Romance Short Stories

The Moment Before It Ended

Disclaimer: This story contains sensitive topics involving issues from mental health, physical harm, suicide, substance use, and divorce.The moment before it ended. That’s what it was, and everything brought me…[...]

Accessory To A Summer Camp Crime

At Camp Rainbow, it's all fun and games until it comes to friendship bracelets, then it’s war. I didn’t plan to be her accomplice; I was just a summer camp…[...]

Signals in the Noise

Looking at the sky has always meant facing uncertainty. It stretches beyond what you can fully see or predict, vast and indifferent to whether you understand it. At times it…[...]

The Tale of Pipkin’s Sparkle

My name is Pipkin and I am currently pinned beneath a blueberry.To you, a blueberry is a snack. To me, it is a five-ton sphere of indigo doom that smells…[...]

veil of zen

As the first rays of dawn kissed the cobblestone streets of a quaint village in Yorkshire, everything changed one fateful night. The sky lit up with a brilliant flash, casting…[...]

Beyond the Glass

A little boy with brown hair and freckles taps on the glass. "Mommy, look! A purple fish!" "That's not a fish, sweetheart," the mother says, leaning towards the glass. "That's…[...]

Stone Gray for Blood Red

TW: Blood, blood consumption (vampirism) (not sure if this counts as gore) The sun was visible, glinting off of the snow as Commander Pyrope entered the palace. It stung his…[...]

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…[...]

a universe of accidents

It takes Tim four tries to find a universe with a sky that looks like his own.There’s nothing particularly unique about this universe. It looks the way everything has looked…[...]

Archive of the Quiet

Nova had seen the planet answer in many ways. It had warmed the moss beneath her palms when she was afraid. It had raised stone ridges where she needed footholds.…[...]

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…[...]

What we Buried

Logically Monica knows that betraying her family is wrong, but what her father has gotten away with for the past couple decades...it's was time for it to come to a…[...]

Constellations Between Us

“I remember,” the voicemail whispered. Nova Carter sat frozen on the edge of her bed as those two words filled the tiny apartment bedroom she shared with her little brother.…[...]

Strange Fruit

Strange Fruit By Kailey Blount A tiny pot of water we can’t afford boils on the stove and steam puffs up in spits and sputters. I lean into the mist,…[...]

Our 30th Anniversary

15th April 2026. My lips curve faintly at the calendar that hangs awkwardly on the wall. I don't bother to straighten it. She always likes the house looking perfect, so…[...]

Banana Boy

Banana Boy, Black Boy, bright like the day, and as settled as nighttime on an old forgotten road. Always on that sill, never leaving, never sleeping, never anything but passed…[...]

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…[...]

Concrete Skyscrapers

Distant, alone, independent—those are the words I would use to describe myself.I suppose I have felt this way for as long as I can remember, though I didn’t always have…[...]

Typical Treatment

It’s busier than usual tonight. The event room is booked out by awedding party and the diner is packed. Madi has five tables, which isoverwhelming but worth the money. The…[...]

Beautifully Broken

Trigger Warning *This story contains suicidal ideations, mentions of self-harm, mental health, and grief.* 1 year, 8 months, and 17 days.I hovered my pen above my journal before setting it…[...]

File name: Caelum Altera. Case number: 2085 1141513151225

Trigger Warning: Sensitive topics. Mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse, references substance abuse, and mental health topics. There’s a quiet click, and the quiet hum from the internal mechanism…[...]

The Architect

They say we grieve to the depth that we love, but how do I grieve someone who isn't dead?***Xavier and I met in our freshman year of college. He was…[...]

A Curse of Pleasantries

The front door hung crooked on its hinges, but it kept the wind and rain out so Maggie supposed it worked well enough. She grabbed the basked off the counter…[...]

The Distance Between Staying and Leaving

The mornings all begin the same, and this morning is no different. The room feels too still, like even the air is tired, and before I’m fully awake, I can…[...]

Lola

The June sun beat down on the two exhausted bodies resting in the lush grass beside the pond. The water had been refreshing as the two of them frolicked in…[...]

Hidden Fears

The Last Unicorn. An interesting name for a tavern and inn, but certainly one to be remembered. Perhaps it was the warm wood walls that rose from the stone foundation,…[...]

