Crimson Blades
**DISCLAIMER. THIS STORY CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND ELEMENTS OF CHILD ABUSE.** The stench of blood and iron sat in the air. As Kojiro passed through the slaughtered village,…[...]
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Chocolate- Mint Whiskream
Do not make a sound. I successfully stifle the sneeze but not the tears. They well up in my eyes when the sneeze is forced upwards instead of outwards in…[...]
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The Blue Wall of China
South of Yanshan, between Beijing and Chengde, the Great Wall of China runs through the North China Plain. What few people know is that between a crook in a river…[...]
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Harajuku 2026
It’s raining children and their lifeless bodies pile up on the side of the road. That’s the horrifying vision I see as I walk home along the tree-lined, majestic boulevard…[...]
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THE DAY THE LIGHT WENT OUT
THE DAY THE LIGHT WENT OUT The wind; it has always been the wind. His one, true companion throughout his sixty years of life. He knew it as it knew…[...]
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Bagong Taon (New Year)
December 27th, 1:09 PMWind PaperThe spirit of the windguides a piece ofpaper softly to awindow sill,where I am sitting.I feel the smoothlines in the paper,as though it hadbeen crumpledup several…[...]
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Sticks and Twine
It was a balmy midmorning on the cusp of spring and summer, the air smelling of magnolia wood and blooming jasmine, and Yelena was sweating. Her pale arms were starting…[...]
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A Silent Intelligencer
"Cheat, steal, lie but don't get caught doing it." Is what my instructor always told me. In this industry, you have to do whatever it takes to survive and get…[...]
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The Red Mirror Project
Elena waited anxiously at the meeting point in front of the Yuantong Temple gate. Standing outdoors on the high plateau that Kunming is situated on, the refreshing coolness of the…[...]
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Kage’s Creation
Before the first drops of rain fell upon the soils of the world, and even longer still before the wars of heaven and gods, there was the eternal darkness we…[...]
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The Resurrection of JD
It has been almost three years since his mom passed away. Two and a half since the miscarriage. And two since the separation. If the miscarried baby were a girl, it…[...]
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and lower your head
"...and lower your head." You tilt your head instead. After all, she isn't talking to you. You gaze over at the two kneeling strangers. Their heads are indeed lowered and…[...]
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The Coach Crash
You are on a coach when the news about the crash pops up on your phone. 25 dead. 20 injured. You wonder if you could have been among the dead, or luckily,…[...]
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Five Stages In Hong Kong
DenialJune 1997 Raymond Mok’s parents believed the world was ending when the Chinese flag was raised over Hong Kong in 1997. Friends had fled to Vancouver, but the possibility of leaving…[...]
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Sila-pattikaram – (“The story of the anklet”)
Sila-pattikaram ("The story of the anklet") I recently read an English translation of the above Tamil epic purported to be written in 1 CE . This epic relates the revenge…[...]
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The Phoenix Tea
The sound of rain hitting the tent perfectly mirrored the mood of a dejected-looking woman sitting inside it. It vibrated on the tent’s plastic material, mixing with the chatter and…[...]
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Phoenix on wheels
We put in blood, sweat, and tears for you to just give up now! It’s not about losing the match. You know I’ve never liked tennis! I muttered. So what…[...]
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In The Snow.
Suzuharu Yuto (スズハル ユウト), at 27 years old, was a man steeped in tradition, a vestige of a bygone era. With raven-black hair and a countenance that mirrored the classic…[...]
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The Real Illness
He lay inside the pink mosquito net on a rickety bed near the window, pale and thin. He would turn over to the window to welcome the new day. He…[...]
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The girl from yesterday
Every year, in the third month of the Lunar year, Vietnamese flock to cemeteries in the occasion called “Thanh minh” period. Seldom do they leave modern life for traditional values…[...]
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Punchy Nirvana Under The Tree
A Punchy Biography. ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Once upon a time, in a little kingdom somewhere between the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers, I was born. Siddhartha Gautama, they called me. Yeah, I…[...]
