Romance Short Stories

The Last Leather Straps

Mirror imageWith a jolt Keith sat up straight in his bed. Breathing heavily, he wiped his forehead. His eyes wandered to the alarm clock.3.39“Go back to sleep.”Sarah’s voice was barely…[...]

Changing Fortunes

Drifting off to asleep, Tony DeAngelo, 70, millionaire and widower, longed to be young again. It was his only desire. Thirteen miles away, also drifting off to sleep, Dylan Madden,…[...]

There Goes the Neighborhood

There Goes The NeighborhoodBy Kirsten S. “Goddamit,” she heard Reed shout. “There’s another one!” Zee was gnawing at a shankbone, nibbling the flesh off the bone with delicate bites. She…[...]

Forest

The first thing the forest forgot was its own name. It had once been spoken in wind and root, carried in birdsong and whispered through moss. The Aos Sí had…[...]

The Philosopher’s Pitch

“Thank you, Vultures. My name is Matteo, I am 33 years old from Portland, and I am seeking $250,000 in exchange for 22% of my company. Our promise – turning…[...]

The edge of the world

Vincent made a sharp turn, causing the car to sway along the rocky road.“You could at least slow down,” Amaia complained. “This road is full of bends.”Vincent grunted.“You wanted to…[...]

The Barn

Men ravaged with age, slurping white corn and frozen veggie soup, a blend of little taste, dipping stale bread, spoons in the creases of crow’s-feet mouths, slurping, heads down. The…[...]

“Keeper of the Roots”

“Keeper of the Roots”Ms. Kwan PerkinsWord Count: 1909 Élise Noire was born at twilight when the Mississippi River rose higher than it had in years, swollen with light from the…[...]

Trails of a Garden Past

I still remember the first year Grandma decided she couldn't garden anymore. In truth, the decision had been about four years overdue, but a shock to the family nonetheless. Back…[...]

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…[...]

The Wizard on 114th

Late Summer afternoons had always painted the buildings along 114th Street in a haze, and there was a particularly orange hue today. Sumaya, swinging her legs over the edge of…[...]

The Ruby Itch

I stared into the cave, trying to calm my excited breath. If I was right, I had found the largest deposit of rubies that had ever been found in my…[...]

A Robot the Size of the World

It took destroying the world, but I finally learned the difference between true meaning, and just information. My own life began simply enough, when my power button was pressed for…[...]

The Next Step

Tristan stirred the sickly green tea in his mug, watching the bag bob up and down in murky suspension. He took a sip, cringed, and grunted in disgust. Far from being…[...]

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…[...]

A Quiet Way To Spend Ten Years

On a cool, clear day in late September, I went out for my final cup of tea. There was a place I liked downtown. Yemeni. The girls who worked there…[...]

Birthday Bones

The story’s the same every year. Light the candles, blow them out, eat the cake. I smile while everyone sings, I party with my friends, I have a few drinks,…[...]

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…[...]

Timing

I guess interesting is the word of wonder at why I look at my watch when waiting for the day break? I sit in a damp mood with anxiety looking…[...]

The Stage Stop

Thomas Cooper pressed his forehead against the cold panes of the front window, watching snowflakes swirl in the gathering dusk. The glass held the bite of Wyoming Territory’s fierce spring…[...]

Annexation

“I’m…sorry? What was that?” The woman, Melissa asked. “Hard of hearin’ ain’t ya?” A man with a black cowboy hat, Bill Jones, sneered. Although she didn’t see it now, his…[...]

The Gift

Ashley woke to the sound of a knock. She pushed herself up in bed and brushed the hair away from her face as the door of the guest room creaked open…[...]

Toodle-oo, Mayor

Ottentail, Arizona 1875 “Painter!” The man known throughout town only by his profession rolls onto his back, letting out a phlegmy cough. Skin and bones, with one sad grey eye…[...]

Preacher Man

THE MORNING I stole my daddy’s gun, the summer heat had already baked the dew off the grass. I remember the metal felt warm when I wrapped it in my…[...]

Fontanelle, Nebraska1882 Myles Killebrew coughs up blood. Doc Hurtz wipes Myles’ lips with a rag, saying, “It won’t be long now.” Deputy Tennessee Longacre mutters, “Good riddance” under his breath.…[...]

Tea, No Sympathy

Peace Officer English stepped off his horse and greeted the men. He winked. “Well let me guess which one of you gentlemen I’m taking in”. The men laughed. Three of…[...]

Old Fruit Stains

Alma, with everything she ever owned shuffling and bouncing in the back of her truck, chewed on the already sore part of her lip. Going 90 on the back road…[...]

Lil’ Bit

“I told him, I says, ain’t no horse gonna get you far out here, boy, when you’re sloggin’ through three feet of powder. An’ he drags himself over to the…[...]

Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom

My dad lives in this time and space, riding his motorcycle about the neighborhood barefooted, in cutoff jeans and old t-shirt, black curls blowing high above his forehead in the…[...]

Devil’s Pit, Arizona

The desert wind blows dry and hot. The sky is pale blue due to the lack of moisture. Beneath the cloudless sky rides a solitary rider slumped in his saddle, his head…[...]

Annie’s rising

ANNIE’S RISING The ground yielded to Annie Lawson as she slammed down the arrow shaped head of her hoe and cracked the sun-baked clay. This hard-won soil was to be…[...]

EMBERS

I am in the winter o’ my life and I knows it. My bones knows it, too. And, sometimes, as I sit and stare into the fire, I imagine I…[...]

How could I have know?

I can still feel the disgusting warmth on my hands, even to this day. Even if all my memories were to fade, that feeling would still haunt me. I have…[...]

Ruby Dreams

RUBY DREAMS Incorporating annotated excerpts from a greater work (Brave Rivers That Dream of the Sea) concerning a Confederate exile in Mexico, and a broken hacienda wherein live Ruby and…[...]

Pinkie’s Promise

Note: This story contains a scene of accidental death. It describes cruelty toward animals. It includes a letter written from the perspective of a combatant in wartime, describing some of…[...]

Duel with a Devil at Sundown

“Yeah, that’ll work. ‘Unholy demon, Lord of the Flies, my name is John Westlake, and this is my band. With their help, I would challenge you to a guitar battle.’” …[...]

THE SHORTY HARRIS STORY

THE SHORTY HARRIS STORYAn infamous ‘Jackass Prospector’ set out to find fortune. He found it, lost it, and kept searching; only to realize, in the end, what he truly valued.…[...]

The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper

The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper You’re not gonna believe this… I grew up watching television Westerns. I always wanted to ride with Matt Dillon, the Bonanza boys, and Jim…[...]

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…[...]

Dancing on Air

Mammoth, Arizona1888 Mayor Cash Ridley gazes out of his second-floor office window at the carriages and horses navigating through Mammoths’s dusty streets, speaking with his back to Deputy Mayor Stephen…[...]

On a Gut Feeling

“You burn your dead here?”“Yeah,” the deputy said, his attention quickly drawing away.Georgia Lasko looked to where the deputy and the few hundred gathered townsfolk were staring. A cart was…[...]

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…[...]

With His Boots On

IN THE EAST, a faint rose and gold ethereal light hinted at dawn breaking through the deep indigo of the night. Nathaniel Everett sat still on the weathered porch steps…[...]

Twelve Minutes Before Sunrise

Nebraska Prairie, 1892“I ain’t goin’ back, I told you.” Jacob grabbed the reins harder, steering the rumbling wagon toward the bruised-looking horizon.“I want Mama! Even that dang baby. Daddy’s gonna’…[...]

Bullets and Gold

Bullets and Gold*** Graverobber. He still remembers the first time he was called that. It was only a couple days ago but it felt like months. Then it kept happening.…[...]

Beneath the dust

Cowboy boots crunched on the desert ground, creating a cloud of dirt. Saguaro cacti rose high to the blistering sun above, their spines protruding from their arms. Closer to the…[...]

Starlit Mirage: Tales from the Darkest Desert

The town of Starlit Mirage got its name from the countless stories travelers told at the local saloon, The Black Rose. You see, Starlit Mirage is the only speck of…[...]

Inheritence

The sun was sinking behind the treeline when John first glimpsed the town. His old wagon had creaked and groaned along the last mile of disused path. A dozen days…[...]

Sweet

Roman was going to do it.On his first night back in Rock Candy Valley after five years, he would profess his love to Honey Bee Bennett.The woman who smiled slow…[...]

Trial by Silence: Tales from the Darkest Desert

The town of Starlit Mirage is a relatively lawless town according to Samuel Slater, a man in his late twenties that is wearing a lite tan two piece suit, with…[...]

In Conclusion: 33 Dead & a Turkey for Dinner

In the gray twilight of the hour that precedes the coming of the sun, forms are difficult to make out. Sight seems dimmed and untrustworthy. The whole world appears to…[...]

Amongst Men and Bears, Follow the Dogs

TW: mention of dementiaThe unincorporated town of Pray, Montana, lies within the Paradise Valley against the backdrop of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The town itself is a small collection of weathered…[...]

Working Girl

Working GirlThe newly arrived settlers had been making sacrifices to accommodate requests made by the Southern Kansas Stage Line. They were considering accepting the offer of opening a rest station…[...]

Mathematical Showdown

CECIL HIGGINS counted heartbeats like other men counted coins. Precise. Methodical. The drunk swaying twenty-six feet away had an elevated pulse—112 beats per minute, visible in the filthy neck above…[...]

