Short Story
The hands
My eyes flew open — sure I’d heard it again. It took longer than I liked for them to adjust in the dark. Everything in the room seemed to elongate, shapes stretching into something hungry. Tendrilled shadowy fingers reached along the walls. I pulled the blanket over my head.
By Carolyn Sternesabout a year ago in Fiction
Ghosted. Top Story - September 2025.
Tired from a long workday and late dinner with her teenage twins, Laura checked her Facebook account before bed. She was terrified that she almost forgot to wish her high school friend a happy birthday. Laura herself turned 45 several months earlier and was pleased to get all the FB Birthday wishes from so many people! She always tried to do the same for her friends. Thank God for Facebook reminders!
By Lana V Lynxabout a year ago in Fiction
To the bitter end
And, with that, inexplicably to all but finally to some, the star closest to Earth began to fuel itself, going forth the way a vehicle pumps out the last of its gasoline before dying completely. And in doing so the star began to swell; slowly at first, so much so the few who witnessed this beginning deemed it an optical illusion. But they were as wrong as this day was short. It kept growing, as if consuming the sky itself with its orange glow, small canyons of blazing red now becoming visible to the burning naked eye. People ran inside but it was no use; they knew this, of course, but it just seemed better to do something when the Sun is about to devour you. Finally the forests and cities of the world began melting and lighting all at once, sealing the doom not just of civilization but of all sentient life within it…
By J.C. Traverseabout a year ago in Fiction
If X = Y
I have this fantasy in my head where I marry my childhood sweetheart. We met when we were 12. Still had the baby fat in our cheeks and the twinkle of innocence in our eyes. We were forced to sit next to each other in Maths. I was more annoyed than he was, I think. It was the last class before lunch, so I wanted to be next to my best friend. Make the class an early start to our lunchtime chat sessions. But alas. The teacher put me next to him. Neither of us were Maths whizzes. But we both got by.
By Sarah O'Gradyabout a year ago in Fiction
The weight of luggage
Sophie was sitting on a bench by the seaside. Although the sea was not one she recognised, the fresh breeze on her face felt good. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly, just like she used to do in yoga class. The waves rolled in, not violent, not calm either, somewhere in between, carrying a rhythm that made her restless. Beside her, a man sat in silence with his hands folded neatly over his lap. It took her a moment to see him fully. Her father.
By Susan Fourtané about a year ago in Fiction
The Equinox of Shadows. Top Story - September 2025.
The evening of the autumnal equinox settled across the playground with the color of ripe plums. Abigail darted past the swings with a group of children at her heels, her braids flying as she ran. Feet thudded against packed earth. A ring of girls skipped rope near a tree stump, their chant rising like birdsong. Two boys tore through the tall grass, leaping roots and flinging handfuls of leaves at each other as they ran.
By Fatal Serendipityabout a year ago in Fiction
The Clockmaker’s Daughter
He promised to come back from the war. The river kept the secret of whether he did. Every dawn for three years I walked to the banks of the Liriope, where the fog hung low and the water whispered like a confidant. I carried his last letter in my coat pocket, creased and soft from being read so often the words were fading: “I’ll return with the spring floods, Mara. Wait for me.”
By Tariq Ahmadabout a year ago in Fiction