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A Lesson in Dreaming
Shen had never fought so hard in his life. His legs quivered, and his arms barely held themselves up, much less his wooden training sword. His teacher, Master Fukuhashi, stood…[...]
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Running Away?
Running Away? Grace let out a sigh as she prepared. One may be tempted to ask what she was preparing for. The answer to that was a little more complicated…[...]
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Five Minutes
Higher and higher. Numbers are climbing up the scale. Almost every minute that goes by, another number increases. One minute, the radio read 36.9℃, the next it read 38.3℃, and…[...]
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Welcome home
“Just landed，didn’t take much time at the customs today since I was drown in the crowd there last time. Anyways，waiting for my Grab now，miss the heat so much！” Jadex walks…[...]
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Call of the storm
Rain streaks down the hospital window, fogging up the city beyond it. The blurry neon signs appear like a hallucination. He scrolls through the weather forecasts for the upcoming months.…[...]
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Merlion Dreams
31st of AprilToday is April 31. I still can’t believe it! They really changed the dates. But if you think about it, it makes so much sense. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime…[...]
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Lingering Haze
Sensitive content: Organized crime “The cured water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant radioactive reactors meets the safety standards and has been released…”I turn off the TV immediately. I…[...]
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Operation: Lunch Break Hostage
I’ve been going to this place for a while now. These ladies are telling me to “choose the work I like” and always stopping me from doing the fun stuff.…[...]
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The Woman Who Wouldn’t Sign Her Name
The Woman Who Wouldn’t Sign Her Name The first time my mother said it, I thought she was joking.“That’s not mine.”She held the pages the way you hold something you…[...]
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The Kiss of the Cherry Blossom Petals
3 months, 6 days and 12 hours. That's how long it's been since I heard her voice beckoning me to hold her, when the world felt dark. To hold her,…[...]
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Paper Wings
Ren commands the paper into intricate folds. The amber sunlight streaking through the window by his desk illuminates the softness of his dark eyes. Serious. Meticulous. Inspired. His collection of…[...]
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Where the Sun Goes to Hide
"Tell me a secret, Beni."Beni only half-noticed what had been said to him. His mind was caught elsewhere, somewhere scarlet and bloated. He glanced across at Aminata, and the departing…[...]
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Onogoroshima
From treasured annals of the Kojiki, to the hallowed tales of the Nihon Shoki, on an island named Onogoro far from the lands of the rising sun, where the whipping…[...]
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Snow at the Yalu
Soldiers waited along the Yalu River, expecting an announcement from President Truman or General MacArthur at any time about their total victory in Korea. The Yalu was beautiful, but it…[...]
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The Candidates
Dowager Empress Xiao adjusted herself in her seat and without asking, her head lady-in-waiting repositioned her headdress to give it better stay on her thinning hair. “Thank you, Lingli.” Her…[...]
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Joss paper and jade
The rows of washed-out pink chairs were mostly occupied. The hot humid air filled with traces of incense, burned paper and disinfectant. Ghost Month didn’t make it easier to breathe…[...]
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As The Tea Brews
It is an early fall morning. The air is starting to crisp as the wind blows cool. Leaves from the bamboo thicket begin to find a home in a clearing.…[...]
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Water Freezes at 150mph
Water Freezes at 150mphby Kenneth Bryan VillagonezaLiving almost my whole life as an orphan, I am fascinated watching how family’s bond get so strong. How sometimes they bicker on simple…[...]
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Whiskers in the Wind
It had been three days since Ojisan passed. Legs curled, proper and quiet against the shuttered rooftops. Sora couldn’t bring himself to leave. If he sat still enough, the morning…[...]
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Anand’s Lamp
Anand knew the snake wanted to eat him, even if his mother said it only ate the cats and dogs scurrying over the trash pile. Anand held up one open hand, and…[...]
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Autumn Rain
Trigger warning: Talk of self-harm and suicideHave you ever had this feeling? Like you’re a helium balloon with your string cut. A rotting piece of wood adrift in the vast…[...]
