Psychological
The Midnight Call: A Mystery That Changed Everything
It was a quiet, uneventful night, or so I thought. The clock struck 3 AM, and the eerie silence of my apartment was shattered by the shrill ringing of my phone. I hesitated, my heart pounding. Who could be calling at this hour? The screen displayed an unknown number, and against my better judgment, I answered. The voice on the other end was barely a whisper, trembling with fear. "They’re watching you. Don’t trust anyone." Before I could respond, the line went dead. My mind raced—was this a prank, a wrong number, or something far more sinister?
By Word Weaver11 months ago in Fiction
Window Decoration. Content Warning.
Lily walked confidently up the city sidewalk, resume in hand. She knew the CEO of the company, and it was an easy short-term job to work during the fall. Dressing the window with holiday décor to lure shoppers would be fun as an outlet for her creative energy.
By Barb Dukeman11 months ago in Fiction
The Phantom Heist
Chapter 6: Personal Entanglement The county records office was nearly empty at 4:30 PM on a Friday. Most employees had already left for the weekend, leaving only a bored clerk who barely glanced at Sarah's badge before granting her access to the vital records archive.
By Shane D. Spear11 months ago in Fiction
Three Boxes. Content Warning.
Who would have guessed it takes three plastic containers to fit one man's life? You would think you need lots of space, but after you get rid of all those little "whatchamacallits", old clothes, used furniture, and everything collecting dust inside the kitchen cabinets, there is nothing much left to care for. Memories? They're stored in your brain, and you don't have to keep 13 copies of the same photo to remember a kid's sports event you barely paid any attention to when it was happening.
By Alex Torres11 months ago in Fiction
I Hate You, I Hate Myself. Content Warning.
All of you are here today because you care for someone who has abused you at some point in your life. Before we begin, I want to explain why everyone is seated in a circle facing outward. This setup ensures that no one can see each other. Each chair is spaced far enough apart so that even if you turn your head, you won’t be able to get a clear look at the person next to you. The purpose of this arrangement is to keep our focus solely on the situations we’ve experienced, rather than on each other’s identities. In this group, we will not introduce ourselves or share personal details such as our names or where we live. Each of you has been assigned a number from one to five, which is how you will be identified. Additionally, when speaking about the person you care for—the one who has also harmed you—please refer to them only as “they”, rather than using ”he” or “she”. This will help remove identifying factors from our discussions. Before we move on, does anyone have any questions? No? Then let’s continue. We will go around the circle three times. - In the first round, each of you will state one thing your abuser did to you. While they may have harmed you in multiple ways, for this exercise, you should describe just one action in no more than two sentences. This may be the action that impacted you the most. - In the second round, you will explain, again in two sentences, why you have become this person’s caregiver. - In the third round, you will share how caring for them has affected your emotions or how it has helped you grow—also in two sentences. I will begin with an example of how your responses should be structured. After I make my statement, I will say, "Number one", signaling the first person to speak. When person number one finishes, they will say "Number two", and so on until we reach person number five.
By Rick Henry Christopher 11 months ago in Fiction
Watching Over You
Most of the houses were already dark as it was almost midnight. There was something so relaxing, almost meditative, about the stroll through suburban streets. The night was warm and quiet, crickets chirping the only thing to hear. The sound of summer. Anthony took his time walking home.
By Cristal S.11 months ago in Fiction
THE PHANTOM HEIST
Chapter 5: The Medium Sarah sat in her car outside "Madame Rosalia's Spiritual Consultations," questioning every life choice that had led her to this moment. The small Victorian house was painted a deep purple with silver trim. Crystal wind chimes tinkled in the breeze, and the air smelled faintly of incense.
By Shane D. Spear11 months ago in Fiction
A Truly Great Night. Top Story - March 2025. Content Warning.
Ingrid sat in darkness, belly full, beside her husband Klaus, immaculately dressed in his best gray suit. Below her, a wonderful clarinet soloist finished her Rondo, center stage. Ingrid’s playbill identified the piece as Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major. Klaus tapped his fingers in time with the strings, and in that moment she was happy. Things were turning around. Not so long ago, they’d had to scrape for food. Now with continued promises of economic turnaround, they could enjoy a dinner with wine followed by the orchestra.
By Matthew J. Fromm11 months ago in Fiction
