Top Stories

Stories in Fiction that you'll love, handpicked by our team.

The Sleigh That Became a Boat. Top Story - September 2026.
In 2030, rising temperatures finished melting the polar ice caps. Santa Claus was displaced, along with the penguins, polar bears, and other species that call the North Pole home.
By Leslie Writesabout a month ago in Fiction
A Wee Bit o' Trouble. Top Story - September 2026.
Saturday, December 20, 2025 The first sign of disturbance was when Rudolph's nose was hacked off. There he was in our front yard, leading Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen - minus his bright, red sniffer. My husband grumbled, "Kids these days! They have no respect for anyone's property."
By Julie Lacksonenabout a month ago in Fiction
I No Longer Want This Job.... Top Story - September 2026.
The following microfiction piece called I No Longer Want This Job was inspired by the fantabulous Annie Lee painting above titled 5th Grade Substitute .
By Tiffany Gordonabout a month ago in Fiction
We Wish You a Merry Halloween. Top Story - September 2026.
I don’t usually come out until after dusk. I don’t want to. That’s all. And anyways, my daughter, Allie, and her husband work all day and in the evening they like to see me. So, if I don’t come up from my basement suite, they’ll come down and annoy me.
By Marlena Guzowskiabout a month ago in Fiction
"See You in the Fall!". Winner in Out of Season Challenge. Top Story - September 2026.
There once lived a mute swan on Lake Julia in Buhl Park of northwestern Pennsylvania. People called her Grace for her beauty and smooth gliding on the lake's surface, and were always happy and excited to see her. Grace moved around other lakes in the area, including Avalon Lake, but Lake Julia was her favorite because it was slightly bigger and had more food in its waters. Besides, some people brought her bread and grains even though there were clear signs on the lake warning against feeding the waterfowl.
By Lana V Lynxabout a month ago in Fiction
Autumn of Remembering. Honorable Mention in Out of Season Challenge. Top Story - September 2026.
Lucy slung her heavy bag, crammed with homework and books, over her shoulder and set off on the winding path home. The sun shone in its usual way, and the walk home from the station ought to have been pleasant. Yet the air in Hillstream always felt eerie. The village, with its handful of farms, a post office, and a single pub, could have been plucked from anywhere in Scotland.
By Ruth Stewartabout a month ago in Fiction
Dóda's Christmas. Winner in Out of Season Challenge. Top Story - September 2026.
I was always scared of sanatoriums. But they also seemed like a magical place to me. My mother basically grew up in one, and there lived the sister of my great-grandmother for a short time. I thought about it when I visited the graveyard in September.
By Imola Tóthabout a month ago in Fiction
A different kind of night. Grand Prize Winner in Out of Season Challenge. Top Story - September 2026.
Breakfast for dinner is not unusual for my family. Heck, we have breakfast for dinner more often than regular stuff for dinner. I'm not sure what it's like for folks in the city where they have all kinds of fancy drive-through restaurants and a million different types of bottled water.
By Lamar Wigginsabout a month ago in Fiction
Death At The Bar. Top Story - September 2026.
Death sat down at the bar. Told him I’d saved that seat for someone else. Laying down his hat, he said, “But you never show up for anyone. And I'm here now.”
By Sean A.about a month ago in Fiction
The Guardians Report. Top Story - September 2026.
Each year, as the Earth turns on its axis and spins round the wobbling sun, the light lessens by about three minutes a day at this time of year in this region of Canada. The blooms in the gardens, still reflect the glorious rays of sun that fall upon them, until the roars of the autumn winds chase the sweet whispering breezes and scents of summer away.
By Katherine D. Grahamabout a month ago in Fiction
Revolting . Top Story - September 2026.
The sentries stood tall with scaly, dry bark. The water ran brown and backward. Ripples resembled clouds of brains regressing under the bright light of the undead sun.
By Caitlin Charltonabout a month ago in Fiction
No Exit. Top Story - September 2026.
Jerod and Micah are jostling you as you saunter up the packed dirt road to the corn maze. Jerod’s wearing the elongated white mask from the movie Scream under his black hooded cloak - he keeps yelling “Whazaaaaa!” at the groups of kids and families heading to the fall festival. Micah has on a creepy scarecrow costume with a fake pitchfork, its tines dipped in vivid red paint. Your mom says you are too old for costumes, but you kind of wish you’d put one on anyhow. When Micah teases you, asking what you are dressed up as, you tell him “A werewolf” and when he says “where’s yer fur and teeth?” You grin and point upwards. “No full moon, dumbass.” Micah guffaws and spits his chewing gum by the row of gourds and pumpkins that line the road.
By Angel Whelanabout a month ago in Fiction