Short Story

Passing Moments. Runner-Up in The Unhappy Ending Challenge.
Taylor sat against the cafe wall, scribbling on a piece of paper. It was the only indicator that he ought to be something other than a placeholder. That he might, in fact, be a participant, even though the idea of following the singers after they had plucked their audience’s heartstrings or any of the poets who took out their beating hearts and threw them to the crowd went against everything Taylor held dear. Everything he had worked for as a solid B student who grew up to be a steady office drone. He didn’t volunteer. He was not someone you recruited. He appeared, did what was asked, and vanished at the end of the day.
By Sean A.5 months ago in Fiction
Trapped in a Killer's Memory
“Wherever shall I go?” Amerys whispered quietly to herself. Blades of fallen, dying grass lie at her feet—freshly clipped amidst orbing bulbs of bright pink tulips that had been plucked from her dead hands. It was the first time Amerys realized anything was wrong. Her head wasn’t fully attached to her body, at least not in any conventional form or fashion.
By K.H. Obergfoll5 months ago in Fiction
A Promise I Couldn’t Keep
The promise didn’t feel heavy when I made it. It was one of those quiet promises—soft, simple, spoken without thinking too far ahead. The kind you make because it feels right in the moment, not because you fully understand what it will demand later.
By Cozy Living Hub5 months ago in Fiction
The Nutty Putty Cave Incident . Runner-Up in The Unhappy Ending Challenge.
I read about the Nutty Putty cave incident years ago. Where these cave divers went inside this tiny cave in the ground, and one of them got stuck. And so much effort went into saving this guy, and he ended up dying anyway. Back then, I thought it was so stupid. I thought it was the height of idiocy for someone to get into a whole in the ground, risking their lives and the lives of others for no good reason.
By Sama Habib5 months ago in Fiction
Make It That Far. Content Warning.
My eyes opened. After wiping the debris away, I realised I was in our lounge. Realised or remembered. Everything was hazy. I tried to rouse myself, but my skin felt… off. As I ran my hands through my greying hair, it didn’t feel quite right.
By Paul Stewart5 months ago in Fiction
Children at Play
Abigail is the one in blue jacket. Betsy is in the pink jacket and both little girls are claiming that the phone is both theirs.
By Mark Graham5 months ago in Fiction
Undone. Top Story - April 2026.
He told me I didn't have to be perfect. He said, "Just show up." Funny how I willingly believed that. Maybe funny isn't the correct word. I probably should have said, "sad." You most likely already know the story, that it's not going to end well for me and be outrageously embarrassing? But what I want to know is, was it all just a set up? Had he meant me to be humiliated? Was he just going to use me? Could a person truly be that cruel?
By Shirley Belk5 months ago in Fiction
Androgynous
Introduction Androgynous /anˈdrɒdʒɪnəs/ adjective partly male and partly female in appearance; of indeterminate sex. "a stunningly androgynous dancer" having the physical characteristics of both sexes.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 5 months ago in Fiction
Just the Two of Us, My Darling (Forever)
The sun was shining brightly as Azzurra and Tommaso hustled along the pier. Their excitement was boiling over. It was the first time they had been alone, really alone, since their wedding: the first day of their honeymoon.
By Calvin London5 months ago in Fiction
SHUTTER. Content Warning.
Such a thrifty idea, Clive believes with everything going according to plan as he had crept into woods, obscured by shadows. Motorbike camouflaged by underbrush piled atop it, day was breaking as he set off into woods for amazing photos that could make his career. Trusting this was his opportunity to grow the audience, that would support him directly or indirectly, in his artistic development. Living hand to mouth, left him without funds for traveling, therefore, to create his thriving future he chose inexpensive alternatives. With his paltry paychecks finally allowing him to set aside money for camera and film, penny-pinching for months to acquire that goal. Weight of deprivation affected his mental health until his desired camera was in hand, a Canon A2E EOS.
By Kami R. Taylons5 months ago in Fiction
The Last Person in the Archive
By the time Mara understood what the archive was for, most of it had already been destroyed. Not burned. Not in some singular act dramatic enough to provoke grief. It had vanished the way important things often do: under reviews, budget notes, transition plans, cheerful language about modernization. Shelf by shelf. Room by room. One harmless administrative phrase after another.
By Alain SUPPINI5 months ago in Fiction
Mystery of the Masked Men. Top Story - April 2026.
You would think that I would be used to loss by now. I was five years old February seventeenth, the day that two masked men, armed with assault rifles, entered the Free Citizens First Credit Union on the corner of First and Crimson. They subdued the guards and zip tied the bank manager to the bronze leg of Wilford Citizens, the bank’s founder, statue in the center of the lobby.
By Amos Glade5 months ago in Fiction