Short Story
Try This Cleanse
Sandy wouldn't be able to explain, later, how it got out of control. Everything was blurry and hardly any of it made sense. She was kneeling at the fireplace, trying to build the fire hotter and hotter, to purge whatever malevolent force had taken hold of the red and white polyester and garish plastic. Why are my knees damp? And what's that funny smell? The decorations on the mantel caught. She didn't notice at first, what with her nostrils full of burning plastic, and her brain full of stop the elf. The rug took the flames eagerly, and she pulled back, away from the biting heat. Before she could shake the cotton wool out of her head, the tree went up with a whoosh. Still woozy, Sandy struggled to contain it. She felt for her phone to call for help, and then remembered he smashed it. The smoke choked her. For the third time in less than forty-eight hours, Sandy felt herself losing consciousness. With the blackness closing in, weighing on her, something in the back of her mind poked insistently, trying to get her attention. That's important! It was useless, she was slipping away and under... She dreamed. Karl was back at last... so quickly it was like he never left... but he wasn't her Karl. He was an angry, ugly twin. He was saving her, always saving her, but this time it was like his skin had been peeled away and the rotten underneath was showing. Spitting spiteful words and hauling her painfully under the arms. Away from the heat and smoke... Stupid bitch, what did you do, you weren't supposed to- -Cool. It was cold and wet under her face.... and he was gone again. There was wailing, blue and red light, and voices...
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
The Foolish Quack
One evening, as the sun was setting, some travellers stayed to rest under a clump of trees, and, loosening their camels, set them to graze. It happened that one of the animals entered a melon-field, and that a melon stuck in its throat. The owner, seeing this and fearing to lose the animal, tied a blanket round its throat, and then struck the place with all his might. Instantly the melon broke in the throat of the camel, and it was then easily swallowed.
By Tyler Marquis 2 years ago in Fiction
Title: "The Bridge of Tomorrow"
**The year was 2050**, and Earth hummed with a rhythm that no longer seemed entirely human. Cities were alive, their bio-cellular forms growing, healing, and reshaping like forests bending to the wind. Oceans once thought poisoned were now the lifeblood of the planet, their vast farms producing everything from algae that powered civilizations to fish designed to endure the harshest conditions. Above, the skies were no longer a battleground of drones and satellites but a flowing river of data, connecting the floating megacities that hovered in orbit like luminous beads on a thread.
By 🔮Fate_Chancer🌌2 years ago in Fiction
The Nutcracker’s Gift
Snow fell softly on the town of Pinewood, coating its streets and rooftops in a shimmering blanket of white. The bustling holiday market filled the air with laughter, the scent of roasted chestnuts, and the cheerful hum of carolers. In the center of the market, beneath a grand Christmas tree adorned with twinkling lights, stood Clara Bennett, a young girl with bright eyes and a heart full of wonder.
By Thomas Vasas2 years ago in Fiction
Snow Good? Snow Way!. Top Story - December 2024.
The snow looked fresh and pristine, and I hoped this would be fun. It looked so pretty when I gazed out the window, narrowing my deep-blue eyes against the glare of the sun. The snow magnified the sun’s sparkle, and it looked like a field of diamonds. So pretty.
By Laura DePace2 years ago in Fiction
Rally to War
Aldmar leaps up gaily upon the walls as though without a care and looks upon the hordes of Demons at the gates "Haha, Hark you brave soldiers, hark to our enemies cries. Their brays and howls, the gnashing of their teeth and the clatter of weapons. Think you that they believe this clamour affects warriors such as ourselves? Fools they are, to think hardened men are brought to fear by such violent noise. Naught but beasts are they. Beasts borne of savage lands and ill born bastards from a jealous frightened child. Ha."
By Tomos Jackson2 years ago in Fiction
Jingle Hell
Why did they think burning him would do any good? Like swatting a wasp: they'd just made him angry. One side of his face was exactly the same, the expression unchanged. Still, she could tell he was angry. It emanated from him in poisonous waves. The other side of his face was burnt black. Cracks spiderwebbed out from where his cheekbone would've been. His forehead was dented. The corner of his mouth was pulled down in a ghastly sneer. Some of the white of his eye had survived whatever Karl had tried to do. A glint of brightness amongst the soot and charred plastic. If you squinted in the half light, the way Sandy did now, it made him look even more alive. Even more malicious. Rooted to the spot, Sandy felt, for a dizzying moment, like different versions of her splintered off. Like she was standing in a mirror, and it cracked.
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
Thank You,Mam
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o'clock at night, dark, and she was walkingsnatne, er purse. The strap broke with a sudde to snatch her purse. The strap broke with a sudden single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy's weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance. Instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kickedshim righed doar, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until hi boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
By Tyler Marquis 2 years ago in Fiction