Wistfully Willing

The sealed envelope taunted me from across the room as I sat at the foot of my bed, knees held tightly to my chest. Several memories had passed since I…[...]

Getaway

“One day, I’ll get out of here.”“Out of where?”“Out of… this house. This city. This country. This world.” My eyes were glued to the full moon glimmering in the sky.“Where…[...]

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 Wake, and After

Note: Sensitive content: contains depiction of death. When she was very small, Tabatha Presenza saw death for the first time. She saw it as a wisp hovering just above Nonno…[...]

Bad Rubbish

Trigger Note: Contains themes of grief, death, bullying, and mental health. Well, it’s weird I suppose; not knowing how to feel. Sadness, a welling of empathy from my chest, regrets;…[...]

Underground Words

After a long night traveling, we’ve finally made it to my grandmother’s house in New York. I’m staying over for the week since the hotels me and my friends were…[...]

Family Dinner

Jared looked at his son, Bobby, subtly in his peripherals. They sat next to each other at the breakfast bar, his son‘s cereal untouched. Oh I know this look, Jared…[...]

07-18-04

A burnt child loves the fire, I reminded myself as I crept closer to the writhing blue flames. I felt the heat on my chilled pale skin and exhaled. I…[...]

If the End of the World Could Talk

My name is Sage Duperior, and I once lived at the End of the World. At least, that’s what they call Venice, Louisiana, the last pit-stop before entering into an…[...]

The Trial

Fire engulfs the storage chamber. Shadows dance on the cave wall. Sage stares into the flames, counting the seconds before the chamber walls would give in. Time dilates into a…[...]

Fini Flight

Fini FlightTigger Warning:Suicide, Violence, Swearing"It's like flying."She said as I peered down at the two dead bodies laying on the ground below me. I was one of the four who…[...]

6:47 PST

What has four faces, eight arms, and can’t tell time? The clock tower at Union Station. Four clocks on the tower and none of them run? I mean, what’re the…[...]

Just Another Dead Girl Underwater

Trigger Warning: implications of death, violence and sexual harassment By the time the fisherman finds me, I will have been dead for thirty-three hours, six minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Eighteen…[...]

Wanted

He found her hiding behind a cloud of cigarette smoke. The empty beer bottles clustered on the scratched plastic table like flies on a carcass might have explained the red…[...]

Rot and Reason

Elric’s strict training regimen began before he could walk.He didn’t know a life where his purpose wasn’t abundantly clear.While children his age played with blocks and jumped rope, he was…[...]

The Resonance

It didn’t happen with a sudden, cinematic snap. Minds like Elias Vance’s don’t shatter like dropped glass; they erode. They wash away in microscopic increments, stripped by the elements of…[...]

Where Memories Go to Lie

THE ARCHIVE Climbing is forgetting. That’s what they say on Kepler-62f. The higher you go, the less of yourself you carry. The mountain doesn’t just test your body—it reaches inside…[...]

FALLEN ANGEL

The shutters, clattering against the bedroom window, wake him though he struggles to recognise his surroundings; vaguely recalling the faceless whore he’d picked up in a bar in Teotihuacan. Instinctively,…[...]

Down the Drain

Down the Drain 1. Slam the door, engage both deadbolts, lean against the heavy, metal, soundproofed billet of a front door I paid four thousand for. Installed yesterday. I'm back…[...]

Silence is Survival

Silence Is Survival Three-hundred years ago, our planet, Earth, was met with blazing stars in the night sky. Though, these were not the ones in which you wish upon. Nations…[...]

Guilt

The news lately has been quite depressing to watch, hasn’t it? Frankly, I don’t go through one single day without hearing about a new conflict, robbery or something of that…[...]

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…[...]

One Night’s Ripple

“Come on, Summer. You haven’t been out with me since before you dumped Paul!” The voice on the phone whined. “I’m afraid you can’t carry a tune anymore!”It wasn’t a…[...]

Where She Buried Him

Flowers grew over the ground where she buried him.She groaned, rolling over in her mass of blankets, alarm-clocked awake by the shrill beeping. She slapped wildly at the damn off…[...]

DANGEROUS GAMES

DANGEROUS GAME They were born in the same house, under the same roof, raised on the same rules. But Austin, Brooklyn, and Dallas learned very early that rules were only…[...]

