Romance Short Stories

A Life Running Parallel

Walking on the avenue, I duck the wet drops of whatever ungodly liquid leaks from the EL train above. The ground shakes as the giant heap of metal roars overhead,…[...]

Self-reliance

On a dusky evening in a metropolitan city, where crimson clouds shimmied in the sky, and the rain poured down like gentle spit, if you were to peer through a…[...]

The Raven’s Mark

Ella slams the book closed, the first sound in the room since her brother’s obnoxious snoring briefly interrupted the deal. She takes a breath, passing the book to her right.…[...]

The Super Pals

Have you ever slept through your alarm and had to skip breakfast? Have you ever wished for more protein in the morning than what bland oatmeal could provide? Have you…[...]

The day I discovered Alchemy wasn’t a Gimmick

Warning: Somewhat vague reference to waterboarding near the end ---------------- It’s an old thing. Brown, leather bound, nothing embossed into the cover; it resembles a boring little journal.I was told…[...]

Was It Worth It?

You know, hanging here. Suspended a foot off the ground in a kinetic field. I keep thinking to myself: Was it worth it? … Two days ago … “Dammit, Mark!…[...]

The Artist & the Whisperer

Lorendale Academy, the only place that would take me. And that was after a sizable donation from my mother. The academy wasn’t bad, just grimy and old. The professors stank…[...]

The Story of my life

When you see a dusty red book that has your name on the front with your birth and (what you assume to be) your death date, you have to open…[...]

The Librarian

Kenzo wakes up clenching his sword's sheath. He finds himself sitting in an elegant white chair. There is also a white table, at which Kenzo notices a man sitting across…[...]

We’re Closing in Ten Minutes

Eileen had reached the stage of academic failure where panic stopped being useful and turned into personality.Not peace—nothing that dignified. More like resignation with opinions. The kind that said, Yes,…[...]

A Leap of Faith

I closed the textbook. I was sitting at my desk, so lost in thought that I realized I hadn’t turned the page in a while. Instead of paying attention and…[...]

The Memory of Warmth

The kettle’s whistle cut through Ethel Jean’s spiral like a blade through silk—sharp, wrong, impossible to ignore. And then it hit her: someone had put it on.She had retreated to…[...]

The Raven’s Brew

“So, how’s the big city treating you, Gus?” Darius says, lifting his mug and breathing in the scent. “Not bad. Much smoother than on your ship,” Gustav replies with a…[...]

That Time I Married a Demon

I escaped three minutes and thirty-nine seconds after our first dance as husband and wife. My heels click-clacked against the cobblestone at the costly resort we booked for our wedding,…[...]

A Familiar Warmth

“How is your promotion going? Malguinem Port is a big place,” Belle asks, taking a breath as she lowers herself into her chair. The chair is still upholstered in that…[...]

In From the Snow

What are we doing here? This snow is getting thicker, turning into a snowstorm with each passing minute, and my life in this town has been far too short to…[...]

The shop that noticed her

seraphiel had lived in Yorkshire all her life, and she knew Leeds like most people know their favourite mug — familiar, comforting, and chipped in all the right places. She’d…[...]

Snow Day

I was pouring our coffee when Acacia, Ward’s very large cat, head bonked my ankle, causing me to spill hot coffee on the counter and my hand. “Damn it. Girl,…[...]

Best Friends Forever

CW: Themes of substance abuse and murder. In a restaurant beneath the indefinite rain, wearing casual clothes instead of armor, Dillon scopes his surroundings. He keeps his head low, and…[...]

The Death of His Innocence

The young man we now know as The Forsaken Hybrid, one of the Next Up, and Strikes, was once a nobody. The child didn’t even know his birth name. His…[...]

The Raven’s Witness

“Chomp!” They always wake me. My sleep, interrupted. I sometimes wonder if the Ravens are good for me. But Miss Ella was kind to me, all those years ago. She…[...]

A Harrowing Walk Home

A Harrowing Walk Home Priscilla stepped outside and breathed in the stifling summer heat. She’d finished her shift in the kitchen at Nick’s Diner and looked forward to a relaxing…[...]

Character Flaw

“Thank you, all in a day’s work for a superhero. Just doing my job,” Cosmo Corrigan said as he smiled and struck a pose with his arms on his hips,…[...]

Carneville

Being immortal is not so bad when you live in a carnival. The worst part about being immortal should be the dullness, but at the carnival, there is so much…[...]

