Short Story
Must Not Antagonize the Barn Owl
Part I — The Decision Sebastian wandered the castle yard with the solemn determination of a man retracing a thought he had misplaced somewhere between the herb garden and the east parapet. He knew it had been a good thought — promising, even — but then the statue in the center of the yard had leaned at him. Not metaphorically. Physically. Several degrees off true north, as if making an editorial comment.
By Alessa Fen10 months ago in Fiction
A Little Help from Dad
Dad’s driveway is meticulously clean again. His shovel had not missed a single flake of the Christmas morning snow. I walk through the door with presents and clothes in the backpack over my right shoulder, much the same way I used to come in the door back in high school. I get a hug from Mom and a handshake from Dad.
By Noah Glenn10 months ago in Fiction
A Spark Within. Top Story - December 2025.
This was written for John and Paul's unofficial challenge :) (Now I know what you may be thinking...I'm not the one that rises in the morning with a big smile plastered to my face and my work is generally darker in nature, BUT, I hate to be told what to do or what I can do, hehe, so I chose to do the uplifting part not the critique. That's all the warning you get.)
By Heather Hubler10 months ago in Fiction
A Picture of War
I dove for cover as projectiles flew over my head. I was the last one left in my squad. I had to make a plan quickly. I crawled into the nearest trench and set my back against the dirt wall. I felt like I was in a life-or-death situation. There were only a few of the enemy left now, and I realized what I had to do. I threw a smoke grenade and then jumped out of the trench, giving my best battle cry. Earlier that day, I would have never thought that it would come down to this.
By Sharon Gentry10 months ago in Fiction
A Day without my phone
Yawning, I stirred sleepily in bed, reaching for the edge of my bedside table to grab my phone. The time read 7 a.m. on the dot. I had an uneasy feeling that something was amiss, but I just couldn't figure out what. It took one rub of my eyes and a quick glance at my phone's screen to know what was wrong—ugh, my battery percentage. It showed a glowing 2%, or was it just my mind making my doom shine like the sun? I immediately reached out to connect it to my charger plugged into the socket. Shit, I almost screamed. No electricity. Wait a minute… there had been no sign of light since yesterday, and with an unknown reason as to why, plus a dead power bank, I could already picture how painfully slow my day would go. The blinking 1% on my screen brought me back to the present. How great, I sighed, lying back in bed with a thud. Here comes the usual 30-second countdown before shutting down. Whose phone does that? Well, mine, I thought dryly. But I could've sworn that I saw a grin on the 5-second mark… 3, 2, 1—and dead. There it went, a huge part of my day… chunked off. I lay back for what felt like hours before checking my watch to see 7:15. I better get up now, or else… I stopped mid-sentence, wondering again just how much I could get done without my phone—plus no social media scrolls. Lying in bed felt like torture. No music. I almost cried out. "What a perfect day," I said, rolling my eyes. It was just me and my reflection staring in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and headed straight for the shower. Maybe the warmth from the water would warm my day? My favorite breakfast of sandwich, fries, and tea didn't appeal to me, but I still finished it (can't take a pass on that one). Reading a book was one thing that never felt like a chore—oh, romance novels… Picking up my only timepiece, 9:15… ahh, I didn't know whether to be happy or sad that time had passed but still not enough. Stretching my full length on the sofa felt good as I flipped through the pages… 9:25. By now, not even my love for the novel could keep me still. For the first time in a while, I saw myself doing deep cleaning on a weekday: scrubbing my bedroom tiles, cobwebbing webless walls, arranging my bookshelf, then the bathroom and kitchen, and finally the laundry. By 2, everywhere was spotless and dazzling, like the puppies in Barbie: Diamond Castle. It was about time for a quick late nap. I showered and plopped on my bed, a bit thankful for the distraction and proud of myself. "A quick nap my foot," I said, jumping out of bed by 6 p.m. I felt too tired to work out. Who knows how much more I could've slept if that woman wasn’t trying to give me food, I thought, as I grabbed my rumbling tummy. "I know," I whispered to it as I staggered to the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab an already-prepped meal. I didn't pay much attention to the light that shone from it—well, not until I heard the buzzing sound coming from my plugged electric fan that had died on me. Finally, I gave a little dance and screamed so loud the beds flew in different directions. Seated at the counter, I laughed at myself and how I had sulked throughout the day. At least I brought out the hard worker in me, I all but grinned. Ah yes, I raced to charge my phone and found it perfectly plugged in—a not-so-subtle reminder to get another power bank in case of another surprise like this. Ouch… I take back my "hard worker" words, I said, groaning as I clutched my back while walking to the kitchen. Welp, what a day, I thought, laughing out loud.
By Gift Abotsi 10 months ago in Fiction
The King and the Swift One
Deep in the heart of a vast green forest lived a mighty lion named Arion. His golden mane glowed like fire under the sun, and his roar echoed for miles. All the creatures feared him—not merely because he was strong, but because he believed that fear was the only way a king could rule. Arion walked with pride, believing that no animal dared to stand equal to him. On the opposite side of the forest lived a young deer named Elian. He was fast, graceful, and alert, but he was also extremely fearful. From childhood he had heard stories: “The lion spares no one. Never cross his path.” And so Elian avoided every place where the lion’s scent lingered. One summer, a terrible drought struck the forest. Rivers shrank into dusty paths, ponds turned into cracked earth, and even the shade of trees felt hot enough to burn. Soon, only one shallow water pool remained—a small muddy spot that every creature had to share. Elian approached the pool one afternoon, exhausted and trembling from thirst. Just as he lowered his head to drink, the bushes rustled behind him. His heart raced. When he looked up, there stood Arion, the mighty lion himself. His presence was overwhelming. His eyes were sharp, his steps slow and commanding.
By darus sahil10 months ago in Fiction
From the Journal of Tristen Kevin McConnell. Top Story - November 2025.
Body trembling, yearning palpable, I gingerly reach out my hand. Nerves jangling, I stretch forth fingers. Slowly, gently … fearfully … I touch the door. Cool. Metallic. A safety door. Sealing out horrors.
By Andrew C McDonald10 months ago in Fiction
The Night You Stole the Stars
You push open the door of the last video store in America and the bell jingles like an echo raised from a dead decade. The scent of plastic cases and carpet dust wraps around you, familiar as a half remembered dream. BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO glows above the counter, although half its letters remain dark. BLO K ER lingers there like a cryptic message left behind by a vanishing world.
By Fatal Serendipity10 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 12
Sara rolled back to her feet once she had regained her breath and gathered herself to push on. Behind her, the river was alive with movement. Her [Danger Sense] pulsed faintly, not in direct threat but in awareness as countless water-based creatures were already converging on the territory the now disposed of River Gnashers had left behind. She didn’t need to look back to know what was happening: a new dominance struggle was beginning, predators and scavengers rushing in to claim the territory now left vacant.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)10 months ago in Fiction