The Light in the Darkness: Tales from the Darkest Desert

“Sometimes God sends angels down to earth to enact his will. They come disguised as regular folk like you and me, but they have been touched by His divine grace.…[...]

Obsession

The desert was a harsh place. Hot, dry, and lawless. Linus M. Cole knew these facts well. He kept his body well covered with a long coat, wide hat, and…[...]

Redemption or Damnation: Tales from the Darkest Desert

“I reckon this town ain’t got much longer. The demons have been more rowdy these past few months. Nearly lost you, girl.” Riley Roswell, nineteen years old, brushes his loyal…[...]

The Founding of Perdition

I WAS SITTING in a corner of what’s now one of the town’s respectable dining establishments, with linen napkins and decent wine. The floor still tilts in back, and the…[...]

The Problem of Distinction

CW: This story contains crass, well-meaning humor. The gloam of late evening bestowed the withered sage grass with a tinged vermillion sheen as the stranger rode into town high atop…[...]

The Strange Case of Samson Evot

I met him in the early summer of ‘83. The time of year when you could see cattle drives over the hills and the brothels were in good business. The…[...]

The Untold Chapters Of Her Soul

Sarah and Jonah kept running in circles around their new masterpiece in the sand. They had made a little cottage in the sand, which Sarah claimed would be her future…[...]

The Crossroads at High Noon

The sun beat down on Luke MacGruder as he strode down the wagon track. His spurs clicked with each step, and drops of sweat beaded on the tip of his…[...]

Dreams Are Only Regrets

TW: Violence, death, mention of blood It was a sweet thing upon the morning light. Sweet with enough bitterness in its afterthought to nearly choke him.She was there, holding that…[...]

Horton Played It Fast and Loose

Cockerville, New Mexico1888 The hotel’s front desk clerk gazes sleepily at the reporter’s business card. He checks him over, thinking the bespeckled, slightly built man with the slate gray eyes…[...]

Monday, October 28, 1878

The sun burned in the high in the sky, passing a judgment all its own. The prisoner, led out by Sheriff Bonjure, shuffled in black leg irons, dry dust from…[...]

One Night

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mental health, mentions of smoking and alcohol abuse, mentions of physical and verbal abuse] I never thought one night with a stranger would change me. Just two people…[...]

Oasis

Sound, in the true desert, is a force that catches you unawares always. In the bleakness of sand and scrub a shack adjoins a small house with two horses tied…[...]

Temporal Displacement

We have all heard the rumors that on the Island, people travel in time. They go back and do god knows what, playing with our history. If they made a…[...]

Resembling the Past

He limped back to his seat to the back of the train, when a vision caused him to stop in his tracks. Stopping too quickly to check his thoughts on…[...]

Peggy’s

It was a dreary night. The light of the bar sign was the only light that you could see. In neon lights it said, Peggy’s Bar.A young man walked in…[...]

Silent Fury

The sky burned with silent fury as the shuttle arched its ascent into the dark spaces above the sea of dunes. With any luck, it will reach a planet like…[...]

At the Lords Bequest

CW: Mature themes 1886It is late in the afternoon in Longbend. A dust storm is coating the town with coarse dirt, dusting the settlement like a decorative cake. Travellers have…[...]

At the Lords Bequest

CW: Mature themes 1886It is late in the afternoon in Longbend. A dust storm is coating the town with coarse dirt, dusting the settlement like a decorative cake. Travellers have…[...]

Coleman

The horse’s hooves pounded against the highway with gunshot ferocity tossing back bits of gravel and tar and quitting a burning plume of dust in the blue. Atop the horse…[...]

Deadwood

“Is that an arm?” Wyatt asked, bending at his skinny waist to get a closer look. My tired eyes weren’t sufficient for this task, not in the graying twilight, and…[...]

Coleman

The horse’s hooves pounded against the highway with gunshot ferocity tossing back bits of gravel and tar and quitting a burning plume of dust in the blue. Atop the horse…[...]

i am home, stupid

“The longer you look at me, the less beautiful I feel.”“How do you like to feel?”“Beautiful.”“I don’t mean to be a nuisance.”“It’s just your looking.”“Suppose I’ll stop then.”“Would be best.”He…[...]

Deadwood

“Is that an arm?” Wyatt asked, bending at his skinny waist to get a closer look. My tired eyes weren’t sufficient for this task, not in the graying twilight, and…[...]

The End of The Road

He wears a brown-and-white-checkered shirt with buttons. He stays in motels and out of bars, and the only sound he hears is the turn signal in his ‘98 Buick LaSabre.…[...]

On the day of her flight, Sarlaben set out on the same morning walk to the Radha Krishna temple she’d taken for the past 43 years. Her driver, Santosh, could…[...]