Adventure

The Frog Pond
Don't all stories start with Once Upon a Time? We always point to fairy tales, or fantastical stories, or outright bald-faced lies as Once Upon a Time. But all of our lives are one whole story, broken into readable bits by time. We think fairy tales should have a parable, or even a proverb, at the middle. Like it's some kind of speakable pearl.
By Meredith Harmon5 years ago in Fiction
Sector 9-11
When I dream of my perfect life—the ideal one that only ever exists in my imagination—I envision endless light. The UV rays from the sun beam down on me from above. They envelop every inch of my skin exposed. In this dream, I exist no further than as a houseplant albeit with more complicated emotions. My skin cells photosynthesize the energy into nutrients to support the growth of my limbs as I stretch up and out to reach into the sky. Only once I have made it up into the clouds do I reach transcendence: pure Nirvana. Given this ideality, I can only hope that how I exist in present is as a seedling: expanding and strengthening my roots. The water that stimulates my growth soaks into the soil, my home, and fills me up from the inside. Nourishing me. The darkness that surrounds me exists only temporarily as I gain the resilience to sprout—to thrive—above ground.
By Christine C5 years ago in Fiction
Asher Wells
It's just too perfect, Asher thought, as he smiled with a sinister grin. He stood on a rooftop of an abandoned apartment building overlooking the city. However, his focus was an empty warehouse just across the street from where he stood. Asher knew something of value rested inside that warehouse. So much so that he scaled every inch of the building for weeks. Asher knew every detail associated with the outside of the building. He formulated a well-laid plan to break into the building and steal whatever was inside.
By Josh Lea5 years ago in Fiction
Guerilla
Guerilla “Everybody uses you in one way or another.” This was the stench of sheer unadulterated warfare. Bodies of dead rebels and soldiers littered the battlefield. The aura of this place intrigued me.. Even though I had been groomed since I was a child. This experience was all too real… There were no training dummies or drills taking place, no generals or lieutenants howling down on young reluctant rebels . I couldn’t believe my eyes… I wasn’t ready for this type of scenario… sure we always had prepared for this day but this encounter was much more surreal... yet I was drawn to it, blood rushing , heart pulsating like never before while anxiety and fervor took hold of me violently. Before I realized I was already rushing into battle and losing myself within my own compulsiveness, Soon I had become the hero of the battlefield. Eyes fixated on the conqueror I had become. With each slash, stab, penetration I had begun to lose myself eventually into a dream I found to be pleasant. I wanted more , war cries became a melody, blood an exotic beauty, death as if it had been made just for me. That all too pleasant dream? A nightmare. Me a conqueror? Loser. Hero? Vigilante. I had lost myself in a battle and found myself in the abyss. Finally sentient and conscious when it was too late. I had not only killed our enemies… I had also killed my brethren as well. My friends, mentors, family. This truth I could not accept… rationalize… I’m not sure what happened after that. I awoke in a stranger's home “Guerilla” he called me.
By S.D. Martin5 years ago in Fiction
King of the World
Now available in print in Apocalyptales: Judgment Day, a collection of stories of the apocalypse. Listen to the recorded story on Spotify:
By Stephen A. Roddewig5 years ago in Fiction
Locket of the Sky
Search Party 22, entry #1, year 2072 The world is ending. The ground hasn’t stopped shaking and the sky has been filled with lightning and storms for years. It all started after the world came into existence, and the earth first moved, and the sky gave life breath. For eons, the living embodiment of the Earth, Gaia, and the embodiment of the sky, Uranus, loved each other with all their hearts. They created all life on the planet and ensured the survival of everything upon her body and in the heavens. The two were made for each other in every sense, but one day, Uranus’ eyes began to wonder on the women of the world, and Gaia felt betrayed at his actions. The very first storm was their first fight, and it raged for days as they shouted and fought over what Uranus had done. In the end, he apologized to his love for his mistake, and the storm finally subsided, but sadly, things did not end there.
By Erich Gaudet5 years ago in Fiction
Chaotic Neutral
Three days without a single bite of food. The sudden and intense sensation inside her belly made Leila burst into tears! She put her weeping face in her hands. She hates this. She hates all of this.
By Oswald Angulo5 years ago in Fiction
A Tale Tail Heart tale no.4
Raff was always as the French would call it, a “manquer.” It translates to a person who just misses in everything he does. He almost wins the gold, he almost makes a million dollars, he almost saves the day…almost almost. If truth be told, Raff isn’t entirely plagued by bad luck so much as self-sabotage. It has been a problem his whole life. When given the choice between the high road and the easy shot, he invariably errs on the side of unwisdom.
By CK Henson Hayes5 years ago in Fiction
Dynamic Theory
The traveler gazed upon the windy plains of High Man's Point. The playful hills seemed to form waves of Earth. The traveler removed his black ball cap and lowered it at his thigh. Over the face of the cap, read bright bold letters, 173rd Infantry Brigade. He combed back his silver hair, and his shades hid his eyes.
By Joe Joe5 years ago in Fiction
Casey’s Run
Sneakers pounding on pavement and their own harsh breathing was all Casey could hear as they darted between back alleys. They knew that they had been seen, and it only took a few minutes for The Rozzers to respond to a theft, especially if it was an outsider like Casey. The Elites didn’t care about what was being taken from them, just that what they had stolen from the people was being taken back. Casey didn’t regret it though, because being shot and killed was better than starving to death anyway, in their opinion. They had seen what wasting away does to people, what it did to their mom. The weight of the canned food in their backpack meant little if they could stave off the hunger for just a few more days.
By Adrian Perkins5 years ago in Fiction
Chaos Unknown
Destruction, chaos, madness, did I already mention the chaos? One could use those words to describe what happened to our world, you want to know what it is to me? A shit show of corpses, Twinkie boxes and broken-down cars that never made it out. If you were “lucky” enough to survive you’d know that walking down the street in an astronaut suit (Personal choice by the way, my six-year-old self always wanted to go into space but I didn’t think they would let a anxious six year old in.) stepping over bones of loved ones and wiping off my helmet every ten seconds because of the ash that was floating through the air was the American dream.
By Abby 5 years ago in Fiction
Unbound Dimensions
Josephine had never seen, tasted or smelled anything within her twenty rotations around their dying Star. How does a Synth explain sight to someone who doesn’t even comprehend color, thought Aiden.
By Ruxandra Ivascu5 years ago in Fiction