Romance Short Stories

The Night Before The Battle of Passchendaele

* Sensitive content - death of an animal mentioned, not shown, and some swear words Rain fell without mercy on the low, clay-soaked fields of the Ypres Salient in Belgium.…[...]

Flowers of the Martyred

The black horse came alone to the gates of the palace at dusk. Its saddle was stained with dust and sweat, but the rider was nowhere to be seen. She…[...]

Thirst

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Luke 16:23He was dying of thirst. The stench of…[...]

Behind the Shoulders of Every Soldier

Her face started to show up in the mirror while the image of her past faded away. She was raised from her very first breath to be the king’s wife.…[...]

The Solemn Knight

The flames begin to dwindle. I throw several more logs onto the fire, its flame reigniting. I stare deeply into the flames as if it will give me the answer…[...]

As Above, So Below

It had been a month since Ellanova had passed. The church had been completely shattered. The same incense drifted through the air. Father Mattias’ voice still rang out. Yet, a…[...]

Monkey Tale

Heppy lived in a small apartment right in the centre of the ‘Mo, short of Fillmore District in San Francisco. The neighbourhood used to be rough with fights, very loud…[...]

Lily of the Mohawks

It was a silver morning. The breath of god was circling the low plains, trying to find the best place to settle. Kahenta sat up, dressed, and poked her nose…[...]

Lifandi Fiskur

As Kevin entered the water alone, in the dark, with no sound but the small waves crashing on the shore and the wind blowing peacefully around him, he realized the…[...]

Estranged in the Interregnum

Strasbourg, The Feast of Saint Denis Dmitri, This goes by Conrad the wool-merchant, who is honest and cannot read. Your last letter reached me whole with the seal intact. I…[...]

We Hunted Together

Their yurt shimmered on the slope of the green valley, caught in golden light. Beyond it stretched an endless panorama: mountain rock rising from three to seven thousand meters, the…[...]

Home Leaving Home

Home Leaving Home The day we lost our freedom, it fled with barely a sound, like a teaspoon against the lip of a porcelain cup. Ping. I had just turned…[...]

The Last Believer

The sample case was genuine cowhide, and Earl Prentiss kept it oiled.Inside, arranged in the velvet-lined trays he'd had fitted in Davenport, were fourteen sample units: four of the Tonic…[...]

The Gentleman’s Parcel

May 3rd, 1877 Dear Mr. Crumpet, I am in receipt of your package, though I must admit I am quite surprised by its contents and am unclear about the reason…[...]

Beckoned

The smell of rain greets me first, but the dew dancing upon the blades of grass tickling my ankles is the next tell. Songs falling from the branches greet me…[...]

The River Keeps Receipts

The grandfather clock in the rest-house hall had stood stopped at 2:17 for five years, the hour the flood took her mother. Then the dead clock struck once, its hands…[...]

A cup of cold chai

Aroma of ginger and cardamom lingered in her daughter’s living room. Saraswati was sitting in her usual chair, a small table on her right-hand side, with a steaming cup of…[...]

Sailing Toward France

Big white clouds move in neat columns across a sunless, blue sky, like an assembly line of hope. My arm casts a shadow over the water, debris, and the terrace…[...]

To Be Free

The clink of glass and the laughter of patrons echoed across the parking lot. Couples and celebratory groups passed through the glass doors beneath the warming sun and cool breeze.…[...]

The Ink-Black Lion

Giggles and excited footsteps echo through the maze of booths in the back-drop of the towering red tent. The smell of roasted peanuts and smoked meats beckons giddy patrons to…[...]

Mira’s Krishna (Steal my flute)

Princess Mira watched her husband, the Crown Prince of Mewar, dress for battle. "I'll be gone for a month, and I'll still miss Chittor. How do you not miss your…[...]

Et Tu

The tremor began in the tip of his index finger, which pressed dangerously hard against the starched tablecloth. Beneath the spotless white linen, his nail left a pale crescent mark.…[...]

