Short Story

The Devil’s Not Here
Percy stopped praying out loud two days ago. At first, hearing the shake in his own voice as he cried out to God unsettled him deeply, his stomach a black hole in a way he never wanted to feel again. And yet, he got used to and almost longed to hear something, anything above the swish and swoosh of the water around them.
By Alivia Varvel2 years ago in Fiction
Cold Brew
Boston | October 1st Lucy handed the tattooed barista a small stack of cash in exchange for a large pumpkin spiced cold brew and two apple cider donuts. The bag was warm to the touch and the fresh aroma of hot cinnamon and pumpkin invaded her nostrils.
By Kale Sinclair2 years ago in Fiction
Modern Times
Introduction This is for Liam Storm's September 2024 Challenge that you can find out about here: The music is "1984" by David Bowie from "Diamond Dogs"
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 2 years ago in Fiction
Readme
It didn't start with any fanfare: there weren't any rainbows coming out of his ears -- nothing peculiar, and nothing you would bother capturing on camera. But, what did happen was far more subtle.
By D. C. Jacobs2 years ago in Fiction
It Will Happen Tonight
In a normal little home on the edge of town, it's about to happen. Bathtime. The old water heater has been clanking all afternoon for this. Clean fluffy PJs are warming in the airing cupboard right now. A small girl with sparks in her eyes and a toothy gap under her milk moustache will stand on tiptoe to lean across the sink and squeak her finger through the steam on the mirror. Hot water churning into bubbles in the tub.
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
The Time Warden. Runner-up in Epic Beginnings Challenge.
My name is Remi, and I am a time warden. To those who meet me, I am both hero and villain. I have no cape, no alter-ego. If you encounter me, you will only meet me once.
By Cathy holmes2 years ago in Fiction
In the Eyes of a Friend
Chidi and Nneka had been the best of friends since they were children growing up in Lagos. They spent nearly every day together, exploring the bustling city streets, visiting the local markets, or just sitting on the front steps of Nneka's family home, talking for hours.
By Emmanuel Ojenike2 years ago in Fiction
Debts in the Depths. Runner-up in Overboard Challenge.
There was something suspicious about John Adams. No, not that one, the other one. This John Adams was not from Massachusetts, though his jurisdiction was up for debate. He was one of six men, who left the shore of Adams' lake, entering the black waters under the full moon. They all had a purpose for being there, but John Adams was different.
By Bethany Yoder2 years ago in Fiction
The things you do when you’re alone . Content Warning.
As he sat in a park he realised just how attentive the wind was but just how distant people passing by, seemed. His frustration with his family and his girlfriend came back to him, and soon he wilted down on the bench scrolling through pictures of women.
By Caitlin Charlton2 years ago in Fiction
Dating Deal-Breakers
As I sat across from him at the quaint little café, sipping my latte and gazing into his piercing blue eyes, I thought I had found the one. The way he smiled at me, the way he listened to me, the way he made me laugh – it all seemed so perfect. But little did I know, beneath the charming facade, lay a multitude of dating deal-breakers, waiting to shatter my heart into a million pieces.
By Alim Abdulsomad2 years ago in Fiction
The Liberator
In a world gripped by oppression, Juan Carlos Alvarez was a teacher in a small Latin American country. A man of principle, he despised the dictator who ruled his country with an iron fist. Juan was taken prisoner during a government raid on his village and held captive for a horrific experiment known as "Project Obedience," which was designed to produce mindless soldiers. Rather, the experiment gave Juan extraordinary powers by reawakening a dormant gene.
By creatorsklub2 years ago in Fiction
A little warrior. Content Warning.
