Short Story
The Unqualified Prodigy
“Finally finished.” Eleven-year-old Melissa gazed at her creation and had the satisfied grin of a prodigy. And a prodigy she was. Her birthchild—a water purification device—transformed contaminated water at minimal cost. It was a manifestation of youthful ingenuity. A child had solved a problem that had baffled scientists for decades! The scientific community was completely floored.
By Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin21 days ago in Fiction
May God Have Mercy On Your Soul
His breath was a steady rhythm of in and out as he stared intently at the high-definition screen sitting on the desk in front of him. His right finger tightened on the cold, metallic trigger slowly, he could feel a low hum in the air. She was just sitting there on her couch reading a book. Digital scopes on screen showed him that the weapon was aimed directly at her heart. His finger paused, readings said the weapon wasn't at 100% capacity yet. Heat waves began to show clearly in the air around her. It was even visible on his screen, but she only turned a page in her book and continued reading.
By Lolly Vieira22 days ago in Fiction
The Little Moles of Gransberg
Prologue Croak. The toad sat along the perimeter of the marsh. It watched for any movement along the waters edge as its eyes darted in every direction almost simultaneously like a chameleon, all the while croaking every second at its post along the water’s edge. Croak. The toad’s eyes locked onto a movement in the distance- bubbles underwater moving closer. It hopped into the water, ready to swim towards the nearest crevice, away from the unknown predator.
By David S. JohnsonWilliams22 days ago in Fiction
The Map He Kept
The phones died at 7:42 a.m., and by 7:50 Ines had stopped pretending hers would come back. She stood on the platform with two hundred strangers, each of them holding a small black mirror, each of them avoiding the others' faces in it. The departure board was dark. Nobody said outage . Nobody said anything. A man laughed once, too loudly, and the sound died against the concrete.
By Kakko yuuki22 days ago in Fiction
Room 411
It was a warm night so we had decided to leave the balcony doors open. From the river came the sound of wings of a swan or a Canadian goose slapping the water. They may have been trying to take off. There might have been a territorial dispute or, whatever it was, was fighting the fight of its life to evade being predated by some under water monster.
By Alan Russell22 days ago in Fiction
Broken: An Abuse Survivor's Tale💜Part 4
Ch 4: There Were... Separation Pains To this day, I still haven't gotten a proper answer why Hector helped me. The position paid him very well and ensured his job security as long as he stroked his ego. A position many would covet. Evidently, it wasn't enough for him, as he sacrificed his position to save me.
By Rain Dayze23 days ago in Fiction
The Cave
Musty air permeates the room and settles deep within your lungs. It chokes you while you strain against every trembling breath. Something metallic coats your tongue. Is it blood, or something else? You lick your dry, cracking lips, and the iron seeps deeper into your taste buds. It dribbles down your chin with every attempt to spit it away. You swallow hard instead but are met with what feels like needles lining your throat. It makes you cough hard into your hand that comes away coated crimson.
By Gunnar Anderson23 days ago in Fiction
