Fantasy
Europe’s Scorching Summer
Introduction: A Summer Like No Other Europe is experiencing one of the hottest summers in recent history. From Spain to Germany, and from France to Italy, the continent is battling relentless heatwaves that have disrupted normal life. Temperatures soaring above 40°C are no longer rare — they are becoming the new normal. This article explores how heatwaves are reshaping daily life across Europe, the challenges they bring, and the steps people are taking to adapt.
By Muhammad Ibrahim5 months ago in Fiction
Mountain's Secrets. Content Warning.
Autumn leaves crunched beneath his boots as he once more made the journey. Nightfall was upon him, and he knew he would soon need to find a place to rest. The climb to the mountain’s peak was a three-day endeavor. He had made this pilgrimage before, yet this time the goal was different.
By Carolyn Sternes5 months ago in Fiction
The Bureau of Unwritten Letters
They say every word we never send goes somewhere. The Bureau hides in plain sight, in a faceless grey building with no plaque, no bell, no sign. By day it looks like every other ministry: brick, stone, iron, humming with fluorescent light. But if you step too close, you feel the air tremble with a thousand unshed sighs. And if you dare to push open the door, you’ll hear it: the faint rustle of paper, like leaves whispering in a forest with no wind.
By Alain SUPPINI5 months ago in Fiction
Coin Return. AI-Generated.
Heat sits on the street like a big dog, panting through the open door. The air inside is only cooler by the width of a fingernail, the difference between sweat you notice and sweat that tucks itself into your shirt. My glass sweats for me anyway, rings spreading on the bar like the aftermath of decisions. It’s late afternoon, the sun walking its way down the back alley, and the jukebox hums the way a sleeping throat hums. Bourbon warms its way toward my ribs, a slow radio turned down low.
By Snigdho Saha5 months ago in Fiction
The Life Lessons of the Jedi Code
The Jedi Code is often seen as a set of rules for intergalactic warriors, a guide for navigating the battles between light and dark across the galaxy. But for those of us living on Earth, far from lightsabers and starships, the Jedi Code can be surprisingly relevant. Its principles—patience, mindfulness, compassion, and self-discipline—offer guidance not just in combat, but in the quieter, daily struggles of human life.
By Kayla Bloom5 months ago in Fiction
The Joke That Almost Destroyed Our Wedding Dreams
was sitting with my best friend, the closest one to me, the one who knows all my secrets. Suddenly, she showed me a picture on her phone while laughing, and said: — “Why don’t you send this to Daniel and see what he says?”I laughed and replied: — “Seriously? Okay, send it to me, and when I get home I’ll send it to him.”She looked at me with a strange mischievous smile and said: — “Oh, of course… why not.”I didn’t think much of her smile, and after a while I left and went home. Even before changing my clothes, I opened my phone and sent the picture to Daniel. It was a photo of two monkeys dancing together. I wrote to him while laughing: — “Hey, what do you think? Shouldn’t we dance like this at our wedding?”I went to change my clothes, and after I finished I picked up my phone again. I found a message from him. I opened it, excited to see his reply, but his words struck me like lightning: — “What nonsense is this? You want me to dance like a monkey?!”I laughed, thinking he was joking, and replied: — “So what! It’s hilarious, really… do it for me, Daniel.”I saw he was typing, and my heart was bouncing with happiness thinking we were still joking. But suddenly, the message that appeared crushed me: — “For you? I’ll call off everything if you ever ask me to do that again.”I was shocked, my heart tightened, and I didn’t know what to reply. Before I could type, another message came: — “Forget Daniel, forget everything… there is no wedding at all, Emily.”I stared at my phone in shock, my hands trembling, tears flooding my eyes. I couldn’t believe all this happened over a silly joke!I sat on my bed in disbelief, tears streaming nonstop, my hands unsteady and my heart trembling. How could one small joke destroy everything like this?! I kept staring at my phone, hoping he would text again, maybe say he was joking, maybe apologize… but not a single word came.I felt the world closing in on me. My mind couldn’t process what had just happened. He and I had been dreaming of that day… our wedding day. And in one moment, it turned into a nightmare.I stood up and went to the mirror, looking at myself, my face showing pure collapse. — “All this because of a monkey picture?!” I laughed, but it was a laugh full of pain. I stayed like that for maybe an hour or more, hearing nothing but my own racing heartbeat.Suddenly, I heard the doorbell. I wiped my tears quickly, not wanting anyone to see me like this. I walked to the door, my heart pounding hard. I opened it… and there he was.Daniel. I can’t even describe his face… his features were troubled, his eyes filled with sadness, and at the same time he looked so tense.