Short Story
The Doll Maker's Curse
Any collector or treasure hunter will find something about estate sales to pique their interest. They had always captivated me; the antique trinkets, faded books, and dusty furniture loaded with lost stories drew me. Nothing, though, could have prepared me for the day I came and found an apparently harmless vintage doll that would transform my house.
By A S M Rajib Hassan Choudhury2 years ago in Fiction
The Dead Man’s Switch - The Last Command
0530 UTC, T -30 minutes to Go/No-Go Check Every morning, Commander Kellan Scott woke up knowing he could end the world. Fingers shaking, he unzipped his sleeping bag, kicked off the wall, and glided to the viewport in his ISS quarters.
By Sandor Szabo2 years ago in Fiction
The Serpent’s Reckoning
In a bustling corner of Chinatown, San Francisco, Li Wei was an elderly artist in his fifties, making a living by restoring old paintings. His workshop wasn’t large, filled with various artworks and tools, but the most striking piece was an ancient painting on his desk — The Serpent’s Reckoning. This painting was passed down from his grandfather, depicting a dragon so vivid and lifelike that it seemed to possess some kind of mysterious power. However, Li Wei had never intended to show this painting to anyone, and he never spoke of it.
By Kingston Zho2 years ago in Fiction
Dark Roast. Top Story - April 2025.
For Belle's Challenge (Entry No. 2): Who the hell let him in here? I was not planning on having my breakfast interrupted by anyone I knew, much less him. But, here I was, right after my run – fourth for the week (okay, third) – sitting in a local café and seeing his face on the same set of seats I would use to finish up a large black coffee before heading home. It was not busy for a Sunday morning – the best time for a run – and I was happy to feel the caffeine and heat flowing through my chilled body. I also had a sandwich to go, but I would have finished it before I got home. That was the plan.
By Kendall Defoe 2 years ago in Fiction
Pizza Planet
Timothy and Allen are delivery drivers for the Pizza Planet restaurant and arcade. “Man I wish they would hurry up” Allen began with exhaustion. “Friday night is not the night to be taking your precious time with delivery orders.” “Oh give it a rest, Buzz Lightyear.” Timothy joked. “Customers ain’t gonna trip off a few minute late order. They know how busy we get around this time. They’ll understand.” Coming from the back of where the kitchen was and to the front of the restaurant was Benji holding three boxes of fresh thin crust pepperoni pizzas.
By Joe Patterson2 years ago in Fiction
If Only
Phoebe ran up the stairs in front of me. It was the only way to get in and out of the basement of the lonely house perched on the cliffside plateau. A winding highway graced the cliffs above, whipping back and forth on its way to the Lonephalt city limits only a few miles away. It might as well had been a different world all the way out here. One I used to only dream of visiting with Phoebe.
By B. M. Valdez2 years ago in Fiction
The Fog
Carl Sandburg wrote, “The fog comes in on little cat feet,” but this morning’s fog roared into the bay like a lion. It filled the bay and overflowed onto the shores, wiping out the far end of the bridge, so that it looked like it led to Heaven. Or Hell. Or to an alien world.
By Laura DePace2 years ago in Fiction
Blood and Tobacco. Content Warning.
I never liked Dana’s boyfriend. For one, I first met him after returning from abroad only to see my friend being held by him like a boa constrictor, and he was older, much older. The man was at least twenty nine and she was only eighteen. She had technically been an adult for a good ten months by now but still too young to be dating a man a decade older than her. What made it worse was when I found out they had been dating two months before her birthday. This man was hanging out with a kid and thought it was okay?! I tried to tell her that he was bad but she brushed me off, explaining he had always been a gentleman. When she told me his name I quickly forgot it! All I needed to know was he was a pervert and a predator. I only ever referred to him as her “boyfriend” or “that guy” or “that weirdo,” much to Dana’s annoyance.
By Shelby R Perez2 years ago in Fiction
I Almost Got Away with It
I wouldn’t say that I was a bad kid. I got only into a little mischief when I was younger. Like the time that I pulled Sally Wen’s hair because she wouldn’t give me some of her candy. It’s not like she didn’t deserve it. She gave some to Bobby and Jackie and Taylor and Bill. When she got to me, she turned up her nose, stuck out her tongue and walked past me. So, I pulled her hair. Mrs. O’Donley made me stand in the corner and sent a note home to Mom and Dad. Jeff, my older brother, signed the note. He said that she deserved it.
By David E. Perry2 years ago in Fiction
