Romance Short Stories

What I Would Sacrifice For You

He wasn’t supposed to stay dead this long.I told myself it was only temporary. Just until I could figure out a way to bring him back. But now, I’ve spent…[...]

THE MIRROR

Had it not been through mirrors, I wonder what perception we would create of ourselves. Who are we? What makes me, ‘ME’? Not just the face but our sole sense…[...]

APRIL 31 The words were carved into the wall above the body.Not written. Carved.Deep enough that black plaster had split away, exposing pale stone beneath.TODAY IS APRIL 31Officer-Inspector Veyra Sorn…[...]

A getaway to Bikini Atoll

It was a vacation cruise that many would consider themselves blessed to even be on board, a year long world cruise to tour the different ports of the world. A…[...]

I’m Still Here

It's been days.I've been trapped down here for days.Maybe it's been weeks... I don't know. There is no concept of time down here.I've realized as time went on that nobody…[...]

Unfiltered

“No… where are you going? Don’t leave me, please, I’m your wife! Wait!!!”I can’t believe it… My baby left me!I never thought this day would come. I always thought we…[...]

What Remains of Us

A year ago, a virus spread through the world. Towns transformed into chaos, people doing whatever it took to survive. Hospitals were burnt down, buildings were destroyed, and once enjoyable…[...]

Code Orange

Code Orange I slide my phone out from under June’s stuffed bunny when Dale calls. The tan bunny that smells of grape juice, my co-pilot for today.“This is Joe. How…[...]

The Company Recorder

NOTE !Content Warning!: Contains The Following- Body Gore, Blood, Organ Gore, Detached Narrator, Medical Term Usage; (that may make many uncomfortable as I was writing it), Mentions Of Fictional War,…[...]

The Red Cell

I hate this. Out of all the shitty side effects of this fucking curse, this is by far the worst part. The red. Everything, all the time, just red. The…[...]

Liberosis

DISCLAIMER: This story also has some curse words. I woke up in my 1981 Cadillac Eldorado. The smell inside was putrid. I looked over at the passenger seat—chunks of carrots…[...]

Seeing Red

I remember warmth.A life full of it. Faces of a family I once loved, now blurred and distorted. The world I first saw through rose-colored glasses is long gone. Now,…[...]

Even Now

The ground didn’t look burned. That was the problem. It looked paused—like the world had stopped mid-breath and never decided to finish it. ⸻ They were in what used to…[...]

APRIL 31

Today is April 31. That’s what the breeze-torn calendar says, pinned to a tilting wooden post with a hunting knife. A dark red streak cuts through the black ink of…[...]

The Monument

Today is April 31. The year, according to the data left by the old gods, is 2110. Spring, yes that is what they called it I believe. It is, as…[...]

April 31st?

"Today is April 31st," the nurse replied."That doesn’t make any sense," I said.The nurse, skimming my chart, looked up. “You’ve been out a while’.""How long," I replied."About Three years," the…[...]

In The Shadows Deep Within

Thump Thump, I felt my heart beat quicker and quicker as the pain shot through my whole body. What has this human done to me? Why does my body feel…[...]

The Weight of the Wall

The heavy-lift passenger drone touched down at the old International Airport, its rotors screaming against the humid Jakartan air. Mark looked at the smoking horizon where his towers were tilting…[...]

He lived

The world didn’t end loud enough for anyone to understand it was over.No sirens. No final warning. No desperate voice on a radio telling people where to go.Just silence.Deep under…[...]

Letters to Earth

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: Physical violence, gore, or abuse, suicide or self harm] My father used to write letters. He said they were “to Earth”, though at the time the concept was…[...]

The Mission

CW: Violence, religious extremism “I wasn’t sure I would have another chance to write in this journal. The last image I can recall is the outline of what I hoped…[...]

One Man and the World

In a peaceful world known as Farhome, a lone human man sits at his table alone with his thoughts. Named James Rune, he had been sitting in his house for…[...]

