Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Fiction.

You Must Join Me
They were all seated together in the drawing room. She had kept out of sight by staying behind the largest couch in the room. All of them had spoken about a monster that was lurking on the edge of town. Some form of beast that could take the form of anyone it had killed. This thing had hunted anything that dared to enter the forest for one reason or another.
By Raphael Fontenelle6 days ago in Fiction
There's A Vampire in Town
Vampires. They’re a super popular legend that everyone knows about. Being repelled by garlic, sunlight, and crosses. Depending on the lore they could also be killed by silver. Cannot be seen in mirrors. Nor can they come into someone else’s home without being invited first.
By Raphael Fontenelle6 days ago in Fiction
Pray You're Not Next
It happened once more. Another person was taken in broad daylight on my street with tons of people around. Forcibly taken. Yet no one did anything about it. Didn’t take one step towards it to stop them. Only a few people glanced in the direction of the commotion. Most people were keeping their attention elsewhere as the person was pulled into a large white van. With strange letters on the side that I couldn’t read.
By Raphael Fontenelle6 days ago in Fiction
The night everything changed. Content Warning.
As soon as I saw it, I knew what needed to be done. I left without a second thought. I ran straight into the pouring rain and was soaked within seconds. I shivered and pulled my cloak tighter, but the buttons were broken and I couldn’t close it properly. One was missing, and the rest hung from loose threads. A cold draft slipped through, the wind flowing freely.
By Minou J. Linde6 days ago in Fiction
Naked Succubus
Lola always chose her men the way other women chose handbags—something pretty, something flattering, something that made her feel more important when she walked into a room. He was no different. In fact, he was her favorite kind of ornament: young, beautiful, eager to please, and dazzled enough by her attention and clever manipulation that he never noticed the cost.
By Julie O'Hara - Author, Poet and Spiritual Warrior6 days ago in Fiction
There You Are
There You Are I saw you before I understood what was happening. One moment I was just another young mother out for a rare night in Cambridge, and the next my soul was singing like it had finally spotted the lighthouse it had been scanning the horizon for across lifetimes. “There you are,” it said, as if relieved, as if exhausted, as if it had been waiting for me to catch up.
By Julie O'Hara - Author, Poet and Spiritual Warrior6 days ago in Fiction
I Went to a Stranger’s Funeral — and Discovered My Past.
I Shouldn’t Have Been There. This is the part that still feels surreal — the fact that what happened next was a mistake.
By Echoes of Life6 days ago in Fiction
Performative Ritual
He has certain expectations for the women in his life. Her closet represents many of them; only whores show their shoulders or their knees. Skirts must be long. Tank tops are simply for other people. People who aren’t them. People who aren’t decent like they are.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA6 days ago in Fiction
The Last Message After the Internet Died
The internet died on a Tuesday. No countdown. No warning. No dramatic announcement from governments or tech giants. One moment the world was scrolling, posting, arguing, laughing—and the next, everything froze. Phones showed No Signal. Laptops blinked helplessly. Satellites went quiet like stars swallowed by darkness.
By shahid khan6 days ago in Fiction
The Red Wedding is the Best Episode of Game of Thrones
This is one of the few episodes from a television show I will never forget the first time I watched it. I was looking forward to watching Game of Thrones for the day, and I waited to watch the show with a family member until the night. We were in complete shock once the episode ended, the two of us silent, not knowing what to say.
By Emy Quinn6 days ago in Fiction
From Death Into Life. AI-Generated.
