Romance Short Stories

Invitational Quora

There is no clear line separating myth from folk or fairy tale; all these together form the literature of preliterate societies. Fairy tales maybe distinguished from other folklores narratives such…[...]

Turn Left, and You’ll Be Right

Based on a small event that actually took place, but 99% is fictionI am not really a very religious person, at least not in the strict sense. Nor do I…[...]

Chasing Ghosts

I always hated Fort Bridger.The way they draped the flag over the Johnson family general store shopfront sign didn't sit right with me. It felt symbolic–like our own army had…[...]

His name was Death

In a society built on the ideals of man, who can truly say what is morally good, and what makes you a villain?In our own minds, we are never truly…[...]

The unwanted Acceptance

West Africa, Liberia, 1992: shooting, killing, shouting, famine, and destruction. Can a child survive in a place like this, where most young boys are given a gun to shoot their…[...]

My New Island Home

From my window seat, I saw a double rainbow over Oahu. I was sitting on the right side of the Hawaiian Airlines plane and was able to see several islands…[...]

1520: They Arrived

Our canoe sliced steadily through the warm, ocean waters; Eztli and I had long ago settled our paddle strokes in sync. Our muscles initially burned from the strain, but we…[...]

Third Eye Roll

THIRD EYE ROLL The stolen naloxone vials burned against Taala's thigh as she crouched behind Rez Clinic's dumpster. The smell of roasted piñon nuts from Old Man Yazzie's stand mixed…[...]

Cruel Intent

“This is a monster who killed this poor girl.” I looked over at Camron. He was the local police presence. He was young and his eyes were full of hope.…[...]

Where the Spirit Horses Drink

Where The Spirit Horses Drink By Johanna Lor Rain Parry ---- this story is based on true events, and real experiences. It includes historical trauma from indigenous genocide. She could…[...]

The Raven’s Quest

It took a few seconds to realize I was utterly and completely lost. I’d gone off the beaten path and was now far from it. I tried finding my way…[...]

Footsteps of Heroes

Kids' faces press against the windows as our old van maneuvers the hairpin turns. Lupines carpet the canyon slopes, and our eyes feast on the spring green. North Idaho’s high-elevation…[...]

The Long Goodbye (and the Longer Hello)

Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and family. Kartanya! Remember that name. It means 'firstborn daughter' in my grandmother's tongue. Like most firstborn daughters, I am akin to a storm; I am…[...]

Enuk Tried to Come Home

Enuk Tried to Come HomeBy Naomi KloudaEnuk stood tall as a book-learned Yupik in our village by the sea. He came back from a school in Oregon in 1969 and…[...]

Until We Meet Again

June 9, 2025 – Journal Entry In one month, it will be four years. Four years since you got sick. Four years since I last heard your voice. Four years…[...]

Plenty

My skirt was violet. It was procured for me by one of the St. Fire girls from a vintage store near the Cave. The St. Fire girls prefer to travel…[...]

The Heartwood’s Song

Elara lived on the fringes of the Whisperwood, a forest so ancient its boughs held secrets older than human memory. Her small cottage, nestled at the very edge where cultivated…[...]

Saving Ancestors’ Stories Forever on Voyages of the Destiny’s Dreams

Even the stories, themselves, were afraid of being forgotten. They needed to be remembered forever, whether by oral telling or by written word. The stories carried the uniqueness that made…[...]

The Day I Remembered Myself

By Jenniqua Lopez There wasn’t a parade or a flash of light when I awakened. No crowd cheering me on, no sign from the sky. Just a quiet morning. I…[...]

Slay Inc.: Cara’s Tribe and Their Sadness

CW: Human trafficking, attempted abduction, violence After returning from the recon job to the wendigo realm, Cara had to get back to work quickly. She heard from the tribal sheriffs…[...]

Hooking Captain Hook

A fishing city in the boonies of Alaska with a population less than 9,000 nearly burned to the ground during the riots. Government buildings still smoldered from the riots. National…[...]

Hooking Captain Hook

A fishing city in the boonies of Alaska with a population less than 9,000 nearly burned to the ground during the riots. Government buildings still smoldered from the riots. National…[...]

Among the Bunians

The first thing that she smelled was incense, with a mix of earthy and woody scents, with a slightly bitter aroma that woke her up from her deep sleep. The…[...]

Second verse of the river

The sun, a slow-burning ember, crested the jagged peaks of the Guardian Mountains, casting long, purple shadows across the valley. Below, the village of Oakhaven stirred, not with the hurried…[...]

The Boy with the Bubblegum Hair

“Are you there, God? It’s me, Kai. I know we haven’t talked in a while. I just wanted to let you know I’m scared about school tomorrow. I don’t have…[...]

