Short Story

By Varna Rajeshkannan The bog at Edward’s fingernails matched Morrigan’s feathers. He stood in Elmsworth Court gardens, wrist-deep in a rose bush, as if thorns could root him here. His tunic clung with morning dew and duty — and the quiet hunger of a man straining to belong. The king’s court whirled: dukes in velvet, servants darting like mice between pillars. Above, banners flared — reminders of bloodlines Edward didn’t share. He looked up just in time to see Morrigan slice

By Varna Rajeshkannan My eyes fluttered open. The twilight shined right through my square window. Judging by the light, it was 6 pm. I always woke up at this time, in this house  I groggily reached for my favourite gold-framed glasses on my bedside table. People told me that the gold frames brought the color of my eyes out. But I could never reply ‘thank you’ or smile. Slowly, I slid off the bed to open my window. I loved the feel when I let that sudden gust of autumn air cra

By Maeve Evans There is water all around me and I am drowning. It fills my mouth, floods my nose, pops my eardrums, and chokes my lungs into solid sponges. I cannot breathe. I struggle against an unforgiving current, grasping for purchase, but there's nothing there. I’m in a black pit of merciless water. It strangles me, tightening an unforgiving grip around my neck. I gasp, breathing in salt and pebbles. My lungs expand, filling with suffocating liquid.  I cannot breathe. Th

By Jessica Jacob Earth Had Forgotten How to Dream Earth had forgotten how to dream. Skyscrapers reached the clouds, but no one looked up anymore. Oceans were mapped, stars were cataloged, and imagination had been replaced by algorithms that calculated wonder out of existence. Humanity had conquered everything—except purpose. Among the last generation of dreamers was Céleste Lumin ,   a quiet architect who never built cities from stone or steel but from light and thought. Her

By Foo Yee Ching (Althea Reese) Chapter 1 Father Losing Consciousness Singapore, August 2021 For approximately a fortnight, Tang Ruiyan kept a watchful eye on her father with apprehension. His gait had become unsteady, his steps uncertain as he moved around in his home, a five-room flat on the third floor of a block in Serangoon, the north east region of Singapore. It was as if the floor beneath him had subtly shifted, and he might lose his balance at any time. She discerned

By Foo Yee Ching (Althea Reese) Chapter 1 At the Prime of His Life Tan Kok Liang was at the prime of his life. An avid sportsman, he was a lightweight boxing champion, a triathlete, a swimmer, a rock climber, and a mountain climber. He was the embodiment of strength, discipline, and promise.  He had undergone onerous training as a Commando during his National Service Days in Singapore, which put his physical and mental resilience through a crucible of fire via relentless and

By Foo Yee Ching (Althea Reese) Chapter 1 Graduation  Singapore, July 2012 Since young, her parents had ingrained in Sarah Tang the significance of a good education. It is a passport to a bright future, they say.  Like several others in her cohort, Sarah had undergone the necessary rite of passage; a year in nursery, two years in kindergarten, six years in primary school, four years in secondary school. She also enrolled in a junior college for two years, and undergraduate st

By Foo Yee Ching (Althea Reese) Chapter 1 My Maiden Encounter With a Piano Singapore, 1986 My mother pressed the alarm as we stood at the metal gate of her friend’s two-storey terrace house at Serangoon Garden one Saturday afternoon in June. My small hand nestled tightly in my mother’s other hand. The house stood before us, its white walls stark against the deep maroon roof. I felt a slight flutter of apprehension as the metal gate with ornate floral carvings creaked open, an

By Foo Yee Ching (Althea Reese) Chapter 1 A Storm Brewing Beneath the Scalp Singapore, 2004 On a Saturday evening, Fang Zhiyi, 24, eagerly awaited at the void deck of her Tampines block for her friend, Edwina Neo, 24, to pick her up. Zhiyi could hardly contain her excitement. They were heading to Pasir Ris beach.  A fair-complexioned woman with contemplative eyes, a sharp nose, a long fringe, shoulder-length hair about 1.56 metres tall, Zhiyi has loved beaches since she was y

By Zhou Wei Xian Every single day , Tom would come to work greeting the nearby security guard as usual . Tom was working in the freezer department of the company . One fine day everyone left , Tom did not realized and he was locked in the freezer department . the conditions was harsh and it seems he could not make it . This was when the security opened the freezer doors and found him lying cold . After much effort , he was rescued . Out of curiosity , Tom asked how did he kne

