Romance Short Stories

1920

That was not a good idea. There are stones of gravel digging into my palms and a dog licking my face. I don’t know whether to be grateful that I’m…[...]

The embankment shouldn't have been there.Aleksei had worked this corridor twice before, checking survey markers for the pipeline company, and he knew the ground. Swamp to the north. Larch forest…[...]

Trace of Blood, Path of Time

The team of five archaeologists were making their way across the ruins of Dhanushkodi to find clues about the methods of construction of the legendary Ram Setu. Svetlana, the team…[...]

Swan’s Heist

No one was around to hear the loud pop before Agatha and Jane stepped out of the bathroom stall together. The date was November twenty-eight, nineteen sixty-six, and these two…[...]

Alone In The Depression

Sensitive Content: death, loss, poverty, illness, and grief Alone. They called it the Great Depression later on, but back then, we didn’t name it anything. It was just… the way…[...]

Henry The Navigator

LondonSeptember, 1939. The morning skies filled with the wailing cries of the lost, and Henry knew he would never find home again. Henry hated not knowing where he was. In…[...]

❄️Miss Holiday❄️

Coldness is an incurable sickness. The frozen rule set in my mind that I’m prohibited from standing too close to windows. With a perfect view and perfect shot, I could…[...]

There is a River in Space Above Earth

Laughter came from a little boy all the way down from faraway Japan. After that, there hadn’t been much left empty cities lie vacant, and the animals that scrape them…[...]

Teddy and the Tyrannosaur

Good sir, I must warn you that my services are costly, but your adventure will certainly stand the test of time. I will need a deposit and a binding guarantee…[...]

The Unsatisfied Time Traveller

I tried reasoning with the girl behind the counter, whose hair was the colour of pink sand, but she would not lower the price.“It’s already discounted,” she said, tapping her…[...]

The Time Traveling Kitchen

“This looks like a kitchen.. like a cooking show kitchen…” I say, surprised when the other tech showed me. “I know, its weird right? An alien, building a kitchen, an…[...]

The Very Tall Tales of Jim Bagly

Welcome to Milford, Tennessee set in the foothills of the idyllic Smokie Mountains. With a population of around six thousand. Most of the good citizens of Milford have roots that…[...]

Blossom of Hope

“Here you are, Miss Edwardson,” Mr. Chester’s solicitor declares as he drops the keys of Chester Manor into my outstretched hand. I breathe a sigh of relief. Chester Manor is…[...]

Applause

*Early teen pregnancy* “Put your hands together for Miss Incola Nullius!” Amans kissed her hand for all to see, and they bowed to the crowd's applause. It was a percussive…[...]

JUCHE

He had sworn it at fourteen, with his right hand raised higher than his eyes were allowed to wander.Not to the sky. Not to the birds. Not even to the…[...]

Garden Knight

Garden KnightNot all heroes carry swords—some carry watering cansThe wagon beneath Arken rattled over the ruts of the old road. But his mind was not on the road; it was…[...]

Diary of an Unknown Woman

{TW: Miscarriage, Sexual Violence, Physical Violence, Death} Sextilius 4 1634 We are starving. Johannes is sick, and he isn’t getting better. Fortunately, Jack is a skilled hunter who never misses…[...]

The Fairbanks Inheritance

Typed excerpts from the Diary of Audrey Fairbanks - 12 January, 1962Day four of the exhibition for my inheritance is going quite well. Since the ship has set sail for…[...]

Devotion

It is the day of the ceremony that will finally change my fate.The day I become Queen.The hall is long. Filled with red ribbons and people dressed in white. Their…[...]

A Grandad’s Confession To His Grandson, 1888, London, England

Here in my hand, lad, lies the letter of admission of my guilt for some very grave crimes that stumped law enforcement and scared the prostitutes of the impoverished White…[...]

I’m the Guy Who Rejected June McCarroll’s Proposal to Add White Lines in the Center of Roads to Stop People From Crashing Into Each Other All the Time

Based on the true story of June McCarroll. It may be hard to imagine now, but there was a time before lines were painted on the roads. A time when…[...]

One Was Left

Rural Minnesota, 1915 “Lottie!” My eyes snap open, heavy with exhaustion. It couldn’t be more than an hour since he summoned me last. If only I could sleep during the…[...]

How Sir Mordred Did Battle With the Knight of the Glade

When Mordred set off from Camelot (alone, as was the done thing), he had spared few words regarding the aim of his journey. They would probably expect it was atonement,…[...]