A Hot Summer’s Day and the Nightmarchers

It was so hot! Elena was sweating so much that she took three showers during the day before sitting outside on her porch. Hawaii is like that -- hot and…[...]

Into The Unknown

Luna cascaded her waves along the shore while Amore caught herself squandering. Water flowed between the sacred soles of her feet that calibrated with the earth. There is nothing like…[...]

Field Notes on Fire Mummification

It was only four in the afternoon but Dr. Gabriel had already decided he would have to work through the night. The opening ceremony was a mere 48 hours away…[...]

THE GITCHIGUMI AFFAIR

Roland "Roly" Winarski was a star athlete at Gitchigumi High School. He was the star running back on the football team since his sophomore year. He was also a starting…[...]

The Wellspring

It was the scent that hit her first, before the dust in her throat, before the sun on her scarred cheek. A clean, sharp tang of ozone, like the air…[...]

Some Bones Were New

“What stalked the woods was not known, only guessed at.” I recalled one of my favorite excerpts from Ghosts of the Pineywoods as I took the first few steps through…[...]

Elizabeth Irene

Hello, my name is Alice. You can call me Ali for short. Lately I’ve been having dreams about an ancestor whose name, I dare to say, is Elizabeth Irene. I’m…[...]

Amp and Cara help prisoners being hunted by hybrid dogmen, a Slay Inc. story

Cara is gathering her things for an assignment. It has been weeks since she has seen Amp, but she is happy that they have an assignment together again. Slay is…[...]

Cara & Amp help 3 guys being hunted by bigfoots, a Slay Inc. story

Things were heating up in the sasquatch world. Cara knew things were building, and getting worse. More sightings, more people being followed and harassed. More people disappeared, experienced hikers and…[...]

Missy’s Garden

The mammogram image stared back at us like a fortune teller eager to share the future. “Is it just me?” Missy said. “Or does that look like a dog smiling?”…[...]

Lost and Alone

I should have found her sooner. Hunger creates monsters, especially in the dead of winter. She screamed my name, I was bogged down against three other invaders attempting to burn…[...]

Light for the Darkness

A packed SUV containing the Simmons family pulled into the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The Oconaluftee Forest is the valley of the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina’s Great Smokey Mountains. The…[...]

The Floating Graveyard

“Every single one of you has confirmed that these are two identical historical texts!” Chad, the devilishly charming man shouted through the laboratory. “But what of it?”, Tucker replies with…[...]

The Headless Ghost

Deep in the Chaco forest, in that inhospitable region of northern Salta Province in Argentina—land of Indigenous peoples from many nations, where the sun strikes without mercy and the white…[...]

The Great Thumb Fire

The Great Thumb Fire Inside the blistering barks of sugar maples, red and silver maples, birch, black walnut and basswood trees sap bubbled and boiled, and hissed ear-cracking warnings. Zizz…[...]

The love of two people hiding a fascinating story

A love of two people hiding a fascinating story.I was sitting at home slightly stressed out as I was waiting for my Sats results. I just heard on the radio…[...]

Catacombs of San Genaro

"How did you get so lucky?" Mimmo just chuckled. He didn't break rhythm with his shovel, just kept up his work. "Dio mio! How they stink!" Gustavo tried shoveling left-handed…[...]

Let the Sun die

Story based on real traditions held by the Mexicas (Aztecs) and other surrounding civilizations.The food was scarce. Villages started to starve. Kids died in their mothers’ arms. Some priests started…[...]

Tamsin and Mika

Tamsin squinted against the sparkle of sunlight glinting off the swirling current of the river. Her stomach rumbled as the sun sunk in the sky. Tonight, there would be a…[...]

Serpent of Life

Water flowed slowly, yet powerfully, around and past Reto. The surface was painted green with the reflections of trees, towering over its mirror. His father’s canoe put a thick wooden…[...]

Hitchhiker on a Forgotten Highway

Got my thumb out in this chilly prairie wind that cuts through my jacket like a knife. In the past hour, I’ve only seen a couple of vehicles headed for…[...]

A seaside ramble with Woppy

"NO PUPPY! Not today! I don't want to walk on the beach today!" Dammit ... he was pulling out all the tricks. A soft "woof, woof" with melting pools of…[...]

Deeper Waters

Solwara‐Liklik knelt in the sand, watching a baby crab.She thought the crab was adorable.The crab felt differently about her.It kept trying to pinch her toe with its glassy blue claws,…[...]

Lovers Leap

(*note* Story contains mention of ghosts and death as well as evil spirits.) They call it Purgatory Chasm—a name that sounds like a warning. Seventy feet of granite split open…[...]