By Zhou Wei Xian A pair of children were playing along the rivers when they stumbled along some very nice marbles .Mary and Ali was astonished at the sight of the marbles but they had to leave , with them carrying some off .  Half way thru , they played a game , they had to share the marbles they came across along the river . Ali asked Mary to share what she had , Mary did so with hesitation while Mary asked Ali to share , Ali kept some , thinking Mary must have kept some for

By Zhou Wei Xian A pair of hikers went hiking on a snowy mountain , the weather was harsh , it was basically freezing . they stumbled across another hiker who was deeply injured .  One of them decide to leave him to be but the other one wanted to bring him down to the nearby aid at the bottom of the snowy mountain . After some squabbling , he was carried and to be brought down to the nearby aid but the journey was harsh .  Half way thru , the one who wanted to left him to be

By Zhou Wei Xian The local F & B biz is gone with a closure of 200+ food business shutting down monthly .  In 2024, a total of 3,047 F&B businesses shut down, the highest annual figure since 2005, according to data from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.  The spate of closures continued into the first quarter of 2025, with household brands such as Eggslut, Manhattan Fish Market and Burger & Lobster throwing in the towel . Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao also shu

By Drishti Dattatreya Rao Outside the ward, the hospital continued its quiet chaos – unaware that, inside one of its rooms, something had begun to change.  The nurse ran towards the front desk, narrowly avoiding a trolley of syringes and medicine. The receptionist looked up at the breathless nurse. “What seems to be the problem Linda? Do you need to call someone?” she asked, clueless about the scene that had taken place just before. “Call… Mrs. Rivera…” the nurse, Linda, said

By Drishti Dattatreya Rao Bright warm orange – the colour of my alarm. That’s the colour I wake up to.  I open my eyes. The silly tune no longer carries its silliness anymore. I turn off my alarm, stretch and get out of bed. It’s the daily routine. Brush teeth, get ready for school, and head to the kitchen for breakfast. It just repeats. Soft coral red – the colour of whispered arguments. Mom and Dad are fighting again. I tiptoe closer to their bedroom door. I could barely ma

By Cailin Powney Roses have thorns and so do I. But the beauty of those flowers’ contrasts with my ugly soul, giving them a pass when they hurt others. My words cut through others before I can comprehend the meaning of what I’ve said. They cut into me, jagged, like a shard of broken glass you stumble upon on the floor. When you pick a rose, you’re careful, you inspect every edge, avoid what might hurt you. When you pick me, it’s sudden and it hurts. I grasp onto your soul for

By Cailin Powney Sometimes, when I’m sad, I watch the sun. I watch her cover trees with her warmth, bringing colour into the world. I watch the way people’s smiles light up in her embrace, the golden glow reflecting in the sparkles of their eyes. I watch as she rises, her hypnotic flame igniting something inside of me, a drive, a purpose. I then watch as she sets, my hopes going with her. The moon wakes up, glistening in the sky, a beauty that some pause to appreciate. I find

By ChrisJenya I was 8 When I tried to restrict tears, it was a Sunday, and as usual, I was dressed in simplicity and sat next to my favorite person. Mary Auntie, both powerful through Christ and blessed with outstanding wisdom, stood next to me as tears freely flowed. I had felt the Holy Spirit like a bright light, a small sliver of a line connecting the-maybe 20 of us. It was like greeting a friend I had yet to name. I still felt moved and fell into a warm sort of comfortin

By ChrisJenya I loved her, I thought. She stood there, tall and proud, as this clarity broke into my mind. It crushes every sense I seem to have as nostalgia eats away my vision. I saw her 3 years ago. She was in a deep silver sweater, almost gray, maybe black. It was short; I remember her mother yelling at her about it. I don’t remember the pants. I only remember her face. I remember her smile, blurry but defined in the memory. A smile I could never forget in any lifetime. H

By Deborah Layton “I’m going to get my water bottle Mum.” She drops something on the ground, and runs into the house. What is this? It's so pretty, like the flowers I walk by every day. I slowly walk up onto the pretty thing. I sit and watch my friends walking around me.Our other friends flying overhead. The birds,the bees, the butterflies, and, yes, even those pesky flies. Suddenly, I am in the air, as the girl carries the pretty thing over her shoulder. “Hurry baby, or we’l