Short Story
Hearts against the Storm
The sun had barely risen over the horizon when I opened my eyes in Hamza’s small apartment. The air was still, heavy with tension. Alya lay beside me on the mattress, curled up, clutching the shawl Hamza had given her the night before. I could see the bruise on her arm — Azeel’s mark. My blood boiled at the sight.
By Mehmood Niazabout a year ago in Fiction
Hearts against the Storm
The SUV disappeared into the dust of the road before I could even take a step. I stood there frozen, the world spinning around me. Alya had been crying. Her eyes had locked with mine. She wanted me to stop him. To save her. But I was too slow.
By Mehmood Niazabout a year ago in Fiction
Hearts Against the Storm
The first time I saw Alya, she was standing beneath the old mulberry tree in our school’s back garden, sunlight tangled in her hair, her scarf fluttering like a silent rebellion against the breeze. She was humming to herself — unaware, I think, that someone was falling in love with her from across the corridor.
By Mehmood Niazabout a year ago in Fiction
The Last Letter in the Attic
The Last Letter in the Attic It was a cloudy Sunday morning when Maya decided to finally clean out the attic of her late grandmother’s house. The wooden ladder creaked beneath her as she climbed, each step sounding like a whisper of time gone by. The attic smelled of old paper and cedar, the scent of things that had remained untouched for decades.
By Musawir Shahabout a year ago in Fiction
The Tree That Grew Backward
The last time Maya saw her grandfather’s orchard alive, she was seven. Rows of pear trees stretched like disciplined soldiers, branches heavy with fruit he called "sunlight made solid." Now, twenty years later, she stood in the same spot, breathing air thick with decay.
By Habibullahabout a year ago in Fiction
Cub. Content Warning.
A lion doesn't want to raise cubs that aren't his, so when a new lion joins a pride, he kills all the cubs to bring the lionesses into oestrus. + The teachers say, You've been through a lot. And, Do you want to talk about it? I don't want to talk about it. Dad wants me to go and live with him, he says, I don't want to lose you, too, son. His eyes look red. But I want to stay with Ma. And Isaiah. Liza tries to boss me around, just because she's a bit older, and Ma stays in bed a lot, but apart from that it's ok at home. Kind of empty, I guess. Okay. Real empty. But sometimes, if I'm thinking about something else for a bit, I can nearly forget. It's like they're in another room. Not really gone. Not completely. I do like Isaiah. It's not like having Da around still. Although, he does sit in his chair. And sometimes he comes out of Ma's room in the mornings. Probably trying to persuade her to have breakfast. It's more like having an older brother. One who's alright. Decent. Mostly I stay because I can't leave Ma. She's been so sad since Loretta got ki- Since she died. And then. No. I said I don't want to talk about it, and I won't. Only. When I think about her. Ma. Kneeling by the cot and wailing like that. Like an animal or something. It feels like... I don't know. I can't explain it. Like the world is breaking apart inside my chest. I can't leave her, and nor can Liza. We talked about it and we agreed we have to stay. Please, Ellison, Da says. You'll be safer with me. I promise. I don't know what he means. We're safe enough. Aren't we? Liza and me. What happened to Loretta was an accident. And cot death can just happen, that's what they said.
By L.C. Schäferabout a year ago in Fiction
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Promise. AI-Generated.
In the sleepy village of Merrow’s Cove, tucked against a rugged coastline, the lighthouse stood tall—weather-worn but proud. Its white stone walls bore the salt and storms of a hundred seasons, and within it lived the last lighthouse keeper: Elias Wren, a man of habit, of silence, and of unshakable devotion.
By Adil Nawazabout a year ago in Fiction
TUS NUA - ch 17
TUS NUA – ch 17 New Beginnings – Mia and Midnight (*)(*)(*) As she laughed and reveled in the closeness Liz felt with everyong now living in Tus Nua, she also, raised her hands to quiet them. “Sisters, while this is wonderful news for me and I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am that you’re all as excited for me as I am for me, when Finola and walked through the portal, you looked as though you were deep in concentration. What’s going on?”
By Margaret Brennanabout a year ago in Fiction
Episode 14: The Meeting Beneath the Ash
They called it neutral ground, but there’s no such thing anymore. The city library had burned down in the third month—flames and screams and paperback confetti—but the basement was still standing. So that’s where we met. Between the cracked pillars and the sleeping mold, beneath a banner that used to say SUMMER READING IS LIT!
By Paper Lanternabout a year ago in Fiction
The Last Heist
I could barely keep my footing as the ship rocks from side to side. Shit! Why did everything have to go down the drain like this!? I don't think there is anything me or my remaining crew can do to get back from this. Who could have possibl- that rat! Ahhhh I can't believe I didn’t see it earlier. I’ve damned us all! Oh god, the hull has been breached. We're doomed…
By SackPackthrillsabout a year ago in Fiction
Stuck
“—will be assigned through a lottery system beginning this year. All independent travellers will need to register for this lottery, while partners and families will be asked to register within a specific ‘unit category.’ We believe this is a necessary policy in order to alleviate complications related to the drastic increase in seasonal migration throughout our nation. To ensure equitable travel opportunities, the winners of the lottery in a given year will not be able to apply for tickets again for a minimum of three years.”
By Adam Clostabout a year ago in Fiction