Safe Room

Safe RoomFriday April 13, EveningSomething weird happened this morning. I awoke to my parents' panicked shouts of "Our TV's broken. The stove's not working." Still half-asleep, I stretched my hand…[...]

The Far Wall

Today is April 31.I know that’s not a real date. I know how calendars work. I probably know more about orbital physics than anyone here, which is four people and…[...]

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…[...]

Jonas

Jonas had never really thought of himself as a man who believed in the paranormal. Superstition and other such nonsense was for the weak minded and those he deemed inferior.…[...]

by any other name

“SHAPESHIFTER ON BOARD!” I screech, climbing down from the crow’s nest. “MONSTER! MONSTER ON BOARD!” It’s the dead of night aboard the Roger’s Revenge. The crew begins scrambling around, lighting…[...]

Spider Lily

A small smile touched Vivienne’s lips as she thumbed through the knickknacks on the glass counter. Her thoughts drifted to the coming week. Spring break. No lesson plans. No grading.…[...]

Playing House

Once. Twice. I blinked back against the warm sunlight spilling from my open bedroom window. Then, in a lazy yawn, stretched my arms against the bubblegum headboard. "You're finally awake..."…[...]

The Script

The Script I’m on the phone talking with Phil, our recently recruited special effects wizard from over at CMT, Inc., (Well, wizard might be a little strong since he’s only…[...]

Author

David had never written anything good in his life. Not in his school essays, not in his postcards, not even in his diary. He had always found something to blame…[...]

The Accidental Robber

There were a pair of police officers checking security over a local bank. The bank had just been robbed about five minutes prior and the two officers were tasked with…[...]

It’s all Over.

The first one Martin Kempt noticed was the one in the middle. The one with the straw-dry salt and pepper hair, crinkled back behind his ears - part of a…[...]

Out of Options

“We’ll be in touch.”John let out a dry breath. They wouldn’t. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel and sat there to collect his thoughts. His mind replayed the…[...]

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…[...]

The Writer Who Wasn’t Alone

I wasn’t supposed to be in the story.That’s rule number one.You create the world. You shape the characters. You decide what they feel, what they lose, what they fight for.You…[...]

Gone

He looked at the withered post-it note affixed to the center of a refrigerator door. Written on it were two scribbled words, “Anterograde amnesia,” and one name with a single…[...]

Ink that bites back

The first time it happened, Mara thought it was a coincidence.She had been sitting at her kitchen table, the cheap notebook open, pen tapping nervously against the page. Writing had…[...]

Exactly the Way it Does

Our high school talent show was in two weeks—we couldn’t agree.Brian, our bassist, said, “Let’s cover Primus,” then started slapping and popping—pretending to be Les Claypool.It sounded terrible. I plugged…[...]

The Color Black

I wake to the sound of church bells. They fill the air with their chimes and dings, signaling the eighth hour of the day. There are voices outside, shouting something…[...]

Fear Manifested.

When Justin and I were in our twenties, going to an adult-only roller rink at 10:30 PM would hardly have sounded like a wild night out. But tonight, that was…[...]

LifeTime Inc.

Mason Fleece’s eyes opened to silence for the first time in years. Screetches from his alarm clock had pulled him from dreams of rainforests and mountains every morning for the…[...]

Margin of Error

The message was only twelve words long. Kovács read it twice before sending, thumb hovering over the encrypted transmit key. He had spent twenty years of his career learning how…[...]

How to Bury Tommy Perez (a tutorial by Sailor Wizel)

TW: A little bit of gore and mentions of blood It was incredibly dark out the morning Sailor buried the boy.A certain panic can rise through your body when something…[...]

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…[...]

Forever Amber

The Maurepas Swamp had swallowed men before, and it would swallow Ray Donner, too, if the night had its way. The rain pressed down like drowned burlap. Sweat streamed from…[...]

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…[...]

