Romance Short Stories

Vessels: Through Smoke and Shadow

“Riders are on their way, we have to move. I sense them coming near us.” Amaya stated in a stern voice, pouring her water onto the campfire and extinguishing it.…[...]

What it Really Means to be Human

What it really means to be humanUnclean. That word has plagued my life for the past 12 years. It’s become more who I am than simply what I am. Unclean……[...]

The Weight of a Name

Thump. Thump. Thump. Somewhere between twelve and thirty, Daryl Whitecloud figured out that your body doesn’t care about your uncertainty. Your mind can turn a question over and over in…[...]

The Sound of Her Heartbeat

‘You’ve got this!’ Rachel heard the voice cry out, encouraging her, pushing her on. Rachel worked hard. The novel was almost there. Eighty thousand words, that’s all she needed. Yet…[...]

Broken Promise

Huddled in the cave, behind the boulder, as small as he could make himself, Carson could hear footsteps approaching. Closer. Closer. Closer. Carson caught a whiff of the stench that…[...]

I Was Here

thump… thump… thump…That is where I begin.My heartbeat.Small. Fast. Certain.I didn’t know the words yet, but if I did, I think it would be called living.It is the first thing…[...]

A Stranger in the Garden

Joseph Merrick awoke in the light of Easter dawn, already excited. All through the dark days of Lent and Holy Week, he’d been looking forward to this day. While he…[...]

First & Last

First The water won't sleep. It lifts and lowers the boats all night long. It slaps the sides of each. I do not understand the sound. It is like a…[...]

A Good Day

1.As I sat at the bar, I slowly realized I had no idea how I got there or what I had done the rest of the morning, leading up to…[...]

Bucket of Joy.

Rhiannon had been totally blindsided by her unexpected reduncancy. She was always regarded as one of the rising stars in her field of expertise. Until that afternoon, she had an…[...]

What Happened To Father?

Chris Flynn2,135 words What Happened To Fatherby Chris Flynn It seems like it’s been forever in the desert. My mind and my heart are in two totallydifferent places. My emotions…[...]

The Sinner’s Angel

It now seems unfortunately ironic to say her house was full of life.The little stone walk that led from the street to the porch meandered through the garden. The first…[...]

The Love of Time

As a woman of twenty-three, I find life is too full and the days are too short for family condolences or family memories. This is a life of lust. A…[...]

From a false truth to a lie the path is blurred: in search of the truth for the manager of a property

This is a story that draws on an authentic experience.It is a story that hides a fraud and a false belief but let us start from the beginning. The story…[...]

Bethlehem

Wife The way that the rainstorm can turn sideways and knock me off my feet is the way that he came into my room that night.I had felt vulnerable all…[...]

Paulo Perez

For Paulo these were no new feelings, the lump in his throat from the shortness of breath, the electric like tension he feels all over his skin, and rise in…[...]

But I have prayed for you

The sanctuary is packed. I'm already sweating and it's only been ten minutes since I arrived. I'm waiting in the doorway and pretending to be busy with my phone as…[...]

Unraveled

Daddy. I clutch the back seat, staring out our minivan’s rear window. Thick dust clouds block my view as Mom speeds away. Dad, I correct myself. That’s what fifth-graders say.…[...]

The Heart Posture for True Love

Vikie and Tonya have been best friends since they were 5 years old. Their parents always told them that when they got older, they would become wives and have a…[...]

Chicken Noodle Ice Cream

Sharron looked through the frosty glass at the ice cream shop and took in the six options. “This is all you have? Vanilla…that's creative. Look, to go along with it,…[...]

CHRISTIAN-ISH by Brittney Gathen

I couldn’t have heard him right. Tonight was supposed to be the night that Eden Aimes life changed for the better, the night that all of her mama’s coaching and…[...]

Devotion

It is the day of the ceremony that will finally change my fate.The day I become Queen.The hall is long. Filled with red ribbons and people dressed in white. Their…[...]

Grandma’s Gin and Coke

My grandmother did everything with a cigarette in one hand, a gin and Coke in the other, and a ready joke on her lips (often a crude one). In the…[...]

Eternity

ETERNITY When I awoke, there was someone on the bed. I hadn’t slept too well and I mostly sensed the intruder’s presence by the pressure he applied on the box…[...]

Wife and Mother

TW: Contains themes of sexual violence and religious reinterpretation Wife The way that the rainstorm can turn sideways and knock me off my feet is the way that he came…[...]

