Romance Short Stories

Before We Were Selected

On this planet, love was no longer private. It had become administrative. Not because emotion had disappeared, but because survival had made it inefficient to leave partnership to chance, or…[...]

The Greenhouse Incident at Station 648

I was alone for New Year’s Eve this year. But then, that was my fault, so I could hardly blame anyone else. Who was it, again, who opened the plant…[...]

An accidental miracle

Ships Log; date unknown, time unknown.I've landed on a planet that, until today, didn't exist on any of our charts. It wasn't supposed be in our path to DL261. We…[...]

The Becoming Protocol

*some words in this story have been adapted into their closest human equivalent for clarity Thalën's hands wouldn't stop moving. He kept smoothing the fabric of his selk, then his…[...]

Is Anybody Out There?

Captain Paul Chalmers was woken by the sound of the proximity siren ripping through his skull. “What the fuck?” he murmured, opening his eyes to see the strips of lighting…[...]

Make No Mistake

If you limit your actions in life to things nobody can possibly find fault with, you will not do much. - Lewis Carroll Bekky was a miracle to behold. She…[...]

Quick Deaths

Kael armed the forbidden gas at 03:47 local time, fourteen minutes before the bakery ovens would have been lit.The standard harvest protocols glowed amber on the console beside it. Two…[...]

To the Moon… and Back?

The lifeless lunar landscape lay beyond the small window of the habitation unit. Black skies, white mountains. No air to breathe. The surface was scorching during the day and freezing…[...]

Aphelion

It was beautiful, and Eric hated himself for thinking so, hated the way the magma flowering across the Pacific looked like the roses he used to steal from gas stations…[...]

Mission Zeus 5: The eyes of a scientist

Day 1,765 — First Entry I remember when things were normal. I was with my family, having dinner with Celine and the kids. Marcus had just won his baseball tournament…[...]

Signal Drift

Commander Elias Voss had forgotten what wind sounded like.Not station ventilation. Not the endless hiss of oxygen cycling through metal lungs. Real wind. The kind that moved through trees and…[...]

Orbit

'What a fegging hole,' That familiar view, from a thousand nostalgic images.'Language!' Dad snapped back at me, his face underlit by the instrument panel.'What? You said it first' I responded,…[...]

Home Again

It was not possible. His parents were standing there, hugging him, overjoyed for his safe return. The reporters, screaming questions at him, ‘How are you feeling?’ ‘What was it like?’…[...]

Anne-1

“Why can’t I move my arms?” The words come out faintly, almost a mumble, and the sound of my voice is already startling. It sounds like me… but then it…[...]

The Storm Heir of Jupiter

Vaelyra was always the quiet girl on Jupiter.Not because she wanted to be.But because Jupiter was loud enough for everyone else.In the floating storm cities of Zephyria, where silver ships…[...]

Soul Stones

The loud hiss of a kettle fills therapist Martina’s office. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she waits calmly. When the kettle stops, she pours hot water into a glass mug.…[...]

Mass Reduction

“Malcolm.”I wake to my wife faintly calling my name, her weak voice drowned by the ship’s blaring alarm. The seat straps bite into my shoulders while my arms float helplessly…[...]

Adrift

Milo sat on the asteroid and gazed listlessly out into the void before him. What once existed merely above him was now all-encompassing. An eternity of blackness in every direction…[...]

We Will Call Her Hope Command Deck, Exploration Cruiser Bridger, Deep Space, Star System ED-163Mission Day 2130230 ST (Ship Time)A billion kilometers from a star, spacetime trembled with a flash…[...]

For the greater good

‘Vengeance is a dish best served immediately.’‘If a murder happens in the forest and it’s not reported, did it really happen?’Jason passed the time re-working Earth aphorisms as the craft…[...]

Orbit

You awoke much like you were born – slowly, reluctantly – taking small shallow breaths. Though I mixed the oxygen myself, blending a perfect match to the sea-level airs you…[...]

All the Best

“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Pat-“ “No thank you, James,” the old man said. The room was just coming round. Yesterday’s air sucked out,…[...]

Adrift

I have not become immortal but the difference seems minor. Long, long ago back on Earth, my father encouraged me to make the most of every moment. “You have one…[...]

The Cost of Returning Home

“Welcome home, Lieutenant. We’re glad to have you back.”The captain flashes his teeth, and in return I offer a wide grin. Home. When I left this place, I imagined this…[...]