Cause and Effect

CW & A/N: Mentions of past child abuse, gaslighting/coercion, mentions of past drug/alcohol abuse, OD, cursing, absent parents, religious psychosis???, matricide.) (Also kind of ties into the prompt of: Center…[...]

The One Rule

He only had one rule.Never open the red door.It wasn’t locked. That was the point. No chains, no warnings, no signs—just a plain red door at the end of a…[...]

The Unexpected

A car sped down a dimly lit road late at night. The hum of the engine blended with the faint glow of the dashboard, casting soft light across the driver’s…[...]

Ouija Me

Look, I’m not a stand up kinda guy. I’m weak-minded, lazy, and selfish but obviously self aware. There’s one thing though that I decided I would never do and never…[...]

The Secret that Everyone Knows

You will know today. I tear the note to shreds, sprinkling the bits into a glass of water on my nightstand. Noticing the note’s envelope is still intact, I take…[...]

The Devil Keeps Score – Snippet from Chapters 22 & 23

Content Warning: hints and mentions of suicide, self-harm, & death, but none visualized. Strong language. She checks the letter once more. The street signs on the corner matches the ones…[...]

Who is Masson?

Everyone in this town knows the story of the O’bryan family. In the remote town of Whillertown, a tragedy occurred Twenty five years ago. Whillertown was a small place, the…[...]

Always by your side

You know I’m always by your side Iris. The text message said. My lips formed a small smile. She always did that. Giving huge promises that even the dumbest ones…[...]

Good Hand, Bad Hand

Tap Tap Tap Cesar gazed out the window of his room, the view overlooking the rest of the city. He stayed at the top floor of the fate casino –…[...]

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…[...]

The Communication Tactics of the Universe

I never said I liked children. They’re noisy, industrious little fools bent on having their own way or nothing at all. Like little versions of their parents, or heroes, stuffed…[...]

Help

trigger warning- self-harm, gore, mental health His hands felt like kindling; dry, brittle, cold. Pockets offered no relief as he stomped through wet snow, wondering why he’d ventured out so…[...]

Destroyer of Worlds

"This is incredible." Vally tilted his emerald head sideways curiously, like a green golden retriever puzzled by its owner. It took most of Isabel's professional disciple not to blurt out…[...]

The Perfect Whisper

April 13th 1977Cold war rages,Pentagon hasn’t been empty in years.Two hundred feet of reinforced concrete and bedrock above our heads, an armored door, and thirty soldiers waiting outside.The air was…[...]

Trauma

A single, solitary seagull flies over a lone, abandoned island — above the head of Eugene, its only inhabitant.The blue ocean stretches around the sandy shores, and the air carries…[...]

The Captor

The grimy beige walls surrounding me towered above, looking down, mocking the fact that some plaster was able to hold my life in its hands. My memory of how I…[...]

Passs Me My Crayons I Can Tell You Everything

Pass Me My Crayons. I’ll Tell You All About It All rise for the honorable Judge Herbert Alan Noel Grant Zhemhol esquire. The bailiff barks out the command to courtroom…[...]

Inheritance

The keyfob wasn’t where he set it last night. The countertop organizer displayed his wallet in one chamber, his wrist watch in another, and the curled lanyard attached to his…[...]

Our Neighbourhood

Our Neighbourhood is quiet and sombre (and the scurrying of rats and the flapping and scuffling of quiet, purple not-quite-bats and...other things...is hardly enough to make it underserving of the…[...]

The Upgrade

Out of blackness. To space. To specular.That was how the transition felt in his mind, though Lester Harns didn't have the vocabulary to describe it yet. The digital alarm clock…[...]

The Testament of the Clock

Four village men staggered beneath the weight of the tall clock as they descended from the manor’s attic. “Gently now!” Professor Edward Darkmoor called as they navigated the staircase. Mortensen…[...]

On an errand.

On an errand.It was early on a Saturday morning when I stepped into our little local grocery store. I have visited this little store many times.The employees who worked at…[...]

Committed

The first punch doesn't hurt. There's too much adrenaline. Shock. It rushes through your body devouring you.It's not the first punch that hurts.It is the following punches that add up.…[...]

Ghosts of the Past

Tears streaked down his cheeks as his eyes smarted from the smoke. He watched his father seated in front of the ceremonial fire casting into it a mixture of wood,…[...]

