Mystery

The Last Light on Maple Street
The bulb flickered like it was having second thoughts. I stood under the streetlamp on Maple Street at 11:47 p.m., December 28, 2025, hands shoved deep in coat pockets, breath fogging in the sharp cold. Everyone else had gone inside hours ago — holiday lights dimmed, curtains drawn, the neighborhood folding itself up for another year. Only this one lamp stayed awake, the same one that had been here since before I was born, buzzing faintly like an old man muttering to himself.
By Jason “Jay” Benskin17 days ago in Fiction
Caretakers: Part 1. Top Story - December 2025.
-------- Author's Note ------- Before going any further, I would like to give a quick heads up. I'm trying something a little different with this story. In the past I've lost momentum writing longer pieces. But, this is a story I've had brewing since 2018 and I think in order to get it out there, I'm going to release it in chunks. I'm not sure how many we'll end up with but what you're about to read is a mystery/thriller set in the same town as a previous story I wrote, "Blue Heron Creek". Thank you for giving this a read and... be careful when you check into Mercy Regional Hospital... The morgue doesn't have the only thing rotten...
By Sandor Szabo17 days ago in Fiction
THE FLOWERING OF THE STRANGE ORCHID
The buying of orchids always has in it a certain speculative flavour. You have before you the brown shrivelled lump of tissue, and for the rest you must trust your judgment, or the auctioneer, or your good luck, as your taste may incline. The plant
By Faisal Khan17 days ago in Fiction
Comet 3I/ATLAS on December 26, 2025: A Departing Visitor That Still Has Secrets to Reveal
Comet 3I/ATLAS is already leaving our cosmic neighborhood, quietly slipping away on a path that will take it beyond the Sun’s grasp forever. Yet even as it fades from easy view, this rare interstellar visitor continues to surprise astronomers. Just when it seemed the story was winding down, new observations revealed something unexpected — subtle, wobbling jet structures hidden inside a highly unusual, sun-facing tail.
By Wellova 18 days ago in Fiction
The Birthday Party That Broke the Pattern
Introduction Some children collect toys or stickers. Sarah Peterson collects patterns. Numbers, letters, names, dates — if it fits, she notices it. If it matches, she loves it. And when her tenth birthday lands on the tenth day of the tenth month, she decides her celebration should be as perfectly arranged as the world she treasures. But even the most carefully planned day has room for surprise, and sometimes the unexpected guest is the one who changes everything.
By Margaret Minnicks18 days ago in Fiction
The Last Light in Window Seven
Every night at exactly 9:17 p.m., a single window lit up on the seventh floor of the Alderstone Apartments. No one knew why.
By Yasir khan18 days ago in Fiction
The 13th Floor Meeting
The building directory says twelve floors. It’s printed in brushed steel in the lobby. I’ve traced it with my finger while waiting for elevators more times than I can count. Floors 1 through 12. No skipped numbers. No maintenance levels. No penthouse.
By V-Ink Stories18 days ago in Fiction
After-Hours HR
The email came in at 1:32 a.m. No subject line. Just a calendar invite and a single sentence in the body: Mandatory check-in. 1:45 a.m. HR Office.
By V-Ink Stories18 days ago in Fiction
The Art of Burning
"Beautiful, isn't it?" "Beautiful? Are you blind? That is Blackwood Manor, Elias. This place is hell. We gotta go. Now." "Don't look at the smoke. Look at the color. See that blue streak right in the middle of the flame? Right by the window frame."
By Fathi Jalil18 days ago in Fiction
Vessel Control Part III
Vapor trails issued from the stick. Gunnar Mayser walked the passageways. His gummy footwear never made a sound. He puffed on his vape stick. More of the smoke-like stuff puffed out and swirled about him like a morning mist.
By Skyler Saunders18 days ago in Fiction
The Lights Delay
The office uses motion-sensor lights. They’re supposed to save money. They’re supposed to make late shifts feel less lonely—rows of cubicles blooming with white light as you walk past, proof that the building sees you.
By V-Ink Stories19 days ago in Fiction
The Overnight Janitor Who Doesn’t Exist
I work the late shift because it’s quiet. That’s the lie I tell people, anyway. The truth is I like knowing where everyone is. During the day, the office is unpredictable—meetings popping up, people hovering, footsteps that don’t belong to anyone you can see.
By V-Ink Stories19 days ago in Fiction