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28 Letters
A gem can not be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Sejong swept his books off the shelf. Rain pelted the world outside. The king opened one of…[...]
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buried in saipan
There are still rusted bayonets to be found in the dirt. Alongside broken firearms, canteens, and bullet-struck helmets. At times, still attached to skeletons. The deep-sea team would occasionally find…[...]
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I Must Live
The rabbit burst from the undergrowth in a spray of snow.The fox followed.The forest raced past in flashes of grey trunks and white earth. The rabbit darted beneath fallen branches,…[...]
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The Most Important Person in Bluff-by-Sea
When Mellene Whump was 12 years old, she told a teacher how the town of Bluff-by-Sea could improve access to its harbor. She had noticed ships often had to do…[...]
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The Devils Meet at High Noon
The woman rode toward the town on a white horse. She came from the desert. She rode alone except for the horse. And as she rode into town, the Lord…[...]
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The Princess Who Wouldn’t Kiss the Frog
By the time Florian lowered himself into Princess Amelia’s teacup, he had already tried everything.He had waited on lily pads, hoping she was one of those girls who believed in…[...]
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Dead Man’s Hand
I consider myself a purveyor of hard-to-find goods. I roam from village to town scouring for specific items for my clients. When I find an untold treasure, I liberate it…[...]
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My Memories of Lives: A Hennoire
My Memories of Lives: A Hennoire Part 1: Houston FloodsThe water is seeping in. I am starting fights with my brethren of cages so they don’t lose their spirit. We…[...]
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The Purger
‘A man can lose himself entirely in the darkness,’ my master tells me as we pass the cells and interrogation chambers on the first level of Stonehaven Keep’s dungeons. It…[...]
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My Dear Grigor
Lord Vamperio defeated yet another slayer and basked in the glory of his stake-snapping and garlic-crushing bloodshed for five minutes, monologuing on and on as his golden locks swayed like…[...]
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Gone ‘Squatchin’
Today we’re going on a hike, something I REALLY dig. We’ve made the long journey, been buckled-in and on the road for hours. To top it off, it rained the…[...]
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The Last Vampire
A war that ravaged the land like a hungry mouth laid upon its first meal in a century. It was won by a miracle only. Humans lived on without the…[...]
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The Price of Prosperity
At the edge of an ancient, dark, misty forest sat the village of Isanthan. It was not a small village, nor a sprawling city, but just large enough to be…[...]
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Midnight Oil
A holoscreen shed a pale light on Kori’s eyes, burning the edges. She rubbed tears away and concentrated, but the image still buzzed. She stood and her legs went stiff,…[...]
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Rik’s Burning Desire
Deljon Gint hated it when his boss started in on "mentorin'". Deljon wasn't sure what the word meant, but he thought it must at least partly mean "more work". "OK,…[...]
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Grimoire Mishaps at the Library of Baba Yaga
Rule #438 of the Library of Baba Yaga: Damaged books will be finedHecate, grant me peace. Aradia clasped her pendant, running her thumb over the serpent’s ridges, as she gingerly…[...]
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Sector Eleven
The farmhouse had served as a battalion post for three days before it was abandoned; whoever left did so in haste. A half-eaten meal of sausages and cheese remained on…[...]
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Elevator Operator
Ever since they could remember, best buds Jes and Daniel had the cliché dream to hop in their car with a single suitcase directly after high-school graduation and move to…[...]
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The Paperweight Library
Mavis was now in her second year of retirement. Most days, she found things to do, but to be honest, she felt bored. Money was tight; it always had been.…[...]
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The Little Bear
My parents loved me. I knew they did. However, in their quest to remain young and relevant, they failed spectacularly to embrace that I would, inevitably, grow older. At some…[...]
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Blackberrying
The two cloaked sisters entered the greyscale forest. To E, the youngest, it was just the forest. A world without colour was all she had ever known. A was just…[...]
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Green With Envy: The Turning of a Friendship
“Grover?” I asked, looking at my friend and noticing how content he looked lounging from under our favorite willow, his arms crossed behind his head.“You know I hate that nickname,…[...]