An Error in Design

TRIGGER WARNING:Physical violenceGoreMental health Chapter 1: It felt right. I walked around the charred wooden table. She sat, tied up on the other end. Her name was Sadie Hobbes.I came…[...]

Exactly As It Should Be.

The hum of the fridge filled the quiet of the house, steady enough that any change felt wrong before it could be understood.It was a sound Helen had grown used…[...]

Are You Sure?

"Who are you?" she cried, as she saw him standing there.The guy pointed his gun at her, and she knew that whenever he wanted to, he'd pull the trigger, and…[...]

Marksview Place

If I only could, I would plant myself, toes deep in the dampened soil, mine & the tree’s fingertips brushing together. There’s something special here, something that can’t be described…[...]

The Echo Chamber

The fluorescent hum of the aisle lights was a direct vibration against Elaine’s headache. It was 11:47 PM. She was only here because she had, yet again, forgotten the single…[...]

The Invisible Monster

The overhead lights didn’t just hum; they vibrated—a cold, electric heartbeat that thrummed right through the center of Elaine’s skull. It was 11:47 PM. She was only here because she…[...]

The Familiar Stranger

“Who are you?” I asked the woman standing in front of me. She looked familiar, but in the way someone does when you’ve seen them as an extra in a…[...]

Dry Stone

The road undulates through the valley. Rising up, only to follow the sensual curve of the hill down towards another, deeper valley. The small, clapped out car labours and whines…[...]

It Was Waiting

The first message came from my own number. I stared at my phone, the screen illuminated in the dim light of my cramped apartment. The message blinked at me. "You’re…[...]

Tense

Cyrus transferred out of bed into his wheelchair and wheeled over to his window.Drawing the blinds, the early morning’s glow infiltrated his room. Looking down at the street five stories…[...]

Feel the Shadow, Hear its Cry

Run, girl, run.A harsh, raspy voice echoed in a young girl’s ears, unfamiliar and unseen. She looked up from her doll, startled.The girl was a pretty thing, with long black…[...]

A Normal Human

Staring at a digital clock doesn’t quite have the same drama as watching the small hand move around the lines on the wall clock. No tick, tick, tick to count…[...]

Down the Hall

It was a face emerging from the woodgrain of our office door that captivated me. Throughout the workday filled with mundane tasks of checking emails, typing punch lists, and fielding…[...]

Half the Battle

The large double doors swing shut behind Cassie. The sound reverberates through the darkness. The screams of Erin and Jayden on the other side worsen her already trembling nerves. She…[...]

Before the End

“I locked them out; I opened the airlock; I sentenced them to death. Is that what you wanted to hear?” His eyes were tired and red, hair matted, and body…[...]

Something Followed Her Home

There are many ways to measure a life’s happiness. This one keeps track of miles. Elaine noticed the road first. Not that anything had changed. It just took longer to…[...]

The Penitent Attorney

A corporate attorney by the name of Sam Wilm thought about what his next decision would be about an important court case that was coming in about a month. He…[...]

The Second Coming of Me

“Who are you?” I say as I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. I stare a while trying to process what exactly I’m looking at. Trying to process whether…[...]

The One You Feed

What is it that makes us human? Is it our awareness of the life we live? Is it our intelligence, our use of tools? These are the thoughts that run…[...]

The Caller on Line Two

I’ve hosted the graveyard shift on WVXR for eight long years. “After Midnight with Chuck Vale.” They call it public radio, but really it’s just me, a creaky studio in…[...]

Recorded Interview – Subject Unknown

The following transcript was recovered from a digital camera found in the apartment of documentary filmmaker Eliot Vanog, reported missing on October 14.The identity of the interview subject remains unknown.…[...]

I’m only human

I’m only human. People only say that after doing something they know is wrong. As though being human is a justification for their mistakes. I’m only human, like our tendency…[...]

This is going to hurt

The sound of shattering glass—much like that of a window being hit with a blunt instrument—woke Pearl Gillespie out of a dreamless sleep.Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum went hear heart.The nervous system…[...]

What’s The Special?

Thump… thump… thump. My heart is throbbing in my ears, barely audible above the sound of street traffic. It isn’t a hole in the ground nor a hole in the…[...]

The morning lied

Troy's grandmother had lied. Nothing looked better in the morning. The distant sound of footsteps outside the warehouse cut through the fog in his mind. Thin fingers of sunlight crept…[...]