Every fourth word

CW: References to murder. To our patrons: If the morning suits you, early callers now can pause awhile and read what follows in this week’s paper: several free currant buns…[...]

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…[...]

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…[...]

TAG

TAG The jungle never slept. The air buzzed, especially at night. Danny got used to distant gunfire, but in his dark bunk, the most paralyzing was the unknown. An invisible…[...]

The Fifth Treatise of a Scurvy Cur, 1747

An introduction to the collection as presented by The British Library, 3 January, 2026. Captain Judah Lind’s diary entries have been an object of some historical interest since their composition…[...]

An Ode to the Archduke

June 27th, 1914: Today started out like any other day. I was a bit hungover from grabbing a drink and going to the cinema the night before, and it still…[...]

The Hour of Christmas

It was her favorite time of year. Snow fell steady beyond her window, puffy, heavy flakes that glittered in the Christmas lights. The sidewalks would be dusted with a healthy…[...]

Solitude (with the Spectral)

Hoarfrost crystalised the valley. Early this morning, as the front rolled through, I shivered under my heavy electric blanket, the howling wind shrill as a lonely coyote. The sudden drop…[...]

The Lucky Dip

Philip Marks is my Secret Santa recipient and I don’t know what to buy him. Like thousands of other people around the world trying to buy something for someone they…[...]

The Solitude of Grace

Grace adjusted the strap of her suitcase as the train pulled into the small seaside town of Whitlock. The journey had been quiet, save for the rustle of newspapers and…[...]

THE HOLIDAY (ANIME) GHOST

Aglio e Olio, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and a packet of potato chips are the only things that comforts Jeena. She was twenty when she found a recipe for spaghetti aglio…[...]

Veils of December

For a moment, the Christmas Eve atmosphere felt tangible. It enveloped Mia with an ineffable coldness, lingering in her softly flowing veins and biting lightly at her quivering bones. Soft,…[...]

Extraordinary happening when traveling alone

Extraordinary happenings when travelling alone. I sat there at the head of the table. I was about to say grace and quickly realized in our family this touching act was…[...]

Alone – but Not Truely Alone

Trigger Warning: Grief, Loss of a loved one, Illness/Cancer Clara sat on the floor of the lounge room in her small apartment, staring at the large container that held the…[...]

Fitting In

Susan managed to keep the tears at bay until the drive home from Thanksgiving. All weekend she’d held it in, hoping to turn her emotions around. She hated that Emma…[...]

Tradition Trade-up

“Reasonably priced real estate along a waterfront!” the ad screamed.I scanned the ads quickly that night and decided that the waterfront property was a bargain if the remainder of the…[...]

Shards

This story deals with both mental health issues and substance abuse. “We’re going to Daddy’s.” Ellie stared at Missy in stunned silence for a moment. “But it’s Solstice Eve. We…[...]

Visitor

Anya believed him a wild spirit from the first she seen him. An animal caught in the blindness of winter, astray of both kin and kind. She said later he…[...]

The Unexpected Angel

Content warning: Strong language“A white Christmas? Who the fuck needs a white Christmas?”Work had been slow. Christmas Eve day could’ve been busy, which is why she’d worked a double shift.…[...]

Fourth of Julonely

This is how a family barbecue is supposed to be. You should be able to smell what's cooking on the grill and scoop your sides from different relatives Tupperware. Kids…[...]

A Quiet Christmas

The first thing Nora noticed when she woke up on Christmas morning was the quiet. It was the kind of quiet that made her feel like she was underwater, the…[...]

Icelandic Dilemma

[Death and Dilemma of Psychology]The Psychology of Yes and NoJuan and Ava arrived at Ava’s apartment. They entered in the middle of a conversation that never seemed to end about…[...]

The Angel on Top of the Tree

Memories of the past came into view. Katie was five years old and sitting on the floor of her grandparents house. It was Christmas and the house smelled of apples,…[...]

Jim and Jan

You know, I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I met you.I remember it so clearly. Charlie and I were hauling our luggage and Cockapoos into the caravan, sweating in…[...]

