Holiday

Wordy Delight
Have you ever fallen on a sword 🗡️ for protecting your family’s reputation. I am talking about the cultural tradition of cooking sumptuous meals to offer and share the unending joy and fulfillment through it.
By Madhu Goteti 26 days ago in Fiction
THE ARCHITECTURE OF DARK: RITUAL WINTER
The world doe not die in winter, simply holds its breath. Where I live, the transition isn't a gradual slide, but a sharp snap. One morning, you wake up and the air has changed. It no longer smells of damp earth and rotting leaves; it smells of nothing at all. It is a clean, sterile cold that reaches into your lungs and reminds you that you are made of water and warmth—two things the frost wants to take back.
By Awa Nyassi27 days ago in Fiction
The Neighbourhood Christmas Tradition. Top Story - December 2025. Content Warning.
This is Part Two of The Neighbourhood Christmas Tradition. If you haven’t read Part One yet, you can find it here. When I get home, there’s an afternoon breeze, so I decide to eat dinner in my backyard. As I’m sitting at the table, I look over at my empty garden bed and remember that I have to do something about it. It almost looks as though the previous tenant's plants were pulled out and new soil was added, ready for a fresh start.
By Sandy Gillman27 days ago in Fiction
Last Bus
The bus came through my neighborhood every night at 11:47. I knew because I heard it before I saw it. The low engine hum. The soft rattle of windows. The sigh of brakes somewhere down the road. Even when I wasn’t looking for it, my body recognized the sound.
By Jhon smith28 days ago in Fiction
whispers of the turning seasons (part 29). AI-Generated.
The moment Dr. Rowan Hale stepped back into the abandoned hall, the doors slammed shut behind him as if pulled by an unseen force. The sound echoed through the storm like a warning bell—deep, final, resonating through Evelyn’s bones.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
The Murder No One Saw
Mere-Evelyn Tavakaturaga-Sinclair realised she’d just watched a man die halfway through her second piña colada. One moment, she was floating in the infinity pool, the warm Bali evening wrapped around her like a damp shawl. The next, she was staring, transfixed, at the villa across the ravine.
By DARK TALE CO. 28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 31) the end. AI-Generated.
The chamber roared like a living creature as the vortex of ancient light spun around Evelyn, its spiraling glow painting the cavern walls with shifting constellations. The air grew warmer—then colder—then impossibly still. Liam tried again to stand, but the force of the energy held him pinned against the stone wall, helpless.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 30). AI-Generated.
The chamber beneath the river pulsed with a slow, rhythmic glow—almost like a heartbeat. Evelyn felt it beneath her boots, through the icy stone floor, through the air itself. The symbols carved on the walls shifted, never staying still long enough for her to fully grasp their meaning. They moved like constellations rearranging themselves.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 28). AI-Generated.
The convoy of black SUVs cut through the snowstorm like shadows pushing against a raging sea. The wipers struggled to clear the thick layers of ice building on the windshield, and every gust of wind felt like the world was trying to push them back—warning them, begging them, to turn away.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 27). AI-Generated.
Snow hammered the windows of the safehouse like a relentless swarm of white arrows. The storm had arrived in full force—violent, consuming, roaring through the night as if nature itself was preparing for something unimaginable. But inside, Evelyn felt an even fiercer storm brewing underneath her skin.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 26). AI-Generated.
Whispers of the Shifting Seasons** Episode 26: The Storm Before the Truth By the time Evelyn and Liam reached the fortified safehouse on the outskirts of the city, the sky had already begun to darken. Heavy winter clouds churned above them, swollen with the weight of an incoming snowstorm. The wind carried a warning—sharp, cold, and trembling with an energy Evelyn couldn’t quite name. It felt like the world was holding its breath.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction
Whispers of the Turning Seasons (part 25). AI-Generated.
The lantern swung gently from the branch, its warm glow painting the snow beneath it in trembling circles of gold. Evelyn’s breath puffed in short, uneven clouds as she stared at it— the same lantern that once hung beside the nursery door, lighting her childhood nights with a soft amber glow.
By Ahmed aldeabella28 days ago in Fiction