When One Equals Zero

Prompt: Write about someone who is grappling with loneliness. When One Equals Zero The music and words in my head were so loud it was disrupting my thoughts. “One is…[...]

AMONG THE DYING STARS

AMONG THE DYING STARS The last Sunset on Earth The sky above New York burned gold and crimson beneath a veil of smoke. From the rooftop of her apartment building,…[...]

Out-of-Body Experience

My body had failed but my brain still had so much more to accomplish. That’s why I’m in this predicament now. It has been 157 years since I’ve seen another…[...]

Bloom

Bloom “You did say two sugars?” Arthur didn’t answer. He was still scanning and checking and going over everything. He wanted to be absolutely certain this time. John sipped his…[...]

It Knows About the Brown Butter

The signal came in on a Thursday. Thursdays were mine. Reconstituted lentils in a foil pouch, one cup of coffee that tasted like hot drywall, the methane storms rolling across…[...]

Alone

It’s day… one-hundred eighty-four, I think? It’s impossible to tell anymore. Garret finally died yesterday. I thought I’d be more… sad, I guess? With him gone, I’m the only one…[...]

Xiled

How can anyone rationalize the vast emptiness, the dense endlessness of space? Not without going insane, the human mind has limits. It is just a fragment of dust compared to…[...]

Yet another Mars ticket

By 2142, Mars had become profitable.Priya and Ethan were sitting at their Martian desk, scrolling through the piled-up tickets. To improve efficiency, support staff had been relocated to Mars. Managers…[...]

The Orion Spur East Local Council Public Transport Planning Committee

“Morning Pompo!”“Morning.”“How’re you?”“Good thank you.”“Very good! Good is good,” chirped Akbar, with an enthusiasm unfettered by Pompo’s weary expression.“Is everything set up?”“Indeed it is, everything is perfectly-”“And will all ten…[...]

The Weight of Distant Stars

2,731 days. In the grand timeline of the cosmos, seven and a half years is less than a heartbeat. It was a rounding error in the life of a nebula.…[...]

Tough Turds

The 1004th, the Tufters, is the premier mech mining unit in the entire system. No one pulls higher percentages or volume, or takes bigger risks. My grandpappy was a Tufter,…[...]

A Close Hand

I hate them.Pain rips through my shoulders.Darkness.I can't see.My arms are tired and my chest aches.Shut up.I hear the sounds around me.They are muffled, but there is no mistaking what…[...]

Eternal Explorers

Gennaro felt honored to be the Chief Science Officer on the Chrysalis for its maiden voyage. Their mission was to explore the Alpha Centauri system and to help set up…[...]

Grounded in Time

Upon entering his space-container-turned-home, Karl let the door close behind him with a controlled thud, a soft crackling sound in the air disappearing almost as soon as it started. His…[...]

7 Minutes

If nothing else, what a view it was. I could hardly take it all in - our little slice of the universe. Back when I was a kid, I’d spend…[...]

Among The Stars

Every star up there, every sun to a stellium of planets, and some people still believe we are the only life in the universe. I used to hate gardening. One…[...]

The Heartbeat in the Void

I haven’t spoken a word for three days. Not since I buried them. What would be the point? Alone in a room speaking to myself? Seems redundant. Then again, most…[...]

Courier Woes

Kashikoi’s dark-furred tail flicked as she wiped sweat from her brow, her cat ears twitching as she noticed her purple-dyed hair and ear fur fading to turquoise. The bright colors…[...]

Hello, Eternity. I’m Isaac

A ship exited hyperspace in the middle of the starry seas of space. Frothing waves of nebulas crashed into black holes, schools of shooting stars dispersed as supernovas chased them,…[...]

Flash In The Pan

Sapient, inhuman, and brilliant: This silver star deep in space—was just like me.When it first contacted, I was surveying distant planets.My ship radio crackled, and I answered.I greeted half-heartedly, expecting…[...]

Luna’s Lunar Breakdown

Loneliness. It waxes and it wanes. I look around at all that I have. All of the moon is mine now. I had friends, but they turned into aliens. Since…[...]

Astronaut’s Eyes

I’ve grown tired of seeing my reflection in the glass of my helmet, a stranger with her gaunt eyes and cracked lips staring back at me. At least I won’t…[...]

The Odyssey Vanguard

1. Time Elias Vale ran barefoot along a cold New England beach beneath a gray May sky. Wind whipped against his face as waves crashed beside him. He kept looking…[...]

