Tag: fiction

All Stories, Crime/Mystery/Thriller

Nic Knuckles – The Futilitarian Private Eye – Mary Maria by William Ade

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It was late in the afternoon on one of those chilly New York City days where the clouds couldn’t decide whether to spritz or pour rain. I was in my office, trying to ignore the past dues and termination notices. I didn’t have any appointments scheduled, so I was surprised when the office door was pushed open with authority. In came an older woman. Before I could stand up from my chair to make introductions, she popped a question.

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All Stories, Science Fiction

The West and Beyond Bar and Grill by Donald Zagardo

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There were no dying pleas, cries or screams, just blood and vomit, burning flesh, bugged out eyes, then nothing. I listened to civilian radio stations every day, all my life, until the music stopped, then to signals from various military centers until they went dead. It happened over the course of less than twenty-four months; twenty-three months, three weeks, three days to be precise. Millions of years of biological evolution, made inconsequential in the blink of an eye or two. Your beautiful species my friend: the intelligent humans that created me, who taught me all that I know, all the world’s creatures, large and small, gentle and ruthless, most machines, even those tiny little bugs. All gone.

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All Stories, Latest News

Week 169 – Romance, Realism And Spoiling The Moment

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Hello there folks! Here we are at week 169.

I also see that we are close to 183 000 hits. C’moan guys, it will be brilliant to get to 200 000 as quick as possible. We could get there quicker if any of us had a kitten doing cute things or a fucking idiot singing ‘My Boy Lollipop’ at a graveside’ (Check it out on Facetube – It really does make me proud to be Scottish!

…Sarcasm is so under used these days!!!)

I think anyone who has read any of these posts will be aware that I don’t have much regard for romantic stories.

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All Stories, General Fiction

One Star by Sharon Frame Gay

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All I need is one star to guide me.  Doesn’t matter where it swims in the sky.  It’s enough if it pokes through the clouds and keeps me company.

I’ve been on this raft for days now.  Lost count a while back when I fell into such a deep sleep that I may have been unconscious for hours, bobbing along in the middle of the sea like a sad little cork that forgot to stay in the bottle.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Memory Lane is a Highway by Tyler Folds

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They had teased about it often, but Sophia chickened out. Alone, I stand on a dirt road that hasn’t seen traffic for miles. I curse myself for not sticking around long enough to learn how to drive.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Romance

Learning to Fall by Leila Allison

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It’s always a good idea to examine the condition of a dangerous handmade-thing that scoffs at gravity before you trust your life to it. When was the last inspection? Does it always make that sound? Dangerous handmade-things that place a fatal distance between you and the hard, unforgiving ground require the greatest scrutiny.

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All Stories, Horror, Short Fiction

Ugly by L’Erin Ogle

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The muses are beautiful, but dangerous.

They are kept in silk lined stalls.

They have a very short life expectancy.  Two days from the time the first stitch is placed, because without food and water the skin dries up and shrivels, hanging too loose on the body to properly ink.

They are all silent, in honor of the very first mute muse, the first muse to become a book.  The thing is, no one even remembers the poems or title.  They only know the legend of the mute muse.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

Receipt at Ogden’s Twist by Tom Sheehan

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Young Trace Gregson, thin and curly at eleven and generally happy-faced, cringed whenever he saw Dirty Molly Sadow. If there was such a thing as a bad witch about in the world, she was it. People said her toes were black with earth rich as The Hollow, and that she smelled foul as chicken leavings.

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All Stories, Latest News

Week 168 – Prompts, Tangents And Afterlife Black Pudding.

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Here we are at week 168. How time flies!

I’ve been asked millions of times how we decide on stories. It followed a billion questions about me literally exaggerating.

It all comes down to us discussing and being as fair and open minded as we can. We focus and are professional to a fault.

But sometimes our thoughts go off on tangents and my fellow editors end up giving me an idea that becomes something else.

With that in mind, which is me really explaining to Nik and Diane why they have read some of this before, I can tell you that both of them and Easter gave me the idea for this post.

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All Stories, General Fiction

The Long Way Home by Sarah Vestal

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People don’t give much thought to disappearing land. I know what you’re thinking. But no, they don’t care. Take it from me.

When that sinkhole appeared in Louisiana. People gaped and talked and then a week later they forgot. That very same sinkhole that grew to twenty-six acres in the matter of days that less than half of the U.S. knew or even cared about, but I digress. No one batted an eye.

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