— “Can I come in, Emily?” I stood frozen, unable to answer. Inside me was only anger and heartbreak. He came in without me saying a word and closed the door behind him.He sat on the chair in front of my bed, while I stood far away. He spoke quietly: — “I know I hurt you with my words… and I know what I said should never have been said. But you need to understand what happened.”I looked at him with tears in my eyes: — “Understand what, Daniel?! How could you say ‘there’s no wedding’? How could you tear down what we’ve been building for years over a joke?!”He walked toward me slowly and said: — “I was wrong… completely wrong. But it’s not just a joke like you think. Yesterday… your friend called me.”I froze in place: — “My friend?!”He nodded: — “Yes. She called and told me she was with you, showed you a picture of a monkey, and said: ‘This looks exactly like Daniel, your fiancé.’ The moment I heard that, my mind exploded. How could someone so close to you say that?”I felt chills run through my body. It was hard to believe that what we had was being toyed with like this. — “And you believed her?”He quickly said: — “No. I swear I didn’t. I hung up on her and never spoke to her again. But when you sent me that picture yourself, I thought maybe you agreed with her, or maybe you actually thought it was funny.”Tears filled my eyes even more: — “So you didn’t trust me? You really thought I’d do that?”He grabbed my hands tightly, his voice full of desperation: — “I swear I believe you, Emily… but in that moment of anger, I said words that hurt you. I never meant to wound you or to break up with you or anything. You are my whole life. But you know how much I hate being mocked, even as a joke.”I stayed silent, staring at the ground. I wanted to scream and shout and tell him how much he broke me with his words, but at the same time my heart trembled with fear of losing him.He continued: — “Believe me, if I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t have come all the way here. I came to fix what I ruined, to tell you that no matter who tries to come between us, they won’t succeed. You are my bride… my wife-to-be, the woman of my dreams.”I looked into his eyes… I saw honesty and true regret. I felt like I wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that what happened was just a mistake in a moment of anger.I sat on the chair, and he remained standing beside me. I said in a broken voice: — “Daniel… the words you said crushed me. I never imagined you’d say ‘there’s no wedding.’”He wiped my tears and said: — “I’m sorry. A thousand times sorry. I promise those words will never be repeated no matter what happens.”For the first time in a long while, despite my pain, I believed him and let my heart calm down in his arms. After Daniel told me everything, my heart sank even deeper at my friend’s betrayal. The one I thought of as a sister, closer than anyone, turned out to be the one trying to ruin my relationship! At that moment, I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and typed a very short message to her: “From today, there is nothing between us. I don’t accept betrayal. I never imagined you’d be the cause of my heartbreak.”I sent it and immediately turned my phone off, tears falling. I felt like I had lost someone, but at the same time, I gained peace of mind.Daniel was standing in front of me. He came closer and said softly: — “You know, Emily? I hurt you with words that should never have been said… but honestly, you are more precious than my own life. I almost lost you in a moment of anger, and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”I looked at him with tears in my eyes and said: — “I forgive you, Daniel… but don’t ever say those words again. Don’t ever let anything come between us.”He held my hand tightly and said with sincerity: — “I promise… with all my life.”Days passed, and finally came the day I had been waiting for years… my wedding day. As I walked into the hall in my white dress, everyone was watching, but I only saw one person… Daniel. His face was glowing with joy, his eyes shining as if he had found a treasure he thought was lost and returned.When I reached him, he whispered while holding my hand: — “Do you know why I’m the happiest man here? Because I won. Because God blessed me with someone like you to be my wife.”I blushed, looked down, and said shyly: — “And I’m happy to be your wife, Daniel… No matter what hardships we faced, today is the biggest proof that we are stronger than anything.”He smiled and came closer, his voice full of tenderness: — “From this moment, you are not just my wife… you are my home, my safety, my life. And no matter what the world tries to do, I’ll stand by you until my last breath.”Before letting go of my hand, he looked deep into my eyes and said the words I’ll never forget: — “Emily, you’re not just a love story in my life… you are my whole life.”At that moment, I smiled through my tears and felt that I had finally reached the safe harbor, that what we had was not just a wedding… but the beginning of a new life filled with love, honesty, and peace
By محمد السبكي5 months ago in Fiction
