Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
The Ritual
Every night at nine, Mara set the second place. She did it even when she ate standing at the counter, even when the sink was full and the radio was still murmuring to itself. She took the blue plate from the cupboard—the one with the chipped rim—and set it across from her. She folded the napkin into a neat rectangle. She put the fork on the left, the knife on the right, blade facing in, as if someone had taught her manners she was determined not to forget.
By Nina Pierce4 days ago in Fiction
Second Shadow
I noticed it by accident, which is how most bad ideas introduce themselves. I was cutting through the square at lunch, phone in one hand, iced coffee sweating down my wrist. The sun was a bully, straight up, no cloud cover, every edge of everything carved into the pavement. I walked past the sundial because I like proof that time is meaningful in more than one medium.
By Milan Milic4 days ago in Fiction
Instructions for Returning to a Place That No Longer Exists
I. Purpose of This Document These instructions exist because return has been explicitly requested. Please note that they are not an endorsement of the request, nor should their existence be interpreted as confirmation that return is advisable, safe, or even possible in any way commonly understood. This document addresses procedure only.
By Shannon Hilson4 days ago in Fiction
The Last Letter on the Shelf
I never meant to leave it there. The old wooden shelf in the corner of the living room, stacked with books that smelled faintly of dust and sunlight, had always been my mother’s domain. She used it like a shrine—little trinkets, half-finished novels, pressed flowers, and, most importantly, letters. So many letters. Some she’d kept from decades ago, tied with ribbon, their paper edges soft and worn. Others were more recent, hastily scribbled notes of gratitude, apology, or love.
By Salman Writes4 days ago in Fiction
How to Not Become the Woman Everyone Warns the New Hires About
I wrote this manual because I have seen this behavior too many times to pretend it is rare. In many production jobs, toxic behavior is treated as normal, especially when it comes from older Hispanic women who have been there longer. They think they run the place. They mock new hires when they mess up. They give dirty looks instead of help. They laugh, whisper, and call it experience.
By Diani Alvarenga4 days ago in Fiction