Tragedy

Long before the age of gargantuan reptilians, before man learnt of the flame and when the earth had not yet used its hind legs, there was The Secret. Then existed…[...]

Cain and Abel (And Aclima)

Abel called the name of I, his dear sister, and joined me on the rock in front of the river. And he breathed in the warm air and said, “I…[...]

Starting Over

CW: Mental health, physical violence The morning sun crept through the bedroom window and slowly engulfed the bed where Angela was sleeping. Half opening her eyes, Angela silently rubbed the…[...]

A Mother’s Love

May 12, 1985, New York University Langone Hospital The doctor said a prayer before walking into the waiting room to speak to the family. He had done his best, but…[...]

“Ah,” said God. “My last cigarette.”

God reached for his thunderbolts, an extra pair of Greek leather sandals, two white robes, and his trimmer. It was all he could fit into his suitcase. Everything else would…[...]

The Education

I’m not really the college type. But my parents said if I want to ever make money, I need college. And they paid my way. I nearly flunked out. Probably…[...]

Sebastian

The midnight armor enwraps you like a snake- snug, scaled, skin made for shedding, like the hydra writhing while the hero flails. Your kerchief strangles your neck before you pull…[...]

About religious addiction

There is not much practical advice on how to escape from the clutches of religion. Religion is a source of peace and life, but at the same time it can…[...]

“Sometimes, paths cross sooner than one may expect.”

The train couldn’t depart sooner, could it? Stella sprinted through the Kufstein train station, dodging people like a professional alpine skier, her trench coat flying behind her. She was already…[...]

The Surgery That Changed Everything

The alarm rang loudly in the quiet room.Beep. Beep. Beep.Rolling over slowly, I reached for my phone and turned the alarm off. I stayed lying there, staring up at the…[...]

Vessels: Where the Sun Smiles

I sat on a rock, observing everyone with a quick glance. Kaelith and Amaya seemed to be deep in conversation. Amorette was practicing her lyre. She had placed a spell…[...]

In The Most Peaceful of Places

“McGraw…” Miles whispered as he ruminated on the meaning of his own surname. “I wonder what that would mean to anyone else if I asked them.” He leaned back in…[...]

An Adventure with Bob, Fred, and Doctor Dill Pickle

Once upon a time in the land of Snackville, Bob the Cheeseburger, with his cheese self and Fred the Taco with his spicy salsa, and their wise friend Doctor Dill…[...]

The wanderer of Nod

The Wanderer of NodThe odometer on the dash of the ’74 sedan had stopped turning centuries ago, frozen at a number that looked like a long, tired sigh. Cain didn’t…[...]

Access Denied

Trigger warnings- Views on Religon and politics may not align with all readers. “Knock, Knock. You got a minute?”“Sure, Peter, come on in. What Can I do for you?” “I’m…[...]

Window To Heaven

She woke up with the first streaks of sunlight hitting her bed. It was a beautiful morning outside, the sky a perfect tone of blue, but Serena felt an inexplicable…[...]

What would you call it?

Dear Heavenly Father Do you think I’m a fool?, like how most people say that I am. They call me stupid and gullible and yet my grades prove that I’m…[...]

Seaside Redemption

John Norton loved the peace and quiet of his palatial home on the bayside of 94th Street in Ocean City, Maryland. After a busy day filling prescriptions at Atlantic General…[...]

Time Stops

This story begins with the day I was born. This is not your usual day of birth. On this day, I am 41 years old. I’m in a gay bar…[...]

Love is the Answer: My Second Chance at Life

My life hasn’t been easy. You see, I should have been dead a long time ago. As Langston Hughes says, “My life has not been a crystal stair.”I was an…[...]

The Pregnant Baby Boy

He wakes everyone up at 7 am every day. He screams and screams until he is picked up and fed milk. He is rocked back and forth, held, and poops…[...]

Alessandro and the Greenhorn Kayaker

Our timing couldn’t have been worse! The large water-taxi launch was bearing down full speed straight towards us as my date, Sandro, and I, struggled to get ahead of its…[...]

The Margins of Rock Bottom – Based on My Lived Life Experience

She didn’t mean to make a ceremony out of it. It just happened that way. The first page tore too easily. The sound surprised her with a soft, almost polite…[...]

My Troubled Bridges

By Frances Gaudiano “I can’t come visit you at university,” I told my daughter. “Why not?” She wanted me to take her shopping and out for a meal – a…[...]