Chapter 1: The Lunchroom

Chapter 1: The Lunchroom It was early Monday morning and an announcement from the intercom interrupted my nap. “Good morning students! This school year has been off to a great…[...]

The Rules of Gold

The sound of a hawk screeched over our heads as if to give a warning to me and Cayden. We rode on horseback and the terrain was unforgiving. The sun…[...]

Daphne

They were butterflies, just butterflies. To Daphne, that’s all they were.All those flimsy name tags were quickly snipped off and flicked away. They fluttered through the air to join others…[...]

Blindness

The wine was tastier than any other time. Arwan swallowed a large amount in one go, not giving a shit about how it ran from the corner of his mouth.…[...]

Revenge takes a turn into a painting portal

Revenge takes a turn into a painting portal “Thanks for coming to help, Aaron. This is my mom, Elsa” We left the hospital at the same time. This way I…[...]

Bosworth Field

Bosworth Field “Bring the prisoner!” the bailiff shouts. The man in strange, ragged clothes is hauled into the King’s chamber with rusty chains clanging as he shambles. His head and…[...]

Helpless

When I was a child, my mother told me that the world can turn its back on you, but whatever challenges life throws at you, only you can choose how…[...]

Awkward Silence

Ever since Abraham killed his son Isaac, things have not been the same between them. They talk less, for one. There used to be more free-flowing, spontaneous discussion about any…[...]

Little Bird

The smell of stale beer and chewing tobacco was violently replaced by crushed jasmine, baked stone, and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Elias gasped, his lungs filling…[...]

The Shaft

The photograph is bad. Grainy, taken at an angle, the colors flattened by whatever light they could get down there. You can make out a bison on its side, entrails…[...]

On the Usefulness of Bodies

On the Usefulness of Bodies: Mortuary scenes dissection immoralityHis wife prefers the windows open, even in the cold.‘The air settles otherwise,’ she says, though he has never observed it to…[...]

A Clash of Civilisations, A Song of Redemption

A CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS, A SONG OF REDEMPTION Part I: From Westport to the Nueces RiverThey came for him as the night set on a dark and bloody ground. They…[...]

The Memory Merchants

The night before the signing, Dulcimara found Rafael on the roof of the community center, his cello case propped against the parapet the way a man props a rifle, to…[...]

The Soldier

The first thing he recalls is the silence. It's not the silence after gunfire, with smoke lingering and ears ringing from cannon blasts. Nor is it the quiet of a…[...]

What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men

The old man slowly made his way up the steps. It would be good to rest in his own bed after the fortnight he had been away. He had expected…[...]

Promises of Dust and Ruin

Dodge City, Kansas – Autumn 1934 “How bad is it?” James Whitmore asked, though he already knew. “Three thousand, two hundred dollars,” Thomas Brennan said with a steady voice. He’d…[...]

Jim

It could be worse.I gazed below me at the crests of waves crashing against the cliffside. The birdcage-like structure in which I was trapped dangled in the air, projected from…[...]

A Knight’s Duty

The first rays of sun after days of rain shone across the battlefield. The quiet was broken by the chirping of birds, signalling safety from the rain, and the end…[...]

Not with Trumpets, but with Chants

Mérida, Hispania. 713 AD. The seventh seal had broken. Leovigildo knew this with the certainty of prophecy. We are monsters now. The prophecies had spoken of tribulation, of kingdoms falling…[...]

All We Cannot Save

The last gun shot. The last bang that ended a life. It was over finally over. Treaties were signed and it was… Just over… After the long awaited hope of…[...]

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…[...]

The Guy Who Failed to Untie the Gordian Knot Right Before Alexander the Great Sliced it Open

In the kingdom of Phrygia, there was a prophecy: the next person to arrive in town on an ox-cart shall be crowned king. That person was a poor farmer with…[...]

Moses and the Nine Commandments

Today’s the big day and I couldn’t be more excited—the due date for the nine commandments. I’m heading up to Mount Sinai to get them, and boy, do we need…[...]

Fast Frank’s Ferarris

Frank’s voice boomed from my Cadillac’s radio, rattling the vinyl seats like a summer storm.Listen up, Buffalo! It’s Fast Frank here with an offer you can’t refuse. Fast Frank’s Famous…[...]

Let’s Hear the Canvas Too

Let's Hear the Canvas Too Day 1.I am a canvas. That’s what they call me. I lie on the counter. Sometimes people touch me. They say I cost two coins.…[...]

The Last King of Rome

If he stopped remembering, the world would forget Rome. Romulus was tired of carrying it. He stared at the colossal statue of Augustus, daring those below to look upon its…[...]

