Short Story
Last Call.. Honorable Mention in Last Call Challenge.
Not long now. He’ll ring the bell soon and I can use it, gather everything up and leave. She was right, this was a mistake. It has been too long, we’re too different, time has widened the gap between us, and we were never close to begin with. He continues rambling on, a bored variation on the same kind of tall tale he’s been telling me all night. None of it is real. I tried, I really tried. The ties that bound us are loose and now is the time to drop this rope. He laughs hard, and I laugh along, the table opposite glare at us again, it isn’t that kind of pub, why did I think it would be a good idea to bring him to my regular. He complained that they didn’t have his kind of lager, the kind you find in any old pub, but he’s sank six of what they did have, so it can’t have been that bad.
By Fraser Young18 days ago in Fiction
Patio Weather
I can feel the summer breeze hitting my face, yet I cannot help but think, This will be the last time this year , as I sip my Aperol Spritz. I adjust my sunglasses on my nose and pull out my phone for a selfie. We pose, laugh, and take a picture.
By Adrianna M. Braun18 days ago in Fiction
The False Raven of Sorrows. Winner in Last Call Challenge.
I've never been a bird person. My girlfriend dragged me to see The Big Year when it came out. Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson raced around the world, trying to spot as many rare birds as they could, competing for some sort of weird birding record. I fell asleep before they reached a hundred. When I woke up, the credits were rolling, and my girlfriend was gone.
By Jonathan Huston18 days ago in Fiction
Going Back To That Place
Waking up this morning, eyes moving all over, to what I thought wasn't a dream. Morning. Fleeting memories. And upon getting up, gone completely. Not a trace, of my running across the beach, of my laughing with these faceless friends.
By YonathanJ - Writer18 days ago in Fiction
Our Last Call
I take the deepest breath of my life and settle my hands on the safety bar. My first time on the Moon and it's more than I could have ever hoped for. I came not for the craters. They're ten to the dozen here and always have a line. Nor to see if the Moon was actually made of cheese. Although, I'll admit I was a little curious. But seeing that man by the door of our shuttle spluttering over his handful of Moon dust quickly put an end to that question. 'It's just dirt!' apparently. No, I came for a break. A break from the pain. A break from Earth.
By Sarah O'Grady18 days ago in Fiction
The Final Flight. Top Story - September 2026.
Genew no longer joined them in the Ritual. The Congregation gathered every night to worship the Light’s devilish glow, to honor its great and terrible power and pay respects to those who had been swallowed, but he alone remained, trembling fitfully in the garden. The ghostly memory of his first and last solemn night of worship haunted him. He could still feel the horrid buzz that hung in the air, that sick triumphant cackle that always followed a sacrifice. It had very nearly been him. He had flown too close, enthralled by the glow, drunk on the ecstasy of dipping a hair into the mouth of oblivion without losing his breath. Next to him flew a male he had never seen before. Both were laughing, sharing the sensations of this strange and holy ritual, until suddenly, they weren’t. One escaped by the hair of a wing while the other met the blackness on the other side. Stunned with horror, Genew tumbled to the ground, but only he abandoned the ritual. The other moths shivered collectively in prayer, and their dance grew more ecstatic.
By E. B. Rowland19 days ago in Fiction
The Illumination of The Grouch from Sesame Street. Top Story - September 2026.
Snuffleupagus was walking through the park singing to himself. Today was a big day. Big Bird had told him he was getting all of his friends together so that they could finally meet Snuffleupagus. They had tried before, of course, but something always happened. Someone was late. Snuffleupagus had to leave. Big Bird would turn around and suddenly no one could see him. But today was supposed to be the day, and Snuffleupagus was happy about it.
By Chase McQuade19 days ago in Fiction