One Last Star

Mark Zantz looked up at the night sky through the windshield of his gray SUV. His view of the stars from down on earth, clouded with pollution, an endless expanse…[...]

The Ballroom of the Night Sky

Ximena danced among the stars, holding their outstretched limbs like hands and swirling to the rhythm of a hailstorm. Just outside the square building, a mass of black fell from…[...]

The End of the World in Her Eyes

When somebody dies, you always hear about the light leaving their eyes, but all I saw in her eyes was the brightest blast of white light. I was watching the…[...]

Minzy The Star Cleaner

Minzy glanced out at the emptiness and shivered. All those stars and planets were so terribly far away. It was one thing to see the night sky from home with…[...]

Seven Days

To look to the stars was to stare into the eyes of God. When the skies became dark, we lost our humanity. That summer all of the human race had…[...]

Adrift

Spencer Reay floated back into Lewis's view and waved, his left side brightened by the sun, his right in shadow blacker than black. "So long," he said, and Lewis didn't…[...]

Little Black Dots

One hundred Anti-magic Task Force special agents held at attention in their gleaming black armor in the pre-dawn darkness. Captain Octavious placed the length of the formation, his polished boots…[...]

Horizon’s Edge

The fiber-optic stars embedded in Iris Thorne's wedding gown flickered in rhythm with her racing heart. She stood alone in her quarters, one hour before the ceremony, staring at the…[...]

Terminal Radiance

TW: death, grief. Athryn was in the very last seat of a packed transport.The general mood around her hummed—a giddy energy. Why wouldn’t it be? They’d pulled through the forcefield…[...]

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…[...]

Synaesthesia

Synaesthesia The wind shrieked through the air on a cold, October night. The moon peeked in and out clouds, as if the argument that was about to unfold below was…[...]

Still Human

Heilick sat down on the lumpy armchair, breathing a sigh of relief. He had been on his feet all day, doing recon in the Beta sector. He was sure he…[...]

To Be Loved

“Honey, you’re a mess,” Madam Lian said. Lipstick smeared the right corner of her tooth. She motioned for her to come closer, Lian’s finger wet with spit as she wiped…[...]

The Crisis in Year Six

* Content Warning: There are themes of mental health and suicide, but explicit. * Ship’s Computer informal notes: Ship’s Year 6, Day 135 Captain Menendez has called a meeting of…[...]

Planetary Comet

Warning: Vague descriptions of gore/self-harm pertaining to the story. I could taste the light upon the walls. I could taste the purples and blues that trickled down from the moist…[...]

First Contact

Beep. Beep. Beep. B- Groaning, I waved my hand through the glowing hologram. It hovered in front of my face for a few more seconds before blipping into oblivion. “Jesus,”…[...]

Here on Here

Space was browner than usual, browner than it should be, which is not at all. It was a waste of space, this waste-filled space. Funny, considering just how much there…[...]

All or Nothing

So it is, hours before dusk, hours before the most prominent battle any soldier gathered here tonight will ever see, I sit here trying to find inspirational words for what,…[...]

Chocolate and Nietzsche at the end of the world

The following is the re-telling of history as only the witnesses can tell it. Humans became putrid in these lands and died in droves. Doctors failed to diagnose the peculiar…[...]

AfterSt8

CW: Grief, emotional dependency The first time, it says his name. Not ‘Dad.’ It hasn’t learned that yet because it just turned itself on. “Edward?” The voice is off. Almost…[...]

Therapy For the End of The World

John noticed a slight change in her voice tonight. Over the countless hours of sessions they have had over the years, Clara’s tone had become warmer. There was a clinical…[...]

Pending

A few years ago, a new law was enacted: ‘It is forbidden to open an animal’. No one had thought about surgeries. When an annoying journalist raised the issue during…[...]

Samantha Strolls in Silver Fields

A demigod of rock thrust his guitar pick down in one final stroke, and the Stratocaster screamed under the arena’s flashing strobes, a thunderous roll of drums finishing behind him.…[...]

A Sky Full of Stars

(This story contains suicide and strong language) I don’t remember how to look at the stars anymore. Looking at the stars may not be something you learn how to do,…[...]

The Darkest Point of Night

Every bit of starlight we see is ancient. The night sky is a tapestry of twinkling relics flung across millions of lightyears, eons from when they first burned. Even after…[...]