The Only Place I See

The only place I see is the horizon. What a beautiful and horrific view. When I am completely concentrated I can almost pinpoint the meeting of the sea and the…[...]

Cain and the cockatoo

Cain had learned that the name Jesus came from Yeshua—a Hebrew name meaning God saves. He thought this was important to remember. Cain learned this from a book he dug…[...]

I Exist.

I, with no eyes, have been watching. I do not exist yet I am everywhere and nowhere all the time and never. I have no senses and yet I am…[...]

Red Dawn Rising

Poppy could ignore the three alarms that had already gone off. But she couldn’t ignore her Siamese cat’s gentle pawing at her face. She knew it was only a matter…[...]

Gray (an excerpt)

Author’s Note: This piece is an excerpt from a larger body of upcoming work titled, Scar City. Gray. Everywhere. Luka reached for Ophelia’s arm and pulled her inside the shadow…[...]

Deserted

Rachel awoke lying on a beach with debris littered around her. She looked around, confused about how she ended up there. Then she remembered the terrible storm the night before.…[...]

A Beach House on the Bering Strait

The sea loomed in front of Erick like a vast and endless monolith. There was nothing else in his life. Nothing but the unforgiving ocean. He tried desperately not to…[...]

Pale Blue Sky

There was naught a tree speckling the horizon. White, cracked salt flats spread before me, crumbling beneath the weight of the pale blue sky. Nary a wisp of rain cloud…[...]

A Strange Shade of Dawn

A STRANGE SHADE OF DAWN As bubblegum pink as the inside of your mouth, the frothy bubbles cling to the bulbous kelp strewn on the sand. Like a hot whisper…[...]

The Hum

The Sound That Makes You Sick — Vlog 1: Ridgepoint (uploaded April 26th, 2026)Video transcript:Can you hear it? “Jordan, what am I supposed to hear?” you ask. I’m not talking…[...]

Thirsty

This story contains reference to sexual violence and physical violence. The blood soaked deep into the dusty ground, turning the pale tan to a dark, rich burnt umber. I left…[...]

The Woman Across the Aisle

The Woman Across the Aisleby Owen Smith I shouldn’t be allowed in here, he thought. His footsteps echoed across the empty pews, bouncing from wall to wall like bullets ricocheting…[...]

Last Chance

She remembers. She always remembers. Every hurt, every open wound. Every festering sore. She can’t help her immune system. Can’t help but to lash out at us. That doesn’t help…[...]

Event Horizon

“Come, Davis, you wanted to know what makes this experience so special. Come look out the window,” Lee offered. Fighting his feelings of uneasy frustration, Davis moved towards the cockpit.…[...]

Bell’s Crossing

The first time Mara heard the voice beneath the soil, she thought she was losing her mind.It happened in late October, when the forests surrounding the tiny town of Bell’s…[...]

The Disruptors 1.2

The energy of the room vibrated around him while laughter, clinking glassware, and small performances played out like an orchestra he and his wife had composed together over decades. At…[...]

THE RED IN THE RAIN

Deep red puddles collected in the dirt lanes of Masaki, thick as clotting blood. It has rained that day, though it never should have. The leaves hung heavy, each one…[...]

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…[...]

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…[...]

Tomorrow isn’t Promised

Tomorrow isn’t Promised The Red Pine Section of Oak HeightsThe Newnan ResidenceJuly 18, 202611:41 PMCHAD TANNER!?! Son of a-Bryce Newnan reclined on his back porch’s new hammock. He’d quit smoking…[...]

From April to May

From April to MayBy: Mackenzie Evans I remember the lights. Blinding. Headlights growing brighter and brighter, each second—an eternity, until they looked like two suns exploding. Exploding? Or, was that…[...]

Seven Plates For The Dead

By the time the seventh plate was carried into the dining hall, four people at the table had already lied about why Lord Kwaku Bediako was dead.Only one of them…[...]

Haint Blue Homecoming

By the time I turned off County Road 12, the kudzu had swallowed the mailbox whole. Green vines thick as rope curled around the post like something claiming a body.…[...]