There are moments in life that feel like endings—chapters sealed off, doors slammed shut, or seasons that seem to wither before they ever had a chance to bloom. These moments may not involve literal death, yet they can feel like the emotional equivalent: the death of a dream, the fading of a relationship, the collapse of confidence, or the slow erosion of hope. But hidden within these endings is something quietly powerful: the possibility of renewal. Moving “from death into life” is not about miracles that appear in an instant. It is about the subtle, steady rebirth that begins when everything familiar falls apart, and you find yourself forced to rebuild—piece by piece, breath by breath. The Quiet Endings We Don’t Talk About People often imagine “rock bottom” as loud, chaotic, or dramatic. But most endings arrive quietly. Sometimes, it’s the moment you realize a goal you worked for simply isn’t going to happen the way you imagined. Sometimes, it’s the slow realization that you’ve outgrown a place, a habit, or even a version of yourself. And sometimes, it’s that heavy feeling inside—the one that whispers that things can’t keep going the way they have been. These moments can feel like a kind of death. Not final, not physical, but symbolic. Something ends. Something closes. Something stops growing. And in that stillness, it is easy to feel stuck or lost. Yet these moments are often the soil from which new life eventually grows. Why Endings Hurt So Much Human beings naturally cling to what they know. Even if something is painful or limiting, it’s familiar. Change, on the other hand, is uncertain. Endings strip away our illusions of control. They force us to face the unknown. They challenge the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and who we’re supposed to be. That’s why they feel frightening—even when they lead somewhere better. But pain, confusion, and uncertainty are not signs that you’ve failed. They’re signs that something inside you is being reshaped. The Turning Point: When Life Starts Whispering Back The shift from “death” to “life” rarely begins with a dramatic transformation. More often, it begins with small moments: a morning when you feel just a little lighter a thought that brings a spark of curiosity a conversation that makes you feel understood a new idea that keeps returning a moment of peace you weren’t expecting These moments are gentle, almost imperceptible. But each one is a seed. And seeds don’t look like much at first. They look like tiny, insignificant beginnings. But beneath the surface, something alive is taking shape. Rebirth Isn’t a Single Moment—it’s a Process People love stories of overnight transformation, but real growth moves slowly. Rebirth is a process of learning, unlearning, experimenting, and adapting. It’s choosing to keep moving forward even when you don’t feel ready. Sometimes this process looks like progress. Sometimes it looks like taking two steps back. But each step, whether forward or backward, is part of the journey of becoming. Moving “from death into life” means allowing yourself to outgrow past versions of yourself without guilt or shame. It means accepting that you are allowed to evolve, to shift directions, and to choose new paths that align with who you’re becoming—not who you used to be. Listening to the Voice of Renewal Every person has an inner voice that longs for growth. Sometimes it sounds like: “I think I can try again.” “Maybe there’s another way.” “What if things could be different?” “What if I’m capable of more than I thought?” Even the quietest spark of hope can become a flame if you nourish it. Listening to that inner voice is an act of courage. Following it is an act of rebirth. The Power of Choosing Life Again and Again “Life” in this context doesn’t just mean breathing or existing. It means: choosing joy even after disappointment choosing healing even after hurt choosing curiosity even when you’re afraid choosing growth even when it feels uncomfortable choosing to believe that your future can hold more than your past Every time you take a step toward something healthier, kinder, or braver, you choose life. And choosing life is not a one-time event. It’s a daily practice. Some days you choose with confidence. Other days you choose with trembling hands. Both count. Finding Beauty in What Comes After What comes after an ending is rarely what you expected—but often, it is exactly what you needed. The dreams you discover after letting go may be deeper than the ones you lost. The people you meet may understand you in ways you hadn’t known were possible. The person you become may be stronger, kinder, and more self-aware than the person you were before. Rebirth is not about returning to who you used to be. It’s about becoming someone new—someone shaped by strength, insight, and resilience. The Journey Continues If you’re in a season of ending, know this: endings are not proof that you’ve failed. They are invitations. They are doorways. They are transitions into something that is waiting to come alive within you. And if you’re in a season of renewal, nurture it. Grow slowly. Take your time. Life doesn’t rush, and neither should you. You are allowed to begin again—today, tomorrow, and as many times as you need. Every new beginning is a quiet miracle. And one day, when you look back, you’ll see it clearly: You didn’t break. You transformed. You moved—from death into life.
By Abid Ali6 days ago in Fiction
Barstow: The Art of Looking Away
Barstow, California was the kind of place where even the breeze felt like giving up. The air smelled like nothing. Barstow was dry air, hot wind, and dust that stuck to your skin. People said you got used to it. They said everything here was something you got used to.
By Sara Wilson6 days ago in Fiction