Top Stories
Stories in Fiction that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Who's Knocking?
My grandmother once told me that she didn't much like cats because they were too demanding. But I don't think she knew the character of all cats. It's true that some are a bit needy, though. But not Whiskers. He was purely just a yellow mass of fuzzy politeness and sincerity. And this story is about him; how he changed my life since meeting him early one unassuming and very ordinary Sunday morning in October.
By Shirley Belk3 months ago in Fiction
Thermometer
Three sharp pings alerted Emily that the oven had completed its preheating cycle. Donning two protective potholders, she inserted a large tray of muenster cheese-topped chicken breasts and an equally large tray of thoroughly seasoned Brussels sprouts. Two blood orange Le Creuset pots began to bubble on the stovetop, prompting the sous chef to slightly turn down the heat. With her left hand, Emily thoroughly folded the truffle-buttered mashed potatoes with a heart-shaped wooden spoon while her right hand unraveled the frozen slab of spinach with a three-pronged silver fork.
By Kale Sinclair3 months ago in Fiction
Etha and May
Etha and May are as different as night is to day. If we are to be particular, we would say one wore red and the other, shades of mild yellow. Both are strong willed, set in their ways, motherly Black women. Etha lives upstairs in the quaint three story house in the Brookdale neighborhood of East 55th street of Brooklyn, NY. May occupied the apartment somewhere between the ground floor and the middle of the house.
By Antoni De'Leon3 months ago in Fiction
Daria's Mum
It started weeks ago. Daria was smiling more. Little, private smiles, like she was in on a joke nobody else knew about. She spent more time in her room. More time on her phone. I’d knock to ask about dinner and she’d shout "I’m busy!" like I’d interrupted something sacred. I figured it was a boy.
By L.C. Schäfer3 months ago in Fiction
The Ride Home
YouTube Audio Version I put the top down for the ride home. I wanted to hear the engine rev up, shift gears, and rev up again. I wanted to see the tree’s branches swaying with the wind as I rode under them. I wanted to feel the cool air swirl around the car and chill the back of my neck. I wanted to smell the leaves burning. But, most of all, I wanted to clear my mind and think about what Frank had told me at work.
By Steve Lance3 months ago in Fiction
A Shot in the Heart
Chantilly took her slice of cake, along with a glass of milk, into the living room to eat while she watched the latest episode of her favorite daytime talk show. Settling onto the chintz-covered couch, she turned the TV on with the remote, switching the channels until she found the one she was searching for. Today was her first day of vacation, and even though Franklin had to work all week, she had every intention of enjoying it to the hilt.
By Mother Combs3 months ago in Fiction
The Box That Knocks. Runner-Up in A Knock at the Door Challenge.
It was one of those nights. The kind where time drags on and the world outside feels far away, as if everyone else were somewhere else, doing something else, and you were left behind in your own house, stuck in the limbo of boredom and solitude.
By Emily Albers3 months ago in Fiction
Still Life
“I don’t care if it pays a thousand dollars an hour, I’m not going to paint portraits.” I half-listened to my brother’s pleas for me to consider a wealthy woman’s very generous offer, which I expected had more than a few strings attached. I told him I’d get a job with a boss if I wanted someone to tell me what to be. I returned to the kitchen to finish the dishes in the sink, and I was still rinsing when a pair of tanned legs flickered up the stairs to my studio. I dropped the dishrag into the sink and sprinted up the spiral to unlock the door. A twentyish blonde was picking at a scab on her knee when I opened the door.
By Harper Lewis3 months ago in Fiction
