Short Story
The Closed Door
"You let your residednts and your co-workers down." Stepping out of the office, I gave in to my hurt and humiliation. Suppressed tears started to trickle down my cheeks. My hands, which I managed to keep still while I was subjected to my supervisor's tirade, started shaking. Why could I make her not see that it wasn't my intention not to let anyone down? All I wanted was to be spared the hurtful criticism of my colleagues for one night.
By Margaret Draper2 months ago in Fiction
The Lost Room
The wall felt smooth as Alex ran his hands along it. The room was not as it should have been, and yet nothing seemed out of place. The bookshelves were dusty, but no lever on any of them. It was said that the lady of the manor would disappear, and no one could find her spot. It was said that she hid some valuable items from her own family for safety. Yet Alex looked around the ornate room with the plaster ceiling and vibrant wallpaper. It was an old house that no one seemed to find the secret room. Alex looked at the beauty of the room, and yet it lay empty for so long. The walls were smooth, and there was no secret opening. It was a mystery that so many failed to find. The room was a puzzle box that Alex was going to test. The puzzle was the entrance point, and there was no indication yet.
By Sarah Danaher2 months ago in Fiction
Symbiotic: Chapter 21
Chapter 21 Sara continued her ever downward trek through tunnels and caverns. Her path was silent, as nothing lived in these tunnels but the Greatworms. And she had not run into a Greatworm in some time. The caverns she had last traveled through looked like a Greatworm had made it’s nest there, but the worm itself was long gone.
By Canyon Cappola (TheNomad)2 months ago in Fiction
Goldfish. Content Warning.
4 pm Miss Lucy and Dr. Singh are letting me visit my house tonight! Normally I get to go home for twelve hours on holidays, and an aide comes with me to monitor my equipment, but today is different. It’s not a holiday, it’s not my birthday, it’s not even the weekend— but I’m going home! Mommy says Lily will be home too even though she goes to college in Iowa. She’s coming home just for me for my special visit. And Daddy says we’re getting my favorite food ever which is Chinese takeout from The Golden Dragon. I never get to eat Chinese in the hospital. The cafeteria is okay… they have ice cream all the time and pizza usually, but never Chinese. I don’t know why. Mommy says to pack my favorite jammies and my stuffed gorilla Nala because tonight, we’re staying up late in our jammies and watching my favorite movie! This is the best day ever.
By Mallory Chileski2 months ago in Fiction
A Message That Appeared on My Phone From the Future
It was a normal Thursday night—or at least, I thought it was. I was scrolling through my phone, half-watching a poorly made horror movie on YouTube, when something strange happened. My screen flickered for a split second, and a notification appeared.
By Muhammad Reyaz2 months ago in Fiction
True Peace for Soldiers
Old white men, they were, their bodies a rolling landscape of skin pulled tight and fallen loose. Pockmarked with moles and freckles, splotches of red, white, blue, and green, colors and shapes that hide behind the skin and fat of younger men. When they smiled, their eyes would become lost in the wrinkles and cracks of their brow.
By Devang Vashistha2 months ago in Fiction
Don't Tell Him. Top Story - December 2025. Content Warning.
“I took my gun and vanished...” - The Partisan, as sung by Leonard Cohen -0- Dear mom, I’m sorry that you have to hear about my going in any way but from my own lips. If I had waited to tell you, if I had waited until you awoke, you might have talked me out of it. Talked some sense into my damned fool head, made me stay at home. Stay where I would be warm and safe and fed.
By Alexander McEvoy2 months ago in Fiction
The Person I Buried Came Back to My Door Tonight
I wasn’t expecting anyone that late. It was nearly midnight, the kind of hour when even the street dogs stop barking, when the whole world feels like it’s holding its breath. I was sitting alone in my living room, the lamp flickering for the third time that night, when I heard it: three slow knocks on the front door.
By Muhammad Reyaz2 months ago in Fiction
ECHOES OF MISUNDERSTANDING. AI-Generated.
The late afternoon sun spilled warm orange light across Hoshizora High School, painting the courtyard in long shadows. Students laughed, chattered, and slowly filtered out of the gate, eager to escape another day of classes.
By forhad hossain2 months ago in Fiction
