Short Story

By Madelynn Ramm As the trees swayed in the wind and the birds flew through the shadows, a small fawn started to yawn. Lifting its still heavy head from the comfort of its folded legs, the fawn surveyed its surroundings. A peaceful sunrise peered over the mountains. It welcomed the deer as it woke, beckoning it to enjoy today’s gift of sun and life.  Standing up, the fawn searched for its mother. Finding her near, by a tree the fawn nudged its mother with its nose, mother wak

By Penny Gurner The street art paints a raven, I know that, but I can’t see it from here – just a blast of colour broken up by rusting autumn leaves. A stranger once told me Ravens represent the past, present, and future colliding in the moment you’re experiencing; the hologram unfolding. I look at the colours through tears as another relationship faces a reckoning.  He caught my eye, just as “the Old Fairy” had with her snake-green eyes, “Pork Chop” the sex worker, and Cleop

By Emily Blanco After her parent’s recent announcement, the spirited princess Harriet receives harsh backlash.Now forced to make a life changing decision that could cost her very life. As the threats worse throughout time, a familiar dark and mystical stranger walks into her life. Time after time, Harriet was still in the same mess as before. As the only daughter of King Edward, who refused another successor to the throne, she was deemed illegitimate by the public, only star

By Emily Blanco The air was cold and heavy with silence so complete it felt intentional, as though the world was holding its breath for him in anticipation. Their lessons carved deep and fading, the stones stood before him like Silent scholars who offered more patience and comfort than the living ever had. He’d written hundreds of pages on human virtue and morality as it seemed, yet none on forgiveness of the soul, convinced himself that morality could be measured in words. N

By Melisande Corlett They tell me the pen is stronger than the sword, so here I am writing in pursuit of justice, with expectations of change. But as my hands grow weak from expressing the constant thoughts that transfer from my mind I seem to be running out of things to say. The ink in my pen is filled with the black blood of those tragically slain by pale faces and the ink in my pen is down to its last drop. Please don’t misinterpret my previous statement, it's just that we

By Maggie Jones You should know by the name of this tale that it will be one of woe, so when I tell you the name of the town we will be staying in for the duration, do not get your hopes up. The town of Fairview was established in the early 1900s by a Nazi War Criminal who escaped Europe in the early 1940s before the fall of the Third Reich. This man had no sense of stability or structure, no sense of business, and the people who came in after him did naught to improve the to

By Cal Burgess "What's good /lit/ bros?" says the man as he meanders through the pine forest, pushing past his intricately hung display of bird feeders, "I got a reply to post because I got a comment from Javier today." He strolls past a boulder and his tarp-roofed cabin, staring into the camera, selecting his words as carefully as he can. "Well, I've replied to a lot of comments so far, you guys just don't know because I haven't uploaded 'em yet, but uh, Javier said somethin

By Cal Burgess Hey, so you’re probably wondering– “what the fuck?!!” Hear me out, this was a complex decision, and to be honest it was a joyride above all else.  The transcendental experience is as mystifying as it is hard to obtain. I’ve been searching for it for a long time– that sensation of euphoria and feeling as though everything is as it should be. The transcendental experience is about feeling connected to the world around you in a way that goes beyond the physical pl

By Zoe Parra Érase una vez una niña y su familia que vivían en una ciudad tan bella que causaba placer. La ciudad de los tulipanes. Una ciudad que albergaba a tantas personas como paisajes. Una ciudad llena de color, luz, felicidad. Una ciudad llena de paz hasta que inició la guerra. La familia y la niña intentaban vivir de lo más normal que podían, aún teniendo tantas restricciones. Podían salir, caminar, reír y sonreír, pero no podían ser vistos como personas normales. Tení

By Zoe Parra Me desperté por fin de aquel sueño tan colorido y alegre. Desperté y al abrir los ojos me encontré con condiciones totalmente diferentes. Vestía una pijama colorida, sí, pero a mi alrededor no había más que madera vieja y más personas vestidas como yo. Me levanté y caminé por el pasillo macabro y abrí la puerta. Vi el jardín lleno de césped verde que se extendía tanto que no alcanzaba a ver el final. Iba incluso más allá que los grandes muros llenos de flores con