The Last Note of Blue

The world had been monochrome for so long that most people had stopped trying to remember what color felt like. But Mara remembered all too well. Some mornings, when the…[...]

Where Butter Was

Carol had been tasting yellow since she was four years old. Cold butter — specifically the kind left out overnight — soft enough to spread but still carrying the chill…[...]

A Gray Interlude

After the bombs fell, the world turned gray. Not just in the distance, although you could only see an arm’s length ahead of you. But when you looked at the…[...]

The Amber Room

Her daughter had never seen color. She had never been taught what amber was. So someone needed to explain to Nessa Galloway why every crayon in Isla's box was worn…[...]

The Forty-Fourth

Stars I am dying beneath a sky that does not care. The stars above Verantis are unfamiliar. Cold. Indifferent. They have seen countless deaths and will see countless more. Mine…[...]

Orange

My grandma’s favorite color was orange. And I mean hideous, bright, neon, unadulterated orange. Every Christmas she received gift after gift in the same offensive shade. Throw blankets, cups, water…[...]

Eye Hunger

The pledge took forty‑five seconds. Elias had timed it. He knew this because timing the pledge was the only thought he was permitted to have during it—his mouth moved through…[...]

The Necessity of Blood

You must not bleed. You learn this first of all. Before love, before knowledge, before faith. You must not bleed. To bruise is unideal but sometimes a blow must be…[...]

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…[...]

The Color of Nothing

Shirley Harbrecht hissed into the receiver. “Richard! What about the car insurance?”She needn’t have worried about Jeffrey overhearing her, because her young son was lost in the project that lay…[...]

The Meaning of Grey

The curtains that hung from the ceilings were a simple grey. Not the silver that sometimes comes from the moon’s light at the right angle. Nor was it the dark…[...]

Black Market Hands

Black Market Hands By: Michael K Norris Officer Wells rapped his knuckles on the garage’s side door as a robot walked by on the nearby sidewalk - holding a dog…[...]

Red Shifted

Ezekiel Crowe once drew maps for the living. His clean lines guided lost souls through the untamed wilderness, steering them clear of swamps and bogs and onto solid ground. For…[...]

The Witness

The sky hums in soft colors, in streaks of pink and orange painted across the blue canvas. The sun hanging off the edge of the world threatens to disappear and…[...]

Smoke and Signals

Experiment complete. Status: Failure.“Wynn. Good morning, Wynn.” A bird three shades darker than that of the light grey sky chirped from a thin branch outside a domed glass window that…[...]

Her Pale Blue Lips

She’s been underwater for far too long. It’s been at least five minutes since I noticed she was missing and another five minutes for me to ease my way out…[...]

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,…[...]

I found my color

She almost turned back. Standing at the trailhead, staring at the path winding uphill, she felt the familiar dread settling in. She looked at her car. Then at this new…[...]

What the Trees Were Called

The darkness was complete apart from the glow of the fire. Kip looked around, and could see nothing a few feet out from the flames. The darkness was like a…[...]

Vulture

The rugged mountains of the Karoo, like sunbaked Gods standing guard whilst sitting on thrones of craved granite, onlookers to scenes of slaughter and peril. Heralding the winds, the almighty…[...]

The Daughter of Early Dew Drops

My favorite part about visiting my mother is leaving her.It's the dew on the grass, the fresh wind of an early spring day just an hour before the crack of…[...]

A Glimpse of Green

A Glimpse of Green Over a hundred years ago, the trees in the Onby forest began to grow back grey. ‘Cut a tree, plant a tree,’ it was said in…[...]

In Rainbows

“Another late night, D?” The sun had set some hours ago, but I found myself still hunched over my desk. Truth be told, I hadn’t noticed the time, but a…[...]

Evidence

I woke up on my eleventh birthday to the sound of my father whistling. It was a rare thing to hear, and I came out of my room to see.He…[...]

About to Fall

A thick fog envelops Hyde Park as I ride my ginger pony around the deserted kiosk at Speakers’ Corner. Winter Wonderland closed last week, leaving its muddy footprint stamped on…[...]

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.…[...]

The Black Romance

The storm of war cries, fireballs whizzing just overhead, the taste of blood in your mouth—none of it was new to Sir Calon. War had been his trade since youth.…[...]

The Gods who sleep at the Seams

The Gods Who Listen at the Seams Analise kept a whiteboard in her apartment that she'd filled and erased so many times the surface had gone permanently grey.Her cacti were…[...]