An Afternoon at the Shipyard

I always keep the office window open. I like the scent of the sea, the feel of the sun on my skin. For so long I couldn’t feel it at…[...]

Finish Line

Jack Cannon2/5/2026 When I was young, I had a friend named Harvey who lived next door. We were the same age, going to the same school, and had the same…[...]

The Weight He Chose

“My dear, why must you be so busy all the time? Surely the kingdom will go on without you for one day.” Sebastian sighs, falling back into his chair. The…[...]

The Raven’s Fortune

“Hold still, brother,” Gustav says, wringing out a cloth until dark water drips onto the floorboards. The room smelling of iron and burned flesh, sharp enough to sting the eyes.…[...]

Tucklet

Dear Harriet,Hoping that all is going well for you, including sorting the galleys of your latest novel which I am looking very forward to reading in due course. As always,…[...]

A life to Remember

My father was a strong man of many talents. Years before I was born, he was a circus performer, riding bulls and racing horses for a show. We have yellowed…[...]

Jesus was in the Oculus Last Friday

I. Jesus was in the Oculus last Friday, and he wasn’t wearing any shoes. I nearly tripped over him sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the polished marble floor. It was early in…[...]

Petels in the wind

The shining rays of the sun brought a warmth to my saddened heart. Its essence was like food for my soul, providing what was right for me as I stood…[...]

Ember & Ice

The heat was already climbing when I reached the fruit stand on Alvarado, the kind of LA morning where the air feels preheated, like the city woke up inside an…[...]

A Growing Hunger

I have no use for it, this feeling that grows for you in my chest. As a collector of souls, it is antithetical to my practice; as a demon, it…[...]

Up In Smoke

Yesterday, if you'd asked me how long a minute was, I would've said "60 seconds" and then gone about my day as minutes slipped by, one after another with no…[...]

The Ticket

East or west, those were my choices.Only the Korean eatery’s neon sign and its dark windows broke through the harsh fluorescent lights of the train station’s platform, as the surrounding…[...]

The Journal of Eteri Sibrdzne

CW: Mild sexual content. Journal of Eteri Sibrdzne 2024.11.15 Morning Preparation I dreamt last night that I was deep in a birch forest of the sort one finds in the…[...]

Freckled

03-01-26 Sunday 4:20 PMIf I had known she cared half as much as I did for her, I never would have kissed her sister, which, in the end, was one…[...]

Borrowing Minutes From Oblivion

Synkronis existed in a unique curve in the fabric of the universe, the space between the end of one universe and the beginning of another. It was not the sort…[...]

The 4:20 to County Jail

The 4:20 to County Jail by Raymundo AKA "Ray Ray" Reyes. This story contains themes of drug abuse and criminality. This story is meant to satisfy all 5 prompts for…[...]

King For A Day

Picture an idyllic storybook town, technicolor-vivid blue sky overlooking verdant trees and placid lakes. It's the kind of place where bad things happen only in the horror stories kids tell…[...]

The observed actions of conceited Tilly Andrews

My shopping bags feel even emptier in my hand when I arrive at the store front – which is evidently not open. It feels so adult to be disappointed by…[...]

Branches of Fate

I pushed through the crowds swarming Regent and Oxford, a veritable sea of people moving in ways impossible to predict. Individuals made thoughtful, intentional movements, unaware of how deeply impacted…[...]

Apathy is but One Consequence of Monstrosity

Today will be the last time I see Zachary. Although I had admired his manor frequently in the weeks prior, I first met him only when I delivered him a…[...]

Cordelia Moriaglu

Cordelia Moriaglu I walk on the crepuscular hopes.My dreams are intangible. I remember everything.This holy diary of mine, a testimony of Beauty and Truth I do not like the word…[...]

Answers

Each step forward took her no further, and likewise with turning around. Her own monologue screamed at her to stay on the path every time she walked into the desert…[...]

The Ice Cream Shop Incident

Sparrow sighed. “Morning, please stop.”“Huh?”“Stop. Please.” Sparrow dropped her head onto the counter. “You’re so annoying. Where’s our sister?”Morning smiled. “What? No idea. You don’t like my dancing?”“Hate it. How…[...]

Uprooted

Content Warning: References to Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Descriptions of Violence and Gore, Implications of Creepy Behavior by One Character, Some Coarse Language They say you can’t change the past.…[...]

Between Images

The click of Paul’s boot heels echoed from the concrete as he walked to board the train. He was the only one at this station, but he could hear others…[...]

