Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
The Process of Breaking Free
Time spent in a kitchen is therapy and every task completed is equivalent to an hour on the couch. Bertha is past due for a long session. She plans accordingly and tells her husband they will be having a homemade Italian meal for dinner. He does not listen as usual; either that or he chooses not to respond. There is not much of a difference. Without a word in her direction, he leaves for work, not bothering to make sure the old wooden door is fully closed behind him. Bertha locks herself into her homely retreat and, leaning against the door, closes her eyes. Bertha has been waiting for this solitude all weekend and, at long last, takes her first full breath since Friday.
By Calista Marchand-Nazzaro5 years ago in Fiction
The Unexpected Visitor
Here is a fictional short story about an unexpected visitor with a twist. ... My hands molded the dough. Flour seeped into my fingernails as I turned the dough over. I placed the soft succulent mixture into a tin and put it into the oven before rinsing my hands under warm running water, drying them quickly on a towel. I drank the rest of the red wine from my glass and quickly wiped down the grey marble worktop cleaning the specs of flour off with a damp cloth. The trilling of the doorbell made me jump as my ginger head hit the saucepans hanging from the canopy.
By Denise Larkin5 years ago in Fiction
Lies and Omissions excerpt
This is an excerpt from Lies and Omissions, on Amazon for Kindle (link). It is part of the first chapter. After practice, Nick went home and grabbed a quick shower. He jogged back out to his car and headed to the Dixon house. He hopped out of the car and walked to the door. When he knocked, Sharon, Nicole’s mom, answered the door. She ushered him in and let him know that Nicole would be down in just a minute.
By L. Lane Bailey5 years ago in Fiction
The End of Us
*TW: occurrence of miscarriage “This isn’t going to work,” I say, staring at the lanes of traffic in front of us. The harsh drone of the spinning cement mixer on our truck drowns out the bustling city noise and the panic in my head. I’ve been meaning to say it for days, weeks maybe. Mitch lets out a sigh.
By Megan Clancy5 years ago in Fiction
They Whispered of Mangoes
"Celeste..." Yes, I hear you. Where are you? The alabaster sand is hot, like the moment you pull out laundry from the dryer—that snuggling, soothing warmth. The sand is so soft that it feels like silk against my soles. Free of grit and cigarette butts—pristine.
By Meredith Bell5 years ago in Fiction
The Top Five Reasons Your Date Was A Disaster
1. You That’s right. You. Because you went ahead and joined a dating site for the first time, knowing full well that you’ve spent years telling your friends how much better it is to meet people in person — through work, clubs, classes, bars. But you did it. You did it because you needed to face the fact that this theory has been failing you. Everyone you meet at work or in bars seems to be uninterested or taken. And clubs and classes are just no longer something that is in your life. Maybe you needed a more direct approach.
By Owen Schaefer5 years ago in Fiction
Unfixable
She says, “I’m pregnant.” He had been working in the garage, cleaning the drawers of his toolbox. Wrenches and drill bits and a hammer that had been his uncle’s, given to him on the day his father passed away, lay around him, caked in the dust of the far back corner of the garage where his toolbox has sat, unattended, for months. Maybe years. But yesterday, when the handle of the silverware drawer had become just a little too loose he had decided to fix it, and so found himself faced with the task of finding the appropriate tool within the mess of this box. But, while the drawer handle in the kitchen remained just slightly loose, he had set out on the journey to clean out and reorganize the box. And it is at the point that he has reached the far back corner of the bottom section and rubbed out the last little oily spot that she says, “I’m pregnant”. He pauses, first looking at his warped reflection in the polished chrome handle and then up at her. The glow of the yellow garage light casts pale shadows across her face. He searches her eyes for a clue as to what his reaction is supposed to be and comes up blank.
By Megan Clancy5 years ago in Fiction
Free to Roam
Collin stares out at the sea, transfixed by the transition taking place before him. Half of what he can see is stormy, choppy, and clear of ships, while the other is still bright and various ships crowd the view as they race to shore. Over them, blue skies dotted with wispy clouds beckon safety. One cloud looks like a sailed ship, following the fleet inland. He watches as it passes behind the distant lighthouse, unsurprised as the storm front reaches him with the first wind-born raindrops. His attention turns to the black clouds gathering above him, with lightning flashing miles off and booming thunder drawing near. Beside him, his hosts' horse begins to show signs of distress.
By Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)5 years ago in Fiction
The Waterfall. Runner-Up in Reset Your Password Challenge.
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to this week’s broadcast of Keeping the Peas. I’m Paul and this is Phyllis.” “Thanks, Paul,” Phyliss said. They occupied one of the radio studios of CHMR at Memorial University of Newfoundland. “You know, I’m proud of Keeping the Peas. We’re all about voices, both worldwide and right here in Newfoundland and Labrador."
By Matthew Daniels5 years ago in Fiction
JACK OF DIAMONDS
PART TWO THE PROMISE OF A NEW DAY Chap 5 - Pt 1 (BUT IN A PRINCELY HOME THERE SITS...) Marlborough was the smallest of the six Manor houses located in what the locals were now calling Chumley Glen; it boasted eighteen bedrooms. It was what one might label the senior representative of the six; the arbiter of local history. It’s own colourful history went back to 1705, and the house had been through as many renovations as it had owners. Some claimed it was haunted, others that the walls were simply too tight. It hosted all the major celebrities of Europe through its colourful history: Handel, Mendelssohn, Litz; Christopher Wren, Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley; Pope, Defoe, Swift—the anecdotal tales about the house had gone through as many incarnations as it had renovations.
By ben woestenburg5 years ago in Fiction