A Good Situation

A Good Situation Translator: I remember when we first met them. They were nervous. That was understandable. So were we. It took a while for them to become comfortable with…[...]

There are no innocent bystanders

TW: anti-Indigenous racism, SA, child abuse****** Under a moonbeam-glowing brass cross, a black-clad man bent over the sagging single bed. The small figure on the bed lay stick-still, rigid, eyes…[...]

A Spirit World Quest

My toes curled over the edge of the cliff—breath catching in my throat, heart thundering—as I peered through strands of whipping black hair. Below, two mighty rivers glistened in the…[...]

The Earth that Remembers

Where the Earth Keeps SecretsThe snow started before dawn, thin and breathy, not much more than a rumour in the dark. It came in without fuss, turning the world the…[...]

A Day in My Life As A Planter

Boots were hard to wrestle on; the leather’s getting tired. I should probably condition them soon, the mud here’s a nightmare for these logging boots. Mud and rain, the midlands…[...]

Cabbage

Easy enough. Learn to cook. Make something edible. I got this. Despite my warnings to the contrary Phoenix thinks his pep talks will teach me how to cook. Like it’s…[...]

Fuel Truck’s Late

TRANSCRIPT: DIGITAL VOICE RECORDER. Exhibit Number: 251181131-25812382315Recovered from abandoned vehicle, west of Silverton, NSW.Battery status inconsistent.ENTRY ONE Right. Testing. Red light’s on. I think that means it’s working? Testing, testing.…[...]

Scooter and Webster

Scooter and Webster It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, it was almost dark and Scooter had made his way indoors to Jacob's bathroom. Once there, Scooter tucked himself…[...]

Khabib, The best Gift of My Life _ In Fur

Khabib The Best Gift of My Life—In Fur! Age: 5 yearsSex: MaleWeight: 10 poundsBreed: Tuxedo- Alley cat KHABIBThe best gift of my life—— In Fur!This little creature taught me lessons…[...]

George

Brady Barracks Military Office. 1980. “Why don’t they ever clean these shelves, George?”George shrugged. She expected musty smells and silverfish when she sorted through old filesA comfortable feeling. “I suppose…[...]

Woody

We were a little outside of Akron. Six or seven miles. I only stopped off to pick up more frozen mice for Woody. He was out, and we still had…[...]

When The Avocado Tree Dies

Her hand trembled as she poured the boiling water into her mug. As she dropped a teabag into the mug, the rooibos teabag turned the water into a deep red-brown…[...]

The Removal

CW: Themes of racism. In Sagebrush, Wyoming, the regular source of excitement and entertainment usually involved gathering with the mid-afternoon regulars before the large plate glass window of Bar None…[...]

Ghost Dance

A thunder- being nation I am, I have said. A thunder- being nation I am, I have said. You shall live. You shall live.– Sioux Ghost Dance Song The voices…[...]

The Majestic Roaming of Thorne the Roosevelt Elk

In the heart of the Olympic Peninsula’s lush rainforest, where ancient trees stretch their moss-covered arms toward the sky, a magnificent Roosevelt elk named Thorne roamed. His massive antlers, crowned…[...]

Harder to Ignore

Each day is like creation, and the power of the black expanse is ripped from the dark by the light. Stars fade into their nothings as the purple deep spreads…[...]

The Forest of the Hunters

The Baobab Tree had begun to fall and no one could have halted its demise. It was ineluctable, for fate had befallen it, for perhaps it had stood long enough…[...]

I Am Atiwaka

“I am Atiwaka. Son of Eagle Claw. This is our land; this is where my people live”I’ve lived on the Great Lake like my father and his father’s father before…[...]

A Blind Shepherd’s Light

The countryside was bleak, leeched of any color it might have kept in ancient times.Sarkis blinked against the harsh grays of the morning and wished the bleached sun would burn…[...]

The Call of the Pūkāea

One. The bittern slunk through the shallow waters of the harbour. It dipped its beak into the silted mudflat that stretched across the shoreline. Overhead the gnarled and spindly branches…[...]

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…[...]

Guild of Sacred Knowledge

In a time of great suffering and when darkness is once again reigning across the land, the Guild of Sacred Knowledge once again meets to discuss the state of the…[...]

Lake of Babies

The Lake of Babies The blizzard had started the moment she entered the forest, and Mel stopped in front of the battered oak door, pulled down the snood of her…[...]

A GLORIOUS DAY TO DIE

The Hu-mans call us a Nation of Goblyns, Gooks, and Greenies, as if these three words are the greatest insult ever uttered by the tongues of a living mìjatus. We…[...]

A Blinding Light, A Moment of Silence

A blinding light, a moment of silence. Darkness. And then, the sound of a river. He could feel the hot dirt below his skin. A flash of memory hit him…[...]

