Fiction
Escape!
They dragged Elon toward the East Wing. The room at the back of the bunker, Elon thought, it’s a cryochamber! He saw the Trump animatronic chatting at a pair of his lookalikes.
By Stephanie Hoogstad12 months ago in Fiction
The Moon That Cried Silver Tears
The people of the world first noticed it during the great drought. The skies had been relentlessly clear for months, and the land was parched to dust. One night, a new star appeared, trailing a faint, silvery light. But it wasn't a star. It was a tear.
By Habibullah12 months ago in Fiction
The Golden Key
Introduction This is inspired by a painting by John Bauer of a young girl with a key meeting the Norns. The picture was shared by the Enchanted Booklet here:
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 12 months ago in Fiction
The Whine At The Door
Every soul needs a guide--even if it isn't human. Based on a true event. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 All Souls’ Day blanketed the pavements and roads in velvet black and the dim light of street lamps; anything but a typical day for a little pet dog.
By Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin12 months ago in Fiction
The Elite
Secret Service agents appeared at Elon’s sides and grabbed his arms. By their strength, they had to be animatronics. “Why?” Elon asked. “If you are sure that I will return to a ruined planet, why not let me leave?”
By Stephanie Hoogstad12 months ago in Fiction