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End of Bouncy Pink Life
End of Bouncy Pink Life By Will Willoughby Once upon a time, two bouncy boy toys lived a wonderful life on the shady porch of a sunny house facing a…[...]
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Tastes Like Yellow
The summer sunshine flooding Liam Lambert’s bright yellow kitchen perfectly suited the fragrance of his special lemon-infused cookies, fresh out of the oven. Even so, Liam was feeling anything but…[...]
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How Long Is Forever?
"How far away are the stars?" Daphne gazed into the dark sky and wondered aloud. It was a perfectly clear night in August, two weeks left of summer vacation. Her…[...]
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Darkest Before Dawn
“Hey Bill, better wake up Tommy. My paper’s not here.” “Morning Pat, he’s out there, probably goofing around. Don’t worry, you’ll get your paper.” “Sounds good, thanks.” A few bites…[...]
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The Purple, Yellow and Orange of my Stevie…
CW: Grief On April 10, my sister Jennifer's birthday, she picked up Stevie's ashes from the funeral home in Albany and brought them to us. It was so emotional and…[...]
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the ground beneath me
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, but I never went straight home. I always went to the park behind the school, a small place not many…[...]
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Dug the Demon Poet
This is the guy I’m supposed to possess, I confirm as I look at my fact sheet. Dwayne Gary, age 33, single, waiter at Chili’s. He sounds incredibly boring. One…[...]
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Imishi and Khapur
Long ago, two mountains stood facing one another across a wide valley. They were vast and ancient, and their names were Imishi and Khapur. It was the wind that named…[...]
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Bottom Feeder
The tidepool where Ane Anemone lived was as beautiful and peaceful an environment as any anemone could imagine. It was her paradise. Cool, shimmering currents of water flowed over her…[...]
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Where Forgotten Things Go
“Can we go home now? We’ve been out here for hours.” Nancy whined, stabbing her shovel into the dirt. Despite her lack of tact, she was right; we’d been digging…[...]
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Foley’s Follies
Pre-AI-flashes of light emanate from the half dozen compact discs suspended by ribbons of multiple lengths and colors hanging from different branches of the venerable pepper tree in front of…[...]
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The Last Honest Thing
The room was always loudest in the beginning—laughter erupting, voices carrying, the sound of shoes meeting the floor. Each Tally in the room belonged to someone. A human, somewhere out…[...]
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The word nobody warned me about
The Word Nobody Warned Me AboutPeople talk about grief like it is the monster.They say it gently, with soft eyes and careful voices.“You’re grieving.”“You’re still grieving.”“Grief takes time.”And they are…[...]
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Foley’s Follies
Pre-AI-flashes of light emanate from the half dozen compact discs suspended by ribbons of multiple lengths and colors hanging from different branches of the venerable pepper tree in front of…[...]
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Holiday Lunch Club
Holiday Lunch Club I met Bernadette at a monitor academy. Monitors are probation officers who get DUI and DWI cases. She was very attractive (She reminded me of Kate Hudson,…[...]
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The Olive Tree
The elders whispered of a beginning that had been beautiful. They called our grove a hidden paradise, where animals and humans roamed in harmony. A place where gentle streams of…[...]
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Connection
I was simply ‘grass,’ and my friends were just ‘trees’—no personal names, no distinctions. We natural things have to take what’s given to us; no questions asked. There was no…[...]
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Old Friend
That smile, genuine and innocent, it matches the sparkle in the light brown eyes with a silent tear resting on her edges. A light touch on the arm to enhance…[...]
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Second Chance
Trigger Warning: Mentions of neglect, substance abuse, abuse and abandonmentAsh was your regular college school student, he had decent grades, he had a few friends and as well had a…[...]
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Thalion Silver
Marcus sat at the edge of his mother’s bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. At age fifty-three, he carried more of it than he’d like. The cardboard box in…[...]
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Still Waiting
The therapist’s office smelled faintly of coffee and lavender, and somewhere behind me, a clock ticked steadily against the silence, each second feeling louder than my own breathing. “When was…[...]
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