Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
Before
As I gazed upon a barren wasteland, completely devoid of colour, I couldn’t help but wonder what it had all been like before. Before people let their hatred consume their actions I could only assume that the world was beautiful, at least that was what my mother had told me once. My mother was one of few that believed the earth was once colourful; a land that embraced individuality so wonderfully that people would spend time just embracing the world they’d helped grow. I liked to believe in her words, they gave me hope for a possible future… One that wasn’t so bleak and exhausting. My father on the other hand thought much differently, he believed that people were monsters and so the world must’ve been as such, a gruelling place filled with disgust and anger, so much so that it’d consume nations and force their evil hands. Of course there was evidence that leaned more towards his pessimistic views, the world had in fact become, what one could only describe as, a nuclear mess at the hands of its people.
By Lauren Quenby5 years ago in Fiction
Paz and the Past
The ground in the Past was still dead, but tall, tough grass had returned in patches, making it more difficult to search. Paz never brought anything with her when she crossed the shimmering border, so she had to be content with scratching and kicking the ground to make it speak.
By Bev Potter5 years ago in Fiction
The Greed That Doomed Me
How was it that only moments ago, I was running freely on fresh-cut green grass. Running under the sun who shines like there is no tomorrow. Running toward the tall buildings in the far, filled with families enjoying a quiet lunch. How is it that now, I stand in an empty field, nothing but lifeless land. The sun dim, shying behind the clouds. Tall buildings reduced to piles of ash, with no families to be inside. All of this caused by some darned pendant. Beautiful, may I add, with the black diamond heart center, encrusted with rubies all around, finished with a silver chain. I had just happened to pick it up and put it about my neck, when the world seemed to go into chaos. No longer was I some city girl with everything given to me on a silver platter. No, I was left to fend for myself. Left to get silly things such as food, water and shelter. Who would want to work for those! That’s why jobs were created, for others to serve others. Either way, whatever happened here wasn’t pretty, and I was not about to stick around longer than needed. In all directions were open fields, so I decided to start forward, seeing where this dead land would take me. About an hour into the walk, my feet started to ache. I had never had to walk such a distance before, always being driven everywhere in fancy cars. I debated on calling for help, soon to realize I had no phone. Not like there would be service here anyways. I continued my treacherous walk in the deserted land, when long, wooden structures came into view. Most had fallen, with their pines and leaves scattered across the dry earth. It had only been another hour, yet I was parched. Despite my body wanting to stop, my need for water was greater, and I pushed farther into the deceased forest. There was no water or shelter in sight, but my stomach was starting to feel slightly empty. Great, another problem to add to the others I already had. As if things couldn’t be worse, droplets of crystal liquid started to land on the few standing logs, soon falling onto my red cheeks. Finding water was no longer my top priority, but getting out of the polluted tears falling from the sky was. I didn’t need my clothes more ruined than they already were. I had few options, so I opted for under a group of trees. It never occurred to me that it could be extremely dangerous, since in movies the actors always hid under trees in a storm. By now my insides were screeching for food and my throat begging for water. The thought disgusted me, but I reluctantly stuck out my tongue, catching a few of the clear beads and swallowing them down. Too queasy to get anymore, I started looking around for a bite to eat. I could never kill an animal, that’s what hunters and butchers were for. There was little life around, besides some of the leaves still stuck to the fallen trees. I couldn’t. I mustn’t. That would be utterly revolting. But my stomach spoke louder than my thoughts for delicacy, as I pinched a few of the green and brown plants, careful to pick off the stems, and placed them in my mouth. The taste was as horrible as I had imagined, but I gulped them down with more rainwater. With a sigh, I sat on the cold, hard ground, with nothing but my thoughts and the pendant. This same process occurred for several weeks. Drinking and collecting rainwater, eating the half alive leaves from the floor, and hiding under bundles of trees to have a fitful sleep each night, filled with horrid terrors of what may happen to me the next day. A month has now passed, to which I have developed a sort of routine. Wake up, eat dead leaves. Walk around for a bit, drink rainwater and eat more dead leaves. Find a spot for the night with more rainwater and dead leaves. Sleep on the hard, dead earth, dreaming of the life I should have, and repeat. One day, though, I came across a boy. He wore the most awful clothes in ugly shades of brown and beige. He had a lean figure, probably from cutting down wood, or working on a farm in the past. Either way, he looked poor. No one I would normally associate myself with, but in these circumstances I was in, I would settle, just this once.
By Samantha Hume5 years ago in Fiction
1V0RY T0WERS
David Gomez woke the same way he had for the last two years: perfectly refreshed, at the precise conclusion of his fifth sleep cycle. He slid out from beneath the hood that stretched across the headboard, careful not to disturb his wife as he shifted the covers. He let his feet slap against the wood floor; his own little fireworks show.
By Steven A Jones5 years ago in Fiction
On A Bright Sunny Day
On a bright sunny day, Toma saw something glistening in the desert sun in the distance, as he went for one of his long walks from the intermitantly solar powered air conditioned Habitats a mile away. The Solar worked, but was increasingly in disrepair.
By Tom Chatterton5 years ago in Fiction
For a Second Time
“Make sure to look for the correct medicine.” Devon says, as we search cabinets in this beat up hospital. “I know what I’m looking for.” I say. “None of this is what we need.” I turn to look at him, frustrated. We’d been searching for hours and have found nothing, anything of value has already been taken.
By Lauren Caver5 years ago in Fiction
The Squire and the Botanist
Young Talbot's valour makes me smile at thee: When he perceived me shrink and on my knee, His bloody sword he brandish'd over me, And, like a hungry lion, did commence Rough deeds of rage and stern impatience; - Lord Talbot, Henry VI Part 1 [4.7]
By Jamie Finfer5 years ago in Fiction
Voice Within The Silence
As I ran through the forest, the wet leaves slapped my face and body as the rain aggressively stabbed my skin. It felt like my ancestors were using the elements of the earth to express how disappointed and angry they were with me, I didn't blame them I felt like a fool myself. The skeletons had finally escaped from the closet, but they weren't mine, they were Ngozi's skeletons disguised as mine.
By Ropafadzo Thokozani Zinyuke (Fadzo) 5 years ago in Fiction
