Mystery
Hoag’s Object. Runner-Up in Through the Keyhole Challenge.
I had gotten used to the eyes, one after the other, peering constantly through the jagged remains of where a peephole once sat. Stranger’s trying to catch a glimpse of the accused until: This eye, this very eye in particular, that stared with a deep hatred burning into my soul. I knew this red-gold-hazel iris that lit up a room like fire. She was the reason I would be locked in this cabin, a prisoner, until our arrival in Pteetneet City. This is where the proper authorities would step in to arrest me.
By Amos Gladeabout a year ago in Fiction
THE EUNUCH'S GHOST. AI-Generated.
The palace at dawn was quieter than any grave. Mist clung to the tiled roofs, sliding down the eaves like pale fingers. Drums had beaten the morning call, but the courtyards were not yet alive with chatter. Eunuchs shuffled in pairs, heads bowed, carrying basins of water. Court ladies swept the paths with long-handled brooms. Their whispers were muted, nervous, as though the walls themselves had learned to listen.
By Bady Machi about a year ago in Fiction
The Secrets My Mother Kept
The water wasn't water anymore. Alexander understood this with a clarity that felt both new and impossibly old. What surrounded him was something else entirely - a substance that moved like memory, that breathed like thought. It pulsed with its own rhythm, a heartbeat that seemed to sync with something deep in his chest - something that had been dormant until now.
By Parsley Rose about a year ago in Fiction
What Obscure Avenues Exist Beyond Traditional Self-Publishing Platforms?
What Obscure Avenues Exist Beyond Traditional Self-Publishing Platforms? Chuck Morgan, Crime Fiction Author Self-publishing has gained immense popularity, but you may not be aware of other, less conventional avenues that lie beyond the mainstream platforms. Exploring these alternatives can broaden your reach and enhance your publishing journey. From niche websites to multimedia formats, there are innovative options available that cater specifically to your targeted audience. This post will guide you through these lesser-known paths, helping you to discover opportunities that can effectively showcase your work and expand your readership.
By Charles E Morganabout a year ago in Fiction
A Knock at the Door
Thump, thump, thump ….. Maggie knew that sound and her blood ran cold. He was here again. She hesitated before starting toward the door. Knowing she would find nothing but a pile of rib bones on her porch, she chose again to acknowledge his knock. The door was old and rusty and creaked accordingly as she slowly opened it.
By Barbara Gode Wilesabout a year ago in Fiction
One glimpse that unravels everything
I should never have looked. But the keyhole was there — a perfect circle of darkness punched through old brass — and behind it: light, movement, the hush of whispers that did not belong to me. I put my eye to it, because curiosity is just hunger with better manners, and because the house had been kind to me so far: no creaks that weren’t friendly, no shadows that didn’t behave.
By Alain SUPPINIabout a year ago in Fiction
The Night Market That Sells Lost Time
My phone died at 12:01 a.m., and with it went the last excuse not to think. I ducked behind the noodle shop to escape the sideways rain, and the alley stretched longer than it had any right to—neon dragging itself across puddles like spilled paint. A velvet curtain rippled where a brick wall should be. When I pushed through, warm light and citrus air slipped over me like someone else’s coat.
By Atif khurshaidabout a year ago in Fiction
THE EUNUCH'S GHOST. AI-Generated.
The wind howled through the pines on the palace outskirts, carrying with it the smell of rain-soaked earth and forgotten incense. Beneath the roots of a crooked tree, hidden from the eyes of those who passed by during the day, lay an unmarked grave. No headstone. No offerings. Only loose stones, hurriedly piled by men who had been ordered to dig quickly and say nothing.
By Bady Machi about a year ago in Fiction
The Cog-Boy of Aethel. AI-Generated.
Baron Von Greed was waiting for them. Cogsworth had expected pursuit, searches, perhaps even mechanical hounds sent to track him through the city's steam-filled streets. He had not expected to find the Baron standing calmly in his carnival quarters, examining the maintenance tools with the casual interest of a man appraising property.
By Shane D. Spearabout a year ago in Fiction
The City of Lost Souls. AI-Generated.
In the hidden city of Umbria, the souls of the dead are granted a second chance at life. It’s a mysterious realm, a place where time flows differently, and the boundaries between life and death are blurred. But there’s a catch—once you step into this city, you can never leave. The souls are bound to its ethereal streets, unable to return to the living world.
By Muhammad Rahimabout a year ago in Fiction
