Short Story

Successful Integration
By the time you notice the difference, it has already settled in. At first it is small. A pause where a response used to come quickly. A familiar weight that no longer sits where you expect it to. You assume it’s fatigue. Everyone does.
By Courtney Jones8 months ago in Fiction
I was ready to let it all go — then a dog sat down next to me.
I didn’t wake up that day intending to live. That’s the part people don’t understand about moments like this. They think there’s a dramatic buildup, a clear decision, some kind of announcement to the world.
By Paw Planet 8 months ago in Fiction
I didn’t know that this was the last time I would see my dog.
Mornings were perfectly normal. That’s what hurts the most. No warning. No strange feeling in my chest. No sense that this moment would become one I would replay for the rest of my life.
By Paw Planet 8 months ago in Fiction
Pass the Salt
“How did you find out?” “It wasn’t that I found out. It was more that I came to understand.” “When was that, did you tell anyone?”
By Sandra Dosdall8 months ago in Fiction
flotsam . Winner in Nothing But Voices Challenge.
How’m I gonna get to school though? Can your mum drive you? Or your dad? No. But you said is not broken, yeah? No. Just a sprain.
By Hannah Moore8 months ago in Fiction
Nathalie
Jenn: "You told me you weren't going to leave!" Nat: "How did you find me?" Jenn: "Let me take you home!" Nat: "I already called an UBER."
By I. Lazyryn8 months ago in Fiction
A Name Is Never Just a Name
Before she even existed, our daughter was already being argued over. Not about religion. Not about schools. Not about politics or screen time or whether she’d grow up liking dogs or cats.
By Iqbal 8 months ago in Fiction
A name is both a weapon and a balm.
“Emma?” “Emma has been given to every other baby girl born since 1993.” “I’m not referring to Emma like Rachel. I mean, like Emma in Jane Austen.”
By Silent Truth 8 months ago in Fiction
Unicorn Support Hotline
”Good morning! Thank you for calling the Unicorn Support Hotline. My name is Opal, how can I help you?” “Hi, my name is Tobin. Well, I followed the instructions, to find a spotted unicorn I met… but it didn’t work.”
By Gabriel B. Shames8 months ago in Fiction
The Conversation
"Hi Dad, it’s Jesse. How are you doing this evening? Are you ready for supper? They’re rolling the trolley with trays down the hall. It's Thursday, so I think that means meatloaf."
By Ben Waggoner8 months ago in Fiction
The Seat He Left Empty. AI-Generated.
Every evening at exactly 7:10 p.m., Bus Number 47 arrived at the old hospital stop. And every evening, one seat remained empty.
By shakir hamid8 months ago in Fiction
A Name is a Weapon, a Name Is a Balm. Runner-Up in Nothing But Voices Challenge. Top Story - January 2026.
"Emma?" "Every other baby girl since '93 has been named Emma." "I don't mean Rachel's Emma. I mean, like, Austen's Emma."
By Jennifer A. G.8 months ago in Fiction