Psychological
The Last Message Sent at 11:59. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
At exactly 11:59 p.m., every phone in the city buzzed at the same time. No notification sound anyone recognized. No app logo. Just a single message on a black screen:âYou have one minute to remember.â
By Gabriel Waltone10 months ago in Fiction
In the Midst of Life
It was one of those rare late March days in the Deep South, which came on with a surprising vengeance. Already the roads, houses, and cars were covered with the fine pinkish dust more typical of June or July, after temperatures had climbed into the nineties for the ten days past. A bead of sweat rolled down Caitlynâs nose as she slowed her car. She stopped at the intersection. A strand of limp gold hair had escaped from her scrunchie. She pushed the strands behind her ear, barely sparing a thought for the motion.
By Kimberly J Egan10 months ago in Fiction
Compound Growth
The first thing Marcus noticed was Derek's skin. It wasn't dramaticânot at first. Just a certain smoothness to his colleague's face during the Monday morning standup, a tightness around the jaw that hadn't been there Friday. Derek had always been soft, doughy in that way of men who'd stopped caring somewhere around their second divorce. But now his cheeks held a new geometry. His neck no longer folded into his collar.
By Destiny S. Harris10 months ago in Fiction
THE WEIGHT OF A DIAMOND. Honorable Mention in Mismatch Challenge.
The harbour was at its most generous that night. Light spilled across the water in long, trembling ribbons, the city glittering as though it had dressed itself expressly for us. Champagne rose in pale, frantic bubbles, glasses refilled before they were empty, before desire had time to cool.
By Leeza-Bridget Cooper10 months ago in Fiction
â©hen âŁâŹrbidde⊠âŁâvâ Drew âŹnă° Inâčxplicable â§ă° đ« âźââhηââłââÎł TâŹâŽCarry âŹut the âźâââible â âstructiâŹn âŹf đ ±isbee, đ °riÎâŹna. Winner in Mismatch Challenge.
âĄđ”âŻ~Located in the Mule Mountains of southern Arizona is the Sonoran desert. In the Year of Our Lord 1880, troves of minerals & metals were discovered in that rocky terrain by a prospector named Judge DeWitt Bisbee.
By Lightning Bolt âĄ10 months ago in Fiction
What A Clown. Honorable Mention in Mismatch Challenge. Top Story - January 2026.
I heard of the jokester in town. My staff was afraid to share the tales, for they knew the stories infuriated me and punishment was my expertise. I inflicted many types, and excelled at using sharp objects and heated âinstruments.â
By Andrea Corwin 10 months ago in Fiction
The Centerless Forest
We enter a forest, where the atmosphere is haunted; where satisfaction comes from pattern and precision. It is built around a procedural, almost algorithmic progression - a walk defined by rules, repetitions, and spatial logic in its geometric narrative.
By Antoni De'Leon10 months ago in Fiction
Sisyphusâ Punishment
Iâve been doing this for three thousand years. At least that's what I estimate, more or less. Canât tell more precisely because I lost count of days and nights. With this job, you would too, anyone would. Yes, I have to roll this huge rock up not only during the day but at night, too. Up and down, up and down. I roll it up, almost all the way to the top, it rolls down under its weight and I have to start over.
By Lana V Lynx10 months ago in Fiction
