Short Story
Seduction in Paradise
There are many reasons why one goes on a tropical island. The sights, the beautiful scenery, and most of all, to get away from it all, if only temporarily. All three reasons apply to Michelle Connors, who was at a night club sipping on a mai tai, and looking a tad frantic for someone who was, for all intents and purposes, in paradise. The young woman was constantly looking over her shoulder, giving the appearance that she was hiding from someone...or something. At that moment, Michelle hears the following from right behind her:
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Fiction
Darkness at a College Campus
After another long day, Lydia Marner, a college professor of mythology, was driving home, and she had a lot on her mind. She had been at her current university for five years, and she was looking to get tenure, something she felt was inevitable in her case. There was also frustration regarding her students, as she felt that they weren't really getting into her lessons like she wanted, though once Lydia arrived home, her attention turned to a drone that was delivering a package right at her doorstep.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Fiction
A Deadly Delivery
On a Monday morning, a drone carrying a package is flying at a steady pace, heading to its proper destination: the home of Anna Serrano-Vance. Just as Anna is set to leave for work, she sees the package and expressed surprise, as she didn't recall ordering anything. Nevertheless, Anna picked up the package and, despite her earlier bewilderment, opens it, and it's suddenly followed by Anna screaming in horror.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Fiction
The Final Quest
I sat there, reflecting on the many years of practice - nearly fourteen years of it. The countless hours I had devoted to honing my skills, pushing my body to its absolute limit time and time again, mastering every technique I could find, and studying every aspect of combat. As I sat there, awaiting the final test, I felt no nerves or fear. Rather, I was filled with confidence, convinced that I would triumph over this test just as I had triumphed over all the others. And when it was all over, I would emerge victorious - as one of the greatest young warriors to have ever existed.
By Kartikey Mishra2 years ago in Fiction
The Dance of The Golden Lion
With great prosperity comes great responsibility. Spider Liew. ********************************************* The streets of Chinatown shimmered with the promise of prosperity-the red glow of lanterns and strings of golden lights, all heralding good fortune for the year. it was the eve of the Lunar New Year, and the city pulsed with life, though the crowds had long since dispersed. Proprietors had left offerings of coins at shopfronts to beckon good fortune for the year ahead. But, unnoticed by human eyes, Jinlong the golden-scaled dragon stirred. The majestic head of his intricately-woven costume radiated with a faint glow as he jumped lightly off the ceremonial platform, his tassels swaying with life. He arose to perform his sacred duty each year- collecting offerings and weaving prosperity into the new year.
By Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin2 years ago in Fiction
Runaway Farmboy
My name is Thomas Woodworth. Or as everyone in my family seems to love to call me, ‘Tom Thumb’. As I was no bigger than my mother’s thumb when I was born. And I have barely grown in the fifteen years since then. I am the youngest brother of three. My other brothers’ names are Charles and Alexander. Unlike myself, they’re normal height for their ages. Seventeen and sixteen. Perfectly ‘normal’ children that aren’t abnormally sized. My mother and father both love to rub in for no good reason in my opinion.
By Raphael Fontenelle2 years ago in Fiction
The Most Interesting Person in the Room. Top Story - January 2025.
Victor was a small, round man with hair the colour of a golden retriever. He owned and managed a tavern in Shrewsbury, England and lived in one of the suites. His suite was dusty and mostly dark, and there were piles up to the ceiling with the various trinkets he had stockpiled over the years. Some would say he was somewhat of a hoarder, but Victor liked to think of himself more of a collector, or a man that valued sentiment. If it had a memory attached to it, he was going to keep it. Besides, it’s not like he ever spent much time in his suite anyway. He went there overnight to sleep and bathe but his days and evenings were spent mostly down in the tavern’s pub area where he served drinks to his needy customers.
By Gillian Corsiatto2 years ago in Fiction
The Ripple of Pride
The town of Rivershade had always been a quiet, serene place nestled between rolling hills and dense forests. It was a community where everyone knew each other and traditions were deeply cherished. But even in this idyllic setting, pride and resentment could brew storms that left scars for generations.
By Mary Emmanuel2 years ago in Fiction
The Kids Are Alright
Winter had her icy jaws locked on to the countryside, and most sensible animals were sheltering from her. The silvery moonlight brought its own chill. Even Winter, though, in the blackest heart of her inexorable dance, can't compete with the razor teeth and tough jaws of an otter. Most creatures become accountants when the ground is frozen, and food scarce. Energy lost hunting or foraging, plus energy lost to the bitter cold. These debits must be weighed against the slim chance of a little energy gained. Otters don't seem to keep this kind of balance sheet, and otter pups would find it frankly funny. This was the first really serious freeze this particular pair of pups had ever seen, and they seemed impervious to it. It was an adventure, rather than a hardship. Their curiosity and youthful enthusiasm seemed to offer some protection, just as their layers of fur and fat insulated their sleek and shiny bodies. They were following their mother in a haphazard way. If anyone had braved the chill to watch them, it would have looked like they were playing. Circling each other, nipping, wrestling; the fact they were going in the same direction as their mother looked accidental. When they reached the right spot, she showed them how to break the ice. They paid about as much attention as any pair of exuberant boys at the start of a grand adventure. "Watch me," she might have said. "I'm going to show you how to hunt under the ice." They would have rolled over and over one another, each intent on gaining ownership of some fascinating new pebble, and maybe she would have sighed, or scolded them that Winter Fishing - Rivers and Streams was sure to come up in their GCSE. Then, she'd have followed her snarling empty belly through the hole she'd made, and become a cunning shadow under the ice. While she slaves away under the frozen slab to catch dinner, her offspring slide about on top of it, having an absolute whale of a time. She is painstakingly showing them how to survive this time next year, and are they grateful? No. Gratitude is, apparently, an unnatural emotion. They feel sure, in their innocence, that she will bring dinner up to the hole before long. They are also confident that she will take them to safety if the Dogs are coming. She has surely warned them not to follow her. It would be dangerous. They could get trapped, unable to hold their breath long enough, and not quite strong enough to break through to the surface. Much as they adore to swim, having long since got the hang of it, they have no intention of following her. Not when the slippery surface offers so much playtime potential. Eventually she does bring them fish she's caught, and they tuck in as greedily as if they'd hunted it for themselves. She grooms herself, one keen eye on her pups, maybe thinking this was time well-spent. Maybe she assumed they did observe her lesson. Before dawn lightens the sky, they're done with fishing and eating, and the mother moves on. The pups take their wrestling match in the same general direction. It seems like it's more luck than judgement, but maybe they're observing her more than they're letting on. Maybe, next winter, they'll be OK.
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