Once I Was

“This one’s for the Guelph Girlies!” Karl yelled to the crowded Toronto bar. A table of twenty-something women in pink sashes cheered. A smooth guitar riff came through the speakers.“Yeah,”…[...]

The Transporter

He could never remember how it all started. Despite trying to recollect really hard, he could not pinpoint the exact date and time. It was sometime in the last summer.…[...]

Schlaraffia

The digThe groans and heavy wheezing filled the humid tunnel air. Yet, it was dulled by the sticky walls, which glowed in a slimy ivory color under the light of…[...]

INSANITY

A man walked out from an office building bending his head through the doorway. Gripping his briefcase in his hands, a staff member walked past him and he waved goodbye…[...]

My Entire Teaching Career for Seven Useless Awards

“Pizza? I see you bought love for the day."I'd know because I was a teacher, too. I did stuff like that, then they screwed me when I got everything I…[...]

The Promise

“They’re here!” The almoner shouted, barging through the outer door, his voice echoing through the open halls of the abbey. “They’re here! Grinswal is here!” Commotion followed. Monks left their…[...]

Confrontation

Jenny sat in her living room, cold and unwelcoming.She drew in a shaky breath, her eyes fixed on the dagger resting on the coffee table, golden hilt gleaming, crimson blade…[...]

The picture of the cat

Brown fur. Which one would work? Lea’s fingers stroked gently over the neatly arranged coloured pencils in the box. Seeing the colours, she waited for the right feeling. A light…[...]

Chased by the Dead

CW: violence, drug use Jack wakes up in a cold sweat, alone in an unfamiliar room. Turning on the dim bedside lamp he sits on the edge of the bed…[...]

The King of the Dead Returns

Unconscious and floating in a void of nothingness is none other than Kenzo Kensten, his body whole, unsevered. “I've long awaited this day, Kenzo Kensten.” At the sound of the…[...]

Hi

“Hi.”Brandon jerked upright in bed. “Who, who’s there?”“You may call me…Um, let’s see… Ed will do. Um, well, seeing everyone already calls me Ed.”“Where are you?” He scanned the room,…[...]

Salamander

What? Ugh. Why is it wet?The cold-wet sensation makes my toes curl. My socks get even wetter. I look at my feet. Scanning the floor, I finally catch the reflection…[...]

The Wayback

**Mentions of substance abuse, death of a loved one and child endangerment. All of these are brief and needed to bring the story forward. Kate pulled into the driveway of…[...]

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…[...]

Hunger and Something Else

Today is April 31. That was what the sign said when I found it, hanging crooked from the rusted ceiling of a gas station, its letters half-burned away like the…[...]

Lingering Haze

Sensitive content: Organized crime “The cured water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant radioactive reactors meets the safety standards and has been released…”I turn off the TV immediately. I…[...]

Monster

Monster Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sylvia Snyde. Sylvia was very beautiful. Every morning, she looked into the mirror that she had bought at a local…[...]

Dead on Arrival

Dead on ArrivalAn Urban Legend from the Strength of OldBy Mark VanTassel Shamrock winced, then suppressed his heebie-jeebies. ‘Doctor, heal thyself,’ was a common phrase. Performing quality assurance on his…[...]

Worst Of Both Worlds

Romulus hated the rain.He didn’t mildly dislike the concept. He didn’t detest it in the moment, and when the weather shifted forgot all about those feelings. He didn’t play it…[...]

Slime

Georgie’s town had once been a lively little city with cars and commerce and corruption, but things started to change the day the mayor was taken from his office at…[...]

The Patron Saint of Devils

Humans have their legends and their myths. Beautiful and blessed, these legends tell of heroes who endure epic quests and slay evil monsters. But what about these monsters and why…[...]

Apocalypse – Lowlands

Apocalypse - lowlandsThe charred ground crunched beneath Max's feet as he advanced through the lowlands. Nowhere in sight was there a patch of earth that was not the deepest black,…[...]

Big Box Faith

Big Box Faith The people followed each other in vast loops around the tall freezers, down the aisles, stopping only to grab a box from a shelf. Examining, pretending to…[...]

Guardapalabras

Before last night, I was nobody in particular. I mean that literally. Our apartment has bare walls where other families hang portraits. No photo albums. No letters from the old…[...]

A CLATTER OF IMPS

A CLATTER OF IMPS* * from the Book of St. Albans (1486), attributed to Dame Juliana Barnes. The hamlet of Pidley-on-Crauch evolved hand in hand with Pidley Abbey, deep in…[...]

