Top Stories
New stories you'll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
Winging It on the Iron Tangle. Top Story - October 2026.
Carl, Princess Donut, and Mongo are joined by their new teammate, Katia, on the fourth floor. The Iron Tangle is a maze of subways and railroad stations underground. Not only do Carl and the gang have to figure out which stop leads to the exit, but they now have targets on their back. What’s worse is that Mordecai got put in time-out for his violent behavior, which leaves the gang without a source of information for most of the game. How are Carl and the gang going to survive without Mordecai’s help?
By J. Davis Mallory4 days ago in BookClub
Static Whispers. Top Story - October 2026. Content Warning.
The baby is due next week. A long-awaited bundle of joy after years of loss. You sit in the nursing chair, swinging back and forth, clutching your bump. Your trance is interrupted; the monitor crackles. Your eyes dart to the flashing green light across the dimly lit room. A surge of adrenaline steals your breath; the baby monitor wasn't plugged into the wall.
By Sharna Halliwell6 days ago in Horror
Unfurling Havok. Top Story - October 2026.
Unspunnen Castle ruins reach for their night attire, as the sun sinks slowly towards the jagged horizon. Clearly, the past six centuries have taken their toll but their allure lingers still. Uninvited mozzies buzz and take their pound of flesh. It’s time to go. Just one final photo before we bid the ruins a reluctant farewell.
By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶4 days ago in Futurism
Parts Unknown. Top Story - October 2026.
I have not found them yet, the parts of me I do not trust, whose purposes I cannot name. I ask for their names, their colors, and clear a stretch of shore where horsemen come to gather memory. But they do not answer, afraid of drowning.
By Paul Aaron Domenick4 days ago in Poets
Parisian diaries. Top Story - October 2026.
Bonjour tout le monde—hello, Vocal fam! I’m writing to you from the French countryside, at a beautiful writers’ residency in the Champagne region. This opportunity first came to me in March 2025. It’s something I’ve been waiting for, fantasizing about, and obsessing over for a long time. Now I’m here.
By Natasha Collazo4 days ago in Writers
A half-timbered house. Top Story - October 2026.
In the afternoon, the heat upstairs is unbearable. So you’re here, sitting on a couch downstairs. You don’t know where you got this couch from, and you don’t want to know. You appreciate it. You don’t care about the black spots, the yellow stains, or the faded color. You’re just tired of the sunlight all the way back from school. A smell of something dead hits your nose. “A rat?” You keep sniffing, but the smell fades away. Now you’re staring at this damp wooden door instead, the same door you have to push hard to close. Your father said it’s swollen because of the rain. He said a lot about wood. And bricks. And the ceiling.
By Natthakan Thongon3 days ago in Fiction
Fiftieth Anniversary. Top Story - October 2026.
S and I (M) are seated on our sofa before a young man who is writing a book about relationships. Though we hold each others' hands, we speak directly to the young man (somehow this gives S a meaningful focus). The young man says: "Tell me about when you first met."
By Marie Wilson3 days ago in Humans