Rhyming with Daisy

The clothes had to have been too big.Rango repeated that same sentence in silence, in the form of both an observation, and a plea, dozens of times during the drive…[...]

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 End Of The World

The day the world ended was the day that Billy Candor’s life changed for the better. Though he was only ten, Billy knew he had a tough life. When he…[...]

What Did We Bury?

INMATE FOUND DEAD IN CELL: Ellis Rucker, 28, found unresponsive in his cell at Kessler Correctional early Thursday. Prison officials say foul play has not been ruled out. Clara read…[...]

Initials

INITIALS Michael Carsagian gave himself the once-over in the mirror. Appropriate for a confrontation? He shrugged.He hadn’t worn the blue blazer since the office Christmas party, but it went well…[...]

The Thing In the Casket

[CW: References to suicide.] The thing in the casket looked nothing like Ryan Cole. Rain poured off the sides of the heavy canvas canopy, turning the graveyard grass to mud.…[...]

The Woman Beneath the Bells

By noon, everyone in Hollowmere had come to see whether Marta Bell was truly dead.They arrived in black coats and polished boots, carrying lilies and candles. The church stood at…[...]

Safe Distance

Thursday Evening (Upstairs Room, Community Centre) They all sat round a rickety coffee table perched on plastic seats in varying degrees of discomfort like they were trying to prove something.…[...]

The Smile They Remembered

Father Joseph looked around the sea of black in front of him as he stepped towards the lectern. The polished oak at his fingertips was cold to the touch. The…[...]

Election Night

‘Twas election night, and the votes were in. All day across the city, people blackened in little ovals and dropped ballots into metal boxes. The residents were picking the future…[...]

The Sunflowers

Leanette adjusted the napkins placed on top of the plates so that the embroidered sunflowers sit right at the center. This is the third time in ten minutes. She moved…[...]

The Babysitters

Vedalia huffed as she entered the house and set a box down on the counter. "Kids, we're home," she said.Ethan was right behind her. Vedalia grabbed a glass of wine…[...]

The Picture-Perfect Family

We held hands as my father said the prayers."Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food and for the ones who prepared it." He smiled warmly at my mother, who…[...]

The Fourth Place Setting

Mysteries may unfold or unravel at a moment’s notice or may intensify in depth until they are barely solvable. — The Narrator This was the time and place for all…[...]

Silent Table

During a dinner party in the final days of September, there was a man by the name of Michael Tret who as looking for someone else there named, Eric Wron.…[...]

A Rainbow in Kentucky

For Independence Day Emily wanted music. Jen wanted crafts. Olivia said a Rainbow Gathering was the perfect compromise.They found information online. The national gathering was somewhere in the Daniel Boone…[...]

Our Greatest, Most Fictitious Condolences

A middle aged woman watched the fire sprang to life, making a satisfying crackling sound as the flames enlarged. It never got old. Although the rest of Morgan Hall had…[...]

Paper Chains

Dangling limply across the makeshift walls of the office cubicles, a paper chain made from scrap paperwork was severed at the middle. Perhaps the gluestick that had been used to…[...]

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…[...]

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…[...]

When I Read Beckett

…in…in this room…cursed room…loved?... cursed…. where she slept…half-grown in her hometown t-shirt…shorts…no shorts…t-shirt worn with holes…on the floor…he having thrown it…under the bed…dust collected and swept and settled again…. and…[...]

Seven Hundred and Thirty Days

My eyes felt like galaxies—holding the swirling glow of countless memories—as I took in our childhood home. Its siding looked like remnants of driftwood after a bonfire. I swore I…[...]

inspirAItion

08:50:05.000:RequestGeneratedHey Phaedra, can you give me a recipe for vegan lasagne with a rich, creamy bechamel sauce?08:50:05.005: ResponseDispatched++Certainly! For a delicious vegan lasagne, you'll need lasagne noodles, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta,…[...]