Elusive Repairs

Theo searched the wall of ‘MISSING’ faces until he saw the one he was looking for. He glanced around the small corner store for prying eyes, grasped the bottom corners…[...]

So Long

On January 1, 2027, a face appeared across all media platforms, TV, and radio stations. It was almost human, but not entirely. If I said that being blurry and out…[...]

Me the Fish

There was an incident at the office opposite my shop today. I don’t know whether ‘incident’ is the correct word for what happened as it has such negative connotations. And…[...]

Elevator Operator

Ever since they could remember, best buds Jes and Daniel had the cliché dream to hop in their car with a single suitcase directly after high-school graduation and move to…[...]

Projection

They never spoke to me, but I was always right behind them, and depending on which way they were heading, I could be at their side. Sometimes I looked like…[...]

Plot 42

Plot 42 At sixty-two, Arthur Tarmack was retired from his career as an actuary, a job he found thrillingly predictable. He was reliable as a Swiss watch. He drank his…[...]

Monsters in the Modern World

The worst thing about being a werewolf in Dusty Creek isn’t the silver bullets.It’s the cholesterol. Seriously. I survived villagers with torches, a priest who tried to exorcise me with…[...]

“Convenience Store”

(This story contains cursing) Look, I work nights at a convenience store. I’ve seen some stuff. Tonight, though, is seriously making me want to quit. I’m hiding away in the…[...]

Lou (Part 2)

Against his will, Lou was forced by his parents into the museum of his past and current feelings—a place located below his chin, and above his crotch. A place where…[...]

Doppelgänger

“Doppelgänger” The name caught my attention at once. I slowed my step and tried to make out the little shop across the street. My overactive imagination immediately answered the half-formed…[...]

The Glass Man

The sky is escaping to the ocean.Pouring itself back to its most comfortable form in sheets. The ocean rages, reflecting the sky in even darker blues and greys. The sky…[...]

The Creature Between Us

“—I think so,” Niam said, staring at the thing between us. Everyone said you could tell how strong a love was by how beautiful its creature looked. Some were delicate…[...]

Mr. Pemberly’s Peculiar Parlour

Theo Marlowe did not believe in signs.Not the mystical sort, anyway.Magic, in his experience, was real enough to power the lamps over the streets and keep the tramlines humming blue…[...]

Confusion’s Nephew

Confusion couldn’t figure out how one was meant to skate at Rockefeller Center. She didn’t know where to rent the skates. Where the ticket booth was. She didn’t know how…[...]

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…[...]

The Forgotten Shrine

The ebb and flow of power between gods has been happening long before the age of technology. We find the proof of it in their relics and temples scattered around…[...]

Memphis with a Red Glaze

And you see, you can hold her hand in the limo, if you want. I hold hands in limousines. I get nervous. People get nervous when they start to get…[...]

The Diary That Chose to Write Itself

22nd Jan, ‘22. Yes, my mom is a hostess. No, my mom is not an oversized magical dog, like Nicholas says. First and foremost, Nicholas is a nitwit. Do dogs…[...]

Lost and Found

Sam took a shaky breath, wiping away her tears. Her fingers twisted the floral handkerchief until the fabric strained.How am I supposed to live without you? You said you’d never…[...]

An Elegant Solution

Becca Hickman didn't know why she picked up the grubby-looking book in the first place, and she couldn't possibly articulate why she kept it. She thought about it often, later.…[...]

Worry Dolls

“Laura come down for breakfast!” Cynthia yells this upstairs and has no idea that it shakes the walls. She is only directly below the bed that Laura was trying to…[...]

Gray People

Murray walked out the door and into the late afternoon. Early-evening winds jogged over the blasted topsoil of the parking area; its black surface dominated by itinerant veins of oily…[...]

The Synesthete’s Diner

Marnie woke at 5:47 AM and tasted the dusty mauve of her bedroom curtains—sour, mineral, like old pennies soaked in grape juice. She made a mental note to wash them,…[...]

CROSS SLASH: Heaven and Hell

Dr. Sven Cain is evil.From a time during his innocent youth, Sven was the dominating factor in medical science and robotic engineering. He didn’t just practice medical science and robotic…[...]

Paint it Back

Winston Montag sat in a corner of the small cafe, staring down at his weathered hands in mute shock. His left hand gripped the grey paper cup, welcoming the familiar…[...]

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…[...]