Desk Research
They say your life truly begins when you hit thirty. To celebrate this milestone, Darma—who prided himself on being a "massive reader" despite the stack of unread paperbacks mocking him…[...]
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A Glimmer of the Unknown
“I don’t believe in it.” “It?” “I don’t believe you can talk to the dead. Or ghosts, or whatever.” That was Isabella, with the carrot-orange hair who used pretzels as…[...]
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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…[...]
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The Memory Merchants
The night before the signing, Dulcimara found Rafael on the roof of the community center, his cello case propped against the parapet the way a man props a rifle, to…[...]
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Something Blue
I moved to California for a change. I grew up in Provo, Utah, and I was just a typical Mormon boy who went to church and followed the rules. The…[...]
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What We Forget, The Body Remembers
The vehicle rolls to a stop by our camping site.Everything within me yells to leap into the woods. Leaping isn’t dramatic enough. Maybe frolicking. That’s way more dramatic, and oddly…[...]
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The Breakup
“We are through!”Those words resonated in Michael’s ears. He walked along the riverfront with his head tucked to his chest. His eyes fixed on the shapes of the cobblestones covering…[...]
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The Fence Between US
Dawn came thin and cold, the kind that slid under sleeves and settled into bone.Ivy kept her hands steady anyway.Milk rang soft against the bottom of the pail, a hollow,…[...]
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What We Lost
I haven’t slept in months. Well, that’s not entirely true. I sleep on and off. Restless. Going through the motions rather than actually trying to relax. I wake at odd…[...]
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Darling Delilah
Today is April 31. But not the same April 31 I left on.Ten years ago, I embarked on what I thought would be an epic journey of love and betrayal—just…[...]
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Until We Can’t
Until We Can’t— On September the 6th 2013.Time crumbled. Society was stuck. Fear was created and shared from person to person... literally.They called it the “Nox-7 Pathogen” A mental haze…[...]
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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…[...]
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Salt and Starlight
The world is not like what it once was.For there was a time before the kindling of fire and the building of monuments. A time that existed before humanity had…[...]
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Wastelands
“How many more hours do you have left?” This was the only question that was able to come out of Katie Levine’s mouth. There was more she wanted to say…[...]
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A New Beginning
A New BeginningThe rain hadn't been clean in eleven years.Addison knew this the way she knew everything useful — not from anyone telling her, but from watching. Because of the…[...]
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The Last Trade
The wind carried ash and memory across the Colorado wasteland. Ninety-seven years had passed since the bombs fell, since humanity fractured into scattered tribes. At the base of Pike's Peak…[...]
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Sam God & Safeway Groceries
Fog pervades the hills and trees, shaping an atmosphere where one is lost in every way one can be, in an orgy of flame that towers over the land like…[...]
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Germination Protocol
The door wasn't listening to me. This happens a lot since the collapse, but usually it's people."C.H.L.O.E., I am telling you, with biological sincerity, that my retina is here." I…[...]
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Between Wind And Glow
Wayne walked the cracked pavement of old Route 66. The wind pushed steadily against his back. It carried away most of the spores before they could settle. This was why…[...]
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Final Sale, No Returns
Final Sale, No Returns. By, Lori Darmody He is asking me to come out, in what sounds to be an Irish lilt, “Are you in there?” I cannot see him…[...]
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“Where the World Still Breathes”
“Where the World Still Breathes” The world didn’t end all at once. It exhaled itself to death. First the oceans pulled back like they were tired of touching land. Then…[...]
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Impaired Subject
CW: Euthanasia, medical experimentation Adam looked at the clock as it clicked over to April 31st 2354. The alarm sounded as he reached to switch it off. He saw his…[...]
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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…[...]
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Days After
There’s a stranger in my home. She sits across from me at the dining table, ravenously devouring the food I cooked for her. My arms remain rigid, fingers tightening around…[...]
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A good day
She loves the feel of water lapping against her bare feet. But only when the sun makes the little waves sparkle. It’s different to the other ways water can make…[...]
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A Path Through Nothing and Memory
Is heat the absence of cold, or something else entirely? I think of fire. Heat.I recall the feeling of sunlight flickering across my closed eyelids as I would lean against…[...]
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The Last Words We Write
Your chance to let go of the past for a better future. The message scrolls in an endless loop above the town square. I watch it from my window. Lottery…[...]
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Today is April 31st.
He opened his eyes. No, not when the alarm went off. Harry was forced to open them by a strange silence. No hum of cars outside the window, as always.…[...]
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ASHES OF THE QUIET WORLD
ASHES OF THE QUIET WORLDAriaThe world had been silent for so long I sometimes forgot what ordinary noises felt like. Not the quiet hum of wind through abandoned cities or…[...]
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Paper Lanterns, Drifting in the Ether
The wind whistles past, dancing through Isha’s brown hair and the silk scarves that wrap around her face. It’s particularly windy in this part of the Ether. The sun shines…[...]
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The Benedict Special
The goat was wearing a bow tie. An actual black bow tie. It was slightly crooked, fastened beneath a beard that made him look both wise and unserious at the…[...]
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Sports Fan
Andrew was surprised to receive Nick’s text. He hadn’t heard from him in months. They used to hang out every Friday night until Andrew outgrew the bar scene. Now he…[...]
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The Middle of Now—
It was an apocalyptic break-up. A scorched-earth end to a relationship that had been heading toward forever, with the first stop a two-step down the aisle. Everything in Eleanor’s world…[...]
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Are You Shitting Me?
The Uber ride was so uninspiring. Emily and Jonas were doing their couply thing in the backseat—inside jokes, not so casual touching, that gross, adorable shit that made Chloe simultaneously…[...]
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A Civilized Apocalypse
The thing he loved about her was the way she killed people. No hesitation. No second guessing. No mess. Well, some mess, that was to be expected, but no unnecessary…[...]
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The Flower and the Constellation
This story containes: familial deaths, traumatic injuries from childhood, mature themes This may as well be my last note. My last will and testament before I traverse once again into…[...]
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When Nature Wins
Nature decided to rear its ugly head in a last bid to bring destruction to the very society that took too much. Grotesque vines twisted through broken windows and trailed…[...]
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Love is a Longevity Factor
“Are you sure about this, Ollie?” Olivia winces as she tightens the laces of her boots. The only thing she’s unsure about is what hits her harder; how even beneath…[...]
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Pale Reflections
The breeze whispered a