Short Story
Deadly Coping Mechanisms. Top Story - May 2026.
It was a Monday morning, and Elena Greenwood was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, when she was approached by her husband of nine years, Brennan Greenwood. As Brennan entered the kitchen, he took note of his wife's chipper demeanor, seeing a smile he hadn't seen in a month.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Fiction
I smiled...But I Was Dying Inside
I smiled like everything was ok. Like the weight on my chest didn't exist. Like the nights weren’t getting heavier and the silence wasn’t getting louder. People saw my smile and believed it. Maybe because it was easier for them… or maybe because I had perfected the art of pretending.
By Fazalullah 4 months ago in Fiction
The Road Trip
Turning 30 has a way of making you take stock of who you are. For a long time, I was the guy who played it safe—the one who’d eat a wrong order at a restaurant rather than "be a bother," or walk past a stranger without so much as a "good morning." But this year, I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I traded my caution for a long-distance road trip from California to Hoover, Alabama, to visit family.
By Jeffrey Lewis Shamburger4 months ago in Fiction
The Switch Up
My alarm clock went off, but the vibe was all wrong. Instead of Randy Travis’s comforting twang, the room was vibrating to Carl Anderson’s "Maiden Voyage." I also heard a sound that was new to me. It was my smoke detector going off. I stumbled toward the bathroom, rubbing my face, only to find that my whiskers had traded their usual sandpaper grit for something kinky, soft, and distinctly... textured.
By Jeffrey Lewis Shamburger4 months ago in Fiction
24 hrs of stillness
24 hours of stillness I woke up cold. Freezing, actually. Because apparently past-me thought leaving the window open in the middle of the night was a great idea. I dragged myself up to close it and that's when I noticed something strange — silence. Complete, total, eerie silence. In the city. Where there are literally nine million people.
By Jeffrey Lewis Shamburger4 months ago in Fiction
Roll Them Bones
Willy is a character from a couple of other short stories I've written. He's a modern day "hedge wizard". For you non-uber nerds, that's a self taught wizard who can perform basic spells, brew potions, and make scrolls. He lives in modern-day New Orleans and uses his abilities and most of all his tendency to be more lucky than prepared to help people. He's not quite a private detective like Harry Dresden. That would require a level of study and dedication he's not always capable of. But he has a good heart.
By Scott Roche4 months ago in Fiction
Thrice Damned
I drove my horses like a man possessed. We would be able to escape if the good Lord was with us. The wagon bounced and jolted over the rutted track through the prairie. I couldn't help the compulsion to look back through the tunnel created by the wagon’s cover.
By Scott Roche4 months ago in Fiction
The Body Remembers
One day you picked up a dandelion down to its seeds. You blew the seeds and watched the wind carry them away. The day is inconsequential. That single moment long forgotten. But, you know you did it. You remember doing it. Over and over again. Even now, you can feel the spongy green stem in your hand. Even now, you can remember the shape your lips made when you blew the seeds away. Even now, you can remember the way they swirled once they'd been taken by the breeze. There are memories that never leave you. Even if there isn't a single memory of them left.
By Adam Diehl4 months ago in Fiction