The Day at Golgotha

I’ve made a mistake. A robbery that went wrong. You see, my brother and I took many riches from our master. We were supposed to give it to our families.…[...]

Glorious!

Prompt: Write a story where the traditional laws of time and space begin to dissolve. “ My words seem so inadequate to share the wonders before my eyes and what…[...]

Human Composting

Includes sensitive content of death and burial Father Gianpaolo, I am sending this article to you and as we have previously crossed paths and will surely do so again. I…[...]

No Angels Came

I never wanted the money. I only wanted the miracle he promised me would happen if I forced his hand.People will say I sold him. They will say I was…[...]

One Life So Others May Live

Prompt: Write a story that includes the words “déjà vu” or “that didn’t happen.” An obnoxiously loud alarm sounded jarring me from a troubled night of dreams. The ringing only…[...]

The Absolution of Judas

Max knew it was a bad idea. He knew he was obsessed. He knew the repercussions were catastrophic. He no longer cared. He had spent all his adult life on…[...]

Peter, Paul & Merryweather

PETER, PAUL AND MERRYWEATHERNow faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 ESV*** You almost certainly surely remember the worst bad news.…[...]

Sans Neige

How am I supposed to know if it was for the better or the worse? I grew up ordinary—middle-class, suburban home. There were trees and streams, but being in the…[...]

The Maverick

“Come in! Nozwelo? Yes, Come in please.”Nozwelo walks in with her potential boyfriend and manages a formal smile when she locks eyes with Dr. Khoza. The young man who follows…[...]

Innocence

CW: Implicit sexual abuse of a minor I was 14 when my life began and 14 when it crashed into pieces. The same man was behind both life markers, though…[...]

Step Nine

(Sensitive content: substance abuse and sexual promiscuity is mentioned; verbal abuse occurs) Cindy pulled the car over to the side of the road. Shelbyville, declared the sign, population 1,430. Cindy…[...]

Broken Homes

The house's exterior was neat and clean. The porch swing tipped back and forth without a creak. All my good memories seem to have lined up beautifully out here. I…[...]

5000 miles (五千英里)

Five thousand miles is the kind of number that sounds clean until you try to live inside it. It’s a number you can Google. Taipei to Seattle. The little airplane…[...]

My Mother’s Book

My mother held the Book. She held it against her belly the way she never held any of us. Both hands on it. Her thumb crushed against the edge so…[...]

Your Lens

“What?! What do you want?” “You’re in the wrong place, this is a bar.” Lokuhle should’ve been offended by that and he turned to leave her but something told him…[...]

Blink

Ferris sat in the cold, hard hospital chair next to her bed. Seventy-two hours ago, Tess entered Resting Meadows Hospice Center. Ferris agreed it was time to allow his beloved…[...]

Granny Grace

Today, Mommy hung pictures in the long hallway at our new place. I’m fascinated by old pictures and the past, in general. Anything that happened before I was born interests…[...]

More Than Words

Facades and reactions are usually her saving grace and combat response but today is different. It takes too much strength for her to smile at anyone, and even her nieces…[...]

For God Loved Me: He Gave Me a Second Chance with a Second Heart

July 2005, life was supposed to be exciting! My oldest daughter was preparing to go off to college with all the dreams of college life. We were preparing for her…[...]

The Cost of the Cross

His body violently shivered as he lay on his side in a ball like an animal protecting himself from the elements. The jumpsuit did nothing for warmth; the thin, unwelcoming…[...]

The Light

“Hello, Eric. This is Dr. Shell. We need you to come to the ho-pi-ta-…Can you hear me? Hello?” There’s noise in the background and Eric sounded distracted. It’s a Saturday…[...]

The last cup

The winter sun is casting its last rays over the freshly snow-covered ground. He watches the rays until they fade, then turns back from the window as the aroma from…[...]

Barista Bubba

finished swirling the whipped cream on top of the drink, placed it on the bar, and called out, “Half-caf triple grande hazelnut nonfat with whip mocha.” As the woman grabbed…[...]

A Cup of Tea

“Mum! Mum! Wake up! The water’s at the steps.”“What time is it Jonny?”“It’s 4 a.m. I think we should wake the neighbours and tell them to come over here.”I struggled…[...]

Hopeful Places

Our world was beautiful. We got married at 23. We met in college. I was studying to be a professional photographer, and she a nurse. We were so mismatched. The…[...]

The Silver Ghost

I was very young when I first heard the lonesome horn of the Silver Ghost carrying across the Nebraska plains where nary a train has ever run. I was sitting…[...]