Eridor, once famous for its amazing beauty and fabulous prosperity, had now become cramped and dreadful. The vast blue skies, with clouds glittering like gold floating in them, were now covered with dust and smoke. The blooming colorful flowers had been replaced by dry and lifeless land. The residents of Eridor have to struggle for every breath to survive, their faces are always covered with dust and mud, and his faces reveal only lifelessness like a dry leaf. A strange sound of death is often heard by them from the “shining swords in the hands of the cruel foreign soldiers, who are always hovering around them. The residents of Eridor, victims of ignorance and mental weakness due to the cruelty of reality, have accepted their miserable conditions as their entire destiny and the immutable truth of the future. And this has become a tragedy for their existence. "They work in the gold mines all day under the shadow of swords, "At night, they are confined in small, dark rooms, which are then secured with large locks.” They get only a little grain as food." They have to cook the grain themselves, "which does not satisfy even a bit of the hunger of those thousands of slaves.” The grain that came to their share was like a drop in the infinite water of the ocean, and their condition was as if they had to make an impossible and hopeless attempt to fill the vast ocean with that drop. They give the maximum part of their food to their children so that they do not cry due to hunger and can avoid making an impossible and life-threatening attempt to satisfy their empty stomachs by picking garbage from the heaps. "Alis" was a slave who was living a difficult and inhuman life. He was born in a small country named Eridor, "which is currently under the rule of its neighboring country” "Alis," who has now become eligible to work in the gold mines, and according to the rules, was forced to work in the gold mines like the rest of the slaves. He enters the gold mine on his first day. He gets advice from an old man standing at the entrance of the mine: "Keep away from the eyes of these cruel soldiers, little warrior! The old man greeted Alis by calling him "little warrior". Alis smiled a little and moved on. Alis had no experience of working in a mine; all he saw people around him sweating and working hard, which was of no value. All the gold that came out of there would be taken to their country by these soldiers. If a slave tried to steal even a little gold, he would be flogged so mercilessly that a large part of his skin would be peeled off by the leather ropes of the cods. "Once a man tried to steal a small piece of gold to amuse his little child" but a soldier saw him doing so, later after peeling off the skin of that man, he was hung upside down from a pole in the scorching sun in front of everyone. "And he hung in this position for some days" until the smell of his dead body started spreading around. "They did this so that fear would be created in the minds of all the other slaves as well. "so that they could hear the trembling beats of their hearts before any rebellion.” "Alis" was roaming around in the mine, avoiding the eyes of the soldiers, when a soldier said to him, "Stop roaming around here and there, little slave," and get to work! "I am not your slave" I am not anyone's slave! I will not work here devil" shouted Alis” For those soldiers, "these words of this small child were like the roar of the huge and terrible waves of Tsunami; the soldiers were surprised and frightened to see this small but passionate spark of rebellion. They had never imagined that "in the lives of these slaves, full of darkness and terrible suffering, the desire to get freedom and the power to rebel would ever grow." It was impossible for them to even imagine that the desire to get freedom from slavery and the resolve to rebel would emerge in the mind of a child. "After this, Alis was beaten badly, he was beaten till streams of blood started flowing from his back. Some pieces of flesh were torn off from his back and were scattered around him. And he lay there in an unconscious state for some time "When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on his stomach in a dim and dimly lit room. There was still no movement in his condition, "Only the dim light of the torches and the sounds of their flames could be heard.” The silence surrounding the soft voices had plunged the room into a strange gloom. His mother's sobs and her withered face made the silence of the room even heavier as if time had stopped at that moment. When his eyes opened fully, he tried to get up by slowly moving his body. "But a wave of pain pulled him back on the same bed of straw. His mother immediately held his hand, the slight trembling of her fingers was telling "how nervous she was. “Today, the cries of hungry children had become silent; the sound of insects buzzing all night had completely stopped today. “Every sound seemed to have disappeared” A deep shadow of silence fell over every person and every object present there. As if everything together kept alive the painful reality of that moment. “The yellow light produced by burning torches seemed to be trying to erase the fear and darkness in the hearts of those slaves. But even its yellowness did not reduce the sadness and fear of that atmosphere. “Then his mother placed a loving touch on his forehead, her warmth giving a little consolation. There was a mixture of fear and courage in her eyes, which shows that she was with her son in every situation, no matter what. “In the midst of all this, his mother's presence was the only thing” that was giving him patience and strength in this difficult time filled with terrible pain. There was no equipment or medicine to treat him other than covering his back with a dirty cloth. “Because slaves can only be given pain and suffering.
By Karan w. 2 years ago in Fiction