Between the pages

“What do you think, how long will it take her to acknowledge us?”Romy watched Adele chew on a pencil. She clearly hadn’t moved a bit forward in her writing. What…[...]

Reds

Back then, the soles of our feet were always pitch-black, and our skin still had enough elasticity to rebound after each sunburn. The heat was so intense that it nearly…[...]

If these walls could speak

If these walls could speak Susan Cochrane Drawing up at the vantage point overlooking the valley Lisa stepped out of her car and scanned the spread of vineyards descending towards…[...]

Night Witch’s Son

Walking home from the movies late one afternoon in July of 1952, Bobby glowed with the optimism of a seven year old with two months of summer vacation ahead of…[...]

The Elusive Phantom Thief

Rhodes had finally cornered the elusive Phantom Thief in the mansion gallery. That criminal had evaded the police for far too long and now was his chance to capture them…[...]

Psychopomp and Circumstance

Ten thousand years of memory could not prepare the vicar for what he was about to see: The stone doors of the mighty ziggurat were open. Eons ago, he had…[...]

Verlinda

Sister? God has no worse creation than those men.I know that ain’t you. She’s coming around. Can’t be cause you dead.She’s staggered. Let’s try again.Who’s talking?She’s been breathing in the…[...]

The Seed of Grief

In the hills of ancient Argos, Vasileios watched spindly flames dance upon the pyre. The heat clawed his moist cheeks as tears continued to spill from his copper eyes. Orange…[...]

The Eller Hypothesis

Victor spent his life trying to become God. Someone else has found his notes. She is considerably more competent, and that is the most frightening thing I have encountered in…[...]

“Wouldn’t You Consider it a Privilege to Associate Yourself with Such Fine-looking Men?”

The moon and stars, unaware of the hills and grass, glisten in the dew drops that fight the darkness in the woods that surround the property. A place no light…[...]

An Unfamiliar Winter

“You need to listen.” Elias whispered against the rotting timber of the doorway. Dmitri had placed him there to escape the pressing crowds in the street and the cold of…[...]

1943

Hunter gasped as his eyes snapped open, squinting up at the blue sky. His ears still rang.Ash drifted down like snow.The distant thunder of war rolled on.His hands shot to…[...]

Stillness at Sea

I stood upon the second yard of Dreamer’s main mast, looking toward the sea where the world narrows to a line of wood beneath my hooves and yet broadens to…[...]

Bothered

Celia wasn’t sure why anyone would knock on her door at this hour, so when she first heard the tap–tap-tapping, she ignored it. Maybe it was the wind. Maybe it…[...]

Colored Central

May 2001, Central High School Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AP Stats "You should definitely stay put," said Janiyah. "Why would you change and then risk getting the wrong door?" Mr. Nade had…[...]

RED ZONE

Elinor whispered soft shushing sounds as she placed her baby in the cradle. Her work-roughened hand lingered for a moment, rubbing gently on the small back as her daughter snuffled…[...]

There Used to be More of Us

It was after sunset when Martín Rojas caught up to him and dropped his saddle on the ground next to the fire. Enrique had ridden ahead and waited for him,…[...]

No fear of the setting sun

As he looked back to the town, he started to have regrets and quickly turned around to stop himself from turning back. Continuing up the hill, each of his steps…[...]

In Memory of Aggie

Cimarron, Oklahoma; April 1937 ”Well, Rudy, shall we spend the next ten minutes chewing the fat, or would you rather I just get the truth over with?”I don’t reckon that’s…[...]

Blood Orange

Clementine would have been accused of being a witch, she thinks to herself as she uncovers the items donated to the museum. Thunder rumbles in the distance as she is…[...]

Theogony Interview #5

Fire: I’d like to start off by saying that, contrary to popular belief, I played no direct role in all that has occurred. I mean, I wasn’t even supposed to…[...]

Last of the Telchines

They call us monsters now. They have always called us monsters, even when our hands shaped the trident that governs their oceans, even when we hammered the sickle that split…[...]

Not Yet

In the Edo and Yoruba traditional archives, a god rules the deep ocean floor. Not by will, though, or by want. Olodumare the Ultimate spoke, and that was all it…[...]

A Test From Ancient Times

It was raining when the army rolled through Amilah’s village. Thunder rolled and boomed, shaking the ground beneath her feet. But despite the thunder, Amilah could hear the clip-clop of…[...]

Death of the Coquí

The Spanish Conquistadors claim to have come to the Americas for many things. Sometimes they say for trade and commerce, for gold, sometimes to learn, sometimes to bring “salvation”. My…[...]