Unaccompanied adult

It was a typically humid December day in 1996 in Singapore and the airport terminal corridor in front of me was humming with people, movement, luggage, and chaotic energy. An…[...]

December, 1999

December, 1999 - John & Joana Dunkin were losin’ their gosh-darned marbles over the news reports on the TVs claimin’ the world was gonna end the night of the ball…[...]

Journeys from home

On my very first journey, I left the islands on wanderlust.The aircraft I was to go on got shut down two days before, due to some drugs they found on…[...]

Bernie Drinks Tea

Bernie was tired after the long flight from America. His parents insisted he come with them to England to connect with their relatives, but he wanted nothing more than to…[...]

Red tea

Every summer, I visit my grandmother. Every evening, I make red tea. To get that deep, crimson color, I had to learn steps that took me a while to perfect.…[...]

The Incident Around Ballet and Bouquets

On the couple's day, a couple decides to celebrate their love for each other in a famous restaurant. It just received a good, no, fantastic review from an equally famous…[...]

Kill Your Parents!

[NOTE: Story contains violence and death.] Aaron, Celeste, Florence, Stella, Catharine, Alex, Ariana. The eldest three tried to kill their parents when Aaron was fourteen, the others one and three…[...]

Tijuana at Five

Words woke me and I looked up through the smell of car mustiness and petrol to a smiling moustache on a strange face. I was still curled in the darkness…[...]

The Headache

The Headache Sometimes the brightest medical minds shake their collective noggins, pat you on the knee, and hurry out before you ask questions they can’t answer. This was the second…[...]

The Universal Obsession of Max Preensworthy

This is the story of Max Preensworthy, a man addicted to exactly the same thing as you or I. I'll come back to that. First about Max: Max is almost…[...]

Red is the colour

“White is the colour” I whispered to myself as the Dolmus, which literally means stuffed bus in Turkish, bumped and rocked beneath me as the driver raced along the dusty…[...]

On a Wing and a… Coffee?

Shaun was ecstatic about his vacation. He hadn’t taken a real vacation in nearly a decade. There was always work to be done around the house, or a sick family member, or…[...]

Eggs in A Basket

Hi this is Summer Austin ready to write an original story hopefully my mind is not filled with other things that I've read so that I don't copy anyone else's…[...]

The 5.30 Easter Trampoline Throwdown

As anecdotes go, this tale is one of which I am both embarrassed and proud—the former immediately after the event in question (and due, largely, to external shaming by adults),…[...]

A Matter of Perspective

"You want me to eat what part of the snail?" Marcus's voice carried across the outdoor Parisian café, causing several heads to turn. Cherry blossoms floated down around him like…[...]

Hide and Seek 1984

It was Christmas Eve, 1984, at my grandma’s house. Her townhouse was packed with what felt like 100 family members ranging in age from 2 to 75, some more beloved…[...]

One-in-a-Gazillion Chance

One-in-a-Gazillion ChanceSharon sighed heavily as she looked out the window at the tourist signs, but didn’t say a word for a while. Finally, she exploded, “This has been a very…[...]

Too Little Too Late

I remember now: This was the Thanksgiving trip when two-year-old Rachel fell in the toilet, wearing the frilly dress (the only dress) I had packed so she could look cute…[...]

The House of Van Severen or ‘Room Service Please’

The House of Van Severen or 'Room Service Please.'What is 'the house of Van Severen'? Let me explain. Decades ago, an internationally known Dutch/Belgian man named Van Severen became a…[...]

The Last Night Of Autumn

Autumn was close to its end. The air would change from cold to icily sharp, and the leaves on the ground would be replaced by white, crispy snow. The animals…[...]

Hantics and Henemies

Content notice: swearing, drugs, sex. Consider yourselves warned!Hen party=bacheloretteLove Hearts=SweetheartsSixth Form=high school‘Look guys, nowhere in the schedule does it say “spend thirty minutes in duty-free buying Juicy Couture, a lifetime…[...]