When Drinkware Speaks

The missus grabs me and holds me tight. Her hands are cold as she places me under the shower of hot, brown liquid, with the aroma of peace and calmness.…[...]

Damnatio memoriae

Chapter 1: Paladin When the alarms sounded at 01:23:40 on April 26th, the Ministry hoped it was a standard cascade failure: operator error, graphite ignition, steam explosion. The kind of…[...]

It’s a Messy Life

(Sensitive content: nothing happens on-scene but allusions to suicide and sexual violence are made) Larry wished he had never been born. All his life he made one dumb decision after…[...]

One Day At A Time in My Life

My mom got the superlative, “A smile for every occasion,” in high school. Her father, my Pop-pop, was in the FBI. There’s a framed photo of him, my grandma, mom…[...]

What Are You Waiting For?

Sensitive content: euthanasia Eileen signed the visitors’ book in her mother’s room and checked the other entries. Just as she thought, she and Ruth were the only visitors. They were…[...]

The Star of Bethlehem

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was nearly dark. I was driving towards a little village called Netherton when the car slowed and came to a…[...]

The Baby

THE BABYThe silence of the apartment was a fragile thing, broken only by the rhythmic, soft puff of air from the little bassinet tucked next to the sofa. Sarah sat…[...]

Salty But Lit

The engine of the Wagoneer cut out, leaving us in a sudden, ringing silence. Outside, the afternoon sun baked the church parking lot's asphalt, trying to melt the snow, but…[...]

Picasso Heart

12 February 2030Turtle BayManhattan, New YorkUSATo my sweet love,My precious gift, I know you don’t have many words if any and you don’t owe me anything. I don’t blame you…[...]

Circle Park Drive

The campus moved with a confidence that bordered on indifference. Students streamed past her in intersecting currents, backpacks thudding softly, voices rising and falling in overlapping conversations that never paused…[...]

Stone And Breath

The bells begin while Éva is still standing in her kitchen, holding a mug she has no intention of finishing. They strike too early, as they always do in the…[...]

In a Mirror Dimly

“Honey, your life is in danger. Don’t you understand?”Renee listened respectfully to her boyfriend’s concerns over her phone. She just had a different opinion. ”Travis, I do understand, and I’m…[...]

An Angel Heard on High

Prompt: Set your story on a remote island, a distant planet, or somewhere faraway and forgotten. Once upon a cloud where time doesn’t matter, there is a heavenly place faraway…[...]

Found!

Have you ever felt truly lost and lonely, even when surrounded by people? I know I have—more times than I can count. Growing up is hard, and often I find…[...]

The Weight of Stillness

The badge on Sheriff Silas Blackwood’s chest felt heavier than the lead in his service belt. It wasn’t just three ounces of polished silver; it was the forty years of…[...]

Willow and the Living Water

One day, a Golden Retriever named Willow went on her usual morning walk. She loved this time of day, when the world seemed to wake slowly, as if wrapped in…[...]

Misread

The moment Kayla stepped into the library, the lights began to dim, one by one. The man at the front desk had just put on his coat, and cleared his…[...]

No Holding Back

. The tagline, the parting words, and the lasting message of the book I've just finished, closed, and placed on the shelf where all my books are spines in, edges…[...]

The Ultimate Revelation

Prompt: Start or end your story with someone opening or closing a book. My given name is Pierre. Friends (or so they claim to be) call me the “hoover” because…[...]

Until Dawn Breaks

Visceral dread rolled in with the orange hues of dusk, of dust, of ashes, of tears. I was a prisoner to my own mind, the rebuke from my dear Aisling,…[...]

Turning Pages

Jasmine wasn’t sure what to do with the book. Her friend simply gave it to her at work, out of the blue.“Have you met my best friend?” Yuri asked.“No, I…[...]

Custodes Liminis

BABETTE“I’m sorry, but you’ve missed office hours,” the professor muttered, the words dulled by habit, “and while normally I’d be more than obliging, it’s exam season. I said in class,…[...]

Elizabeth

Penny for them ?.Gill asked Kay as she was making tea.You have that far away look in your eyes,.Kay smiled. She looked at the green tea she was making, it’s…[...]

A Storm Inside A Storm

“William. William, can you hear me? It is time to go.” Shannon put on her boots and her jacket. The party would start soon, and she did not want to…[...]

Time Frozen Love

A man sits alone on the edge of a bed. The door to the room remains closed as he sits alone with an overhead light from a fan covering the…[...]