The Breathless Guardian

THE BREATHLESS GUARDIANA Deep Exhaleby Yankele Greene I. The Breath I Never TookBefore light, there was warmth. Before breath, there were voices.A woman’s sobbing. A man whispering prayers into a…[...]

The Ice Fisher

When the last bit of ice fell through the carved hole, Ahnah's hands felt like they were stung by jellyfish of ice. Cold covered her warm, flushed skin in a…[...]

Matebese’s Constant

Trigger Warning: This story contains references to child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, bereavement, and alcohol abuse. Reader discretion is advised. Shamrock green grass blanketed alpine peaks pointing to bright blue…[...]

The Orange Dust Storm

I don’t mean to sound melodramatic. But if you’re reading this, then good luck. I didn’t get out alive. Which means either someone found my notebook and brought it back.…[...]

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…[...]

Snow-ghouled, reckoning a car’s funeral

In a language without words, a lingering spell was cast over four-year-old Mayra’s waking day. Locked into watching the meticulous preparation her papa, Rogelio, begot from his craft-skilled father, she…[...]

Barbie in Distress

Barbie in Distress Two years ago Yeah I’d like to keep it professional if that’s okay with you. It’s not you specifically but I just don’t have the energy or…[...]

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.…[...]

Back to the Stars

I land in the new pod like a feather. Softly. After gathering stardust, air bubbles, and dirt on my way. At my core, yet tightening like a coil, are memories…[...]

Polar Night

“Give me that thing” Chunhui grabs the cigarette from Bobby’s hand. There is a moment where their fingers touch, the warmest feeling in Alaska’s Northern Slope, and then it is…[...]

Souls in the Sky

Zack Kaudjak was crossing the open snow laced fields of the Yukon River with his fourteen dog Iditarod sled team as the sun began to set below the birch tree…[...]

Queen Cymbeline

The island reeked of fish; scattered guts and oozing blank eyes littered the black beaches, and the mountains smelled of bubbling, potting fish intestines. The sky was continually dark with…[...]

Home of the Brave

A mom’s job is never truly finished—Elise knew this instinctively when her son was born. For at least the hundredth time, she sat next to his bed in that chair mending…[...]

Silence

There is a peace at sunrise that surpasses all understanding. It's a renewal. A feeling that anything is possible. I’d like to say I drag myself from the comfort of…[...]

Colour palette

The teacher set the canvas down on the easel before the class. Many “oohs” and “ahhs” erupted from the students as they admired the experienced skill displayed in the painting.Calloway…[...]

The Weight of Small Things

The morning the world felt heaviest, Maren found a single yellow sticky note on her bathroom mirror. It wasn’t new — she’d written it months ago — but today it…[...]

Reborn

A firm knock shattered the heavy sound of typing. He had been expecting that knock, but wished it would never happen. With a reluctant push of a button on his…[...]

Healing Wounds

Ring… Ring… Ring..The alarm clock on Ziva’s Prescotts’s Purple IPhone went off.After 5th rang, the snooze button was pressed. Dragging herself out of her Pinot bed. She headed over to…[...]

What They Did

What They Did A high pitched noise grated through the fog of sleep dispersing the dream laced with stress and deadlines. Traci’s body returned to consciousness and she groaned. When…[...]

Side B

The boxes were already labeled when Paloma arrived. Her mother had done that herself, months before the end, in a handwriting that had grown meticulous, the way age sometimes makes…[...]

I Know Who I Am

I Know Who I Am. by Kim Andreadis`Gloria was twenty-one years old, and her life had seemed perfect. In Connecticut, she lived in a home that felt like a sanctuary.…[...]

What it Really Means to be Human

What it really means to be humanUnclean. That word has plagued my life for the past 12 years. It’s become more who I am than simply what I am. Unclean……[...]

Now it Makes Sense

Conall didn’t react straight away. The words landed, but they didn’t settle. “You meet the criteria,” the consultant said, glancing down at the page and back up again. “You have…[...]

Now It Makes Sense

Conall didn’t react straight away. The words landed, but they didn’t settle. “You meet the criteria,” the consultant said, glancing down at the page and back up again. “You have…[...]

A human body sitting on the floor of a dark room

A human body sitting on the floor of a dark room,Gazing at the moonlight reflecting off the furniture,And pondering life and deathAnd survival,On consciousnessAnd what makes us who we areWithout…[...]

The Sound of Her Heartbeat

‘You’ve got this!’ Rachel heard the voice cry out, encouraging her, pushing her on. Rachel worked hard. The novel was almost there. Eighty thousand words, that’s all she needed. Yet…[...]