The Last Tide

The morning chill stung her face. The branches hung unnaturally still, a sharp reminder of how alone she was. Lalik was acutely aware that the broken branch grove was an…[...]

The River Stays the Same

Tipurr was three days old. This was the ninety-sixth time he turned three days old. An element from his culture, the Matwans. An oddity amongst the known world, its origin…[...]

Looking through the window

Gary Stevens always hoped for a happy future, a happy wife, and happy kids. Every 20-year-old’s dream in the 1940’s. He met Laura in an unconventional way, but he knew…[...]

From Rot to Rebirth

Fresh air seeps through the slowly opening petals of my Ephyte Cradle. For the first time in this new life, I feel cool and thick air on my cheeks. This…[...]

Promises Kept

It was a Tuesday evening when the wind stopped blowing. It hadn't stopped for nine straight days, scouring everything it touched with dark sand. For nine days, James had been…[...]

Chapter Closed

Six years had passed since the former Viscountess Alexandra of Pembroke, now the Grand Duchess Alexandra of Blackwood, had stepped foot in the chapel, the last place she wanted to…[...]

The Tether Between Us

“Why does a cosmonaut need a gun, Papa?” The corner of his father’s mouth rose. He followed Pavel’s gaze back through the museum doors to the display case holding the…[...]

The Arrival of Annie Sampson

The Arrival of Annie SampsonWhen Annie Sampson arrived at the Three Flowers Boardinghouse for Women, it was just before midnight. At that late hour, she was left with no alternative…[...]

Spirit Eagle

Walking with her two young sons on each side of her, their hands in hers, the Native American woman approached the two black women. She stopped in front of the…[...]

A Man Of Suffering

One of the greatest joys of my existence was witnessing Him lay the foundations of the earth. I stood with the host above the waters before men had language for…[...]

Journey to Harcourt Harbor

“Next!”Jemma shuffled to the next available space in line, clutching her passport and luggage tightly. The port was filled with people arranging their belongings and managing small children as they…[...]

When You Come Home

TW: Death, War, BloodI don't understand why we cut down trees to make houses. Trees in their natural state are strong, rooted so deep into the ground, it takes a…[...]

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…[...]

The Woodsmith’s Son

In a dream, I saw myself walking by the beautiful and small lake near my hometown... A sound like the song of birds and perhaps mermaids reached my ears... And…[...]

The Forgotten Soldier

December 24th 1945The plane roared as we cut through the sky, its aging propeller crying as we flew above the clouds. The rancid smell of old oil filled the troop…[...]

The Order of Love

I Hear now what was given, and what was withheld, on the morning two prisoners walked up the steps of the platform below the Great Mosque of Córdoba. After nine…[...]

Carry Us Home

When I got off the truck, all I saw was mud. Mud everywhere—so much, my ankles were already sinking in it. Horses were chained to artillery, heaving against the smoke…[...]

“I guess that makes me family,” said Vinnie Caruso

Vinnie Caruso prefers to have his photo taken if there is a dead tiger around. So whoever is lucky enough to capture a glimpse of his life can assume he…[...]

The Night Before Queenston

“Hail! Hail! To King George”The fire crackled as three men sat about it.Jacob, dark-haired and with two days' growth of whiskers, began laughing. Across the fire, Leo squinted through the…[...]

Hatbox

“I don’t have time to nursemaid you greenhorns,” Sergeant Victor Pascatelli grumbles. “Stow your gear and help Corporal Prentice unload the ammunition.”The squint-eyed Sergeant throws open the front door of…[...]

The Day I Chose You

‘Futures were forged through the blood of past hands, though such a path was beyond mortal choice. Death awaited all, but only some could await death—and even then, only a…[...]

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…[...]

Night Spirit

Six weary Lakota warriors rode into the Black Hills ahead of the horse soldiers of the United State Cavalry after the terrible massacre at Wounded Knee. There was great sadness…[...]

La Vie En Rose

Amos suddenly died in 1967, his weak heart getting the better of him. On the day of the funeral, Biddy led the way into the crematorium, followed by Madge, Frank…[...]

THIRTY MINUTES TO HISTORY

THIRTY MINUTES TO HISTORYThe rain had finally stopped after midnight but the cold remained. It crept through canvas tents, through wool coats, through skin and bone alike. I stood at…[...]

The Wake

Juniper first met Shiloh Coyle at a funeral. It was poetic then that they saw each other for the first time in twelve years at a wake. The first was…[...]