By Kapil Chugh इस साल बारिशें ज़्यादा देर तक हुई है। शायद इंद्र देवता पिछले सालों की बारिशों की भरपाई करना चाहते थे। आज सुबह भी, जब मैं कॉलेज जा रहा था, तभी बारिश शुरू हो गई। अचानक हुई बौछारें किसी बादल के फटने से कम नहीं थीं और मुझे अपनी बाइक रोककर पास के बस क्यू-शेल्टर में शरण लेनी पड़ी। मेरे जैसे कई ऑफिस जाने वाले लोग राहत पाने के लिए  वहां` अंदर दुबक गए। बारिश में दोपहिया वाहनों वाले लोगों के पास कोई विकल्प नहीं बचता। यात्रियों के लिए बनी छोटी सी जगह मुझे 'गोवर्धन पर्वत'

By Aakarsh Sharma They met on a bench that had forgotten most of city’s worry . A pigeon argued with a sugar wrapper , and the sun arranged itself into a polite half-apology across pavement .  One of the two friends called Ariv held his palm out like a small shrine , tracing the rim of a healed cut as if it were a map . The other , Veer , leaned back with his hands sunk into his pocket , a grin balanced somewhere between kindness and mischief . “I got this wound while doing t

By Dr. Nandhini A P The bond between us was a word of mouth, could never be learnt from textbooks or taught by tradition—it was felt, deeply in the heart, from the very first time his tiny fingers curled around mine. It was a feel of head over heels. That moment, I wasn’t just a woman with responsibilities—I became Athai (Aunty, Father’s own sister). Not by obligation, but by a legacy I stubbornly, lovingly, claimed. The relationship could be as old as the hills but this real

By Naina Mishra The heavens were in great joy when the empress bore two children: a daughter named Yin and a son named Kang.Yin was as beautiful as the starry sky, gentle yet powerful, her presence so pure that even withered flowers bloomed in her wake. Kang was born at dawn, fierce and proud, destined to rule the heavens — or so everyone believed. But Yin’s birth carried a secret. She was illegitimate, the daughter of the Emperor and another woman. Her adoptive mother despis

By Naina Mishra It was Amavasya, the night without a moon. Darkness pressed down like a living thing. Three children huddled together, hearts pounding, when a shadow emerged — a vengeful spirit, moving with silent fury.The eldest, Rushil, stepped forward. His voice trembled, “Mom… it was me. Please… don’t hurt them. They were too young… forgive us…”The spirit tilted her head slowly, eyes glowing with a cruel, unyielding light. Rage had consumed her. Love no longer existed in

By Naina Mishra (The sky glows dimly. Lu folds laundry while coughing softly into a handkerchief. Yin storms in, face dark with confusion.) Yin  – (angry) Sister, why is the heavenly emperor bringing another lady in place of our mom? Lu  – (gently, hiding her cough) Yin, I know you aren’t happy about it, but don’t show it on your face on his wedding day. It’s going to be a special day for him. Yin  – (snaps) I don’t care, ok? How could you even accept another lady as your mom

By Kalpana Rangan Three days had passed since she heard the news and today everything was over. "Is it Mrs. Arun Raman speaking?" the caller had asked. It was quarter to twelve in the night. Why this call at such a time? Slowly and haltingly she answered. "Yes, --- I am Soumya Arun." "Ma-am, sorry to disturb you at this time of the night. But --- we had to give the news. Your husband met with an accident. It was a head on collision. He was rushed to the hospital but --- they

By Diya Amy Shayin It’s been two days since the year started. Ma already left for work. It was much better during the holidays. I closed the door and left for school. While walking to the bus stop, I noticed that the neighbors had already left which means I’m late again. Oh! That’s new. There’s a girl standing in the bus stop. She seems to be a little older than me. I went and stood beside her. Should I ask her something? Is she new here? “Hello?” I asked, hoping to know more

By Meghaa Mundhra I heard the knock on the door and opened it to find him standing there, drenched in rain, holding a single red rose for me. His eyes, deep and sincere, met mine, speaking volumes in silence. Without a word, he gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending shivers down my spine. The world around us faded as he whispered, "I've loved you in a thousand lifetimes, and in each, I find my way back to you".I smiled, my heart racing, knowing that i

By Vagdha S He was there again.  He was burying something again. Maybe trash−maybe not. Every single day I find him here, busy like this. He acts normal at work but here, he’s like a total psychopath. Whenever I return home, he is burying something that I don’t even want to know. Because it’s safer to not get involved. I observed him closely today. I’m now completely sure that it was not trash.  Trash doesn’t have a head, two hands and legs, and blood. I couldn’t help but sta