Tag: Short Fiction

All Stories, Fantasy, General Fiction

The Empathy Solution by David Henson

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A brawl erupts at the supermarket checkout when somebody cuts in line. You’d think people would be used to it. Such behavior is practically a sport these days — along with running red lights, talking on the phone in restaurants and theaters, coughing and sneezing with uncovered mouths.  Besides, there are worse things. Smash and grabs. Carjackings. Fraud. Embezzlement. Insider training.

Most people aren’t crooks, but jerks are common as cruel memes. The so-called experts say people no longer believe social norms apply because they have no empathy.

It tempts me to become a recluse like my brother.


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All Stories, General Fiction

Nicky by Graham Mort

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She’s there, behind the bar as I walk in. Immaculate white blouse, tucked into a pair of faded jeans. 501’s. Belt buckle tight at the waist. Blonde highlights in a short bob, cut into the neck. Silver ear studs. Big white teeth as she greets me.

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All Stories, Fantasy, Short Fiction

The Last Horologist by Arthur Davis

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I am a horologist.

Secreting myself in this mid-American city of lost souls, I specialize in the art and science of timekeeping. I have been at my craft for more than a century.

The filth in the street, horses and their droppings that smear the city in a perpetual stink, damnable new cars and incessant street noise have become unbearable, as has the lack of civility and morality. Men in terrible pain limp along the streets only able to stand with crutches, leg braces, and wooden limbs. They are the fortunate ones who survived the war.

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Literally Reruns, Short Fiction

Literally Reruns – Troublemaker by Cathy Adams

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Reach a certain age and you become invisible. As I write this I’m sixty-four and have been invisible for a long time. That appeals to me, but the opinion is not universal. There’s something terrible in the human mind that needs to vanish before we can evolve into something better. The sense of tribalism that extends through race, gender and age. I become angry with humor pointed at age, not so much because of my own, but from the cruelty of it. Never punch anyone who may not be in the shape to hit back. Only cowards do stuff like that. Young versus Old is preposterous. It’s like punching yourself in the face.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Scarf in the Dark by Crockett Doob

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My doorknob is low. The door is regular-sized, just upside down. But I know that can’t be true because the windows are up top. So my new theory has been that the door was sawed off, like a shotgun. The point is my doorknob is lower than most and is demonstrative of what’s inside: a very small apartment. Or, as I like to call it, “My hallway by the sea.” Because I live in a beach town.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Lanternalia by Will Pinhey

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(Adult content refer to tags on the bottom of the page)

“You’re allergic,” Paulie tells me, running his finger around the braised red skin up my neck. “This happened before, and it’s worse this time.”

I turn back to the mirror, pulling my collar down further, straining to follow the inflamed trail that encircles my throat.

“Allergic to what?” I ask. “The ink?”

“Probably. It happens. More common with red than black, but still.”

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All Stories, General Fiction

Scholars of the Rocks by Yoon Chung

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Seo-woo lay flat on the floor of the shrine. He didn’t know what the g(x) was for equations f(x)=7-4x and f(g(x))=-1. He didn’t really want to because it was only fifteen minutes away from twelve. The four of them were supposed to arrive by noon. Pillowing his head on the book, he went to check their group chat for the fifth time in five minutes. It was quiet, which was good—no one was flaking. He was about to ask where they were staying again when he stopped himself. He’d already asked twice. They had chosen a cheap motel in the fishing village a few kilometers away from his place. They could have stayed at his temple, and he’d said as much, but they were determined not to bother his mom or the visitors.

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All Stories, Horror

The Monster And The Boy by Jaime Gill 

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Today, the monster steps into the world. Today, unhooded, he is seen.

He has done this for many years now, ever since he began to understand the possibilities Halloween offers him. For one night, the town is transformed, becomes a wonderland of the ghoulish and grotesque. A town made for him.

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Latest News, Short Fiction

Week 483 – Also, A Chinese Meal, Get Your Babies Kissed And, Yes, I know It’s A Life-Choice.

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Here we are at Saturdays Posting number 483!

Something has came up this week that we want to share.

Before I start explaining, I must say that none of our writers have done anything wrong. We are in no way criticising.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Pink Tongue Flailing by Dana Rollins

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The chemistry of life in an era of endless miracles can be deceptively corrosive. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Like putting a hen’s egg in vinegar, it reveals the soft, internal wonders of the world—the things we’re so prone to build shells and containers around. Living in this era of endless miracles does, however, require special handling and some degree of caution. It often demands we abandon our reliance on the element of reason. Just as you should never mix vinegar with bleach, parsing miracles with reason and rationality can blister your lungs and blind you where you stand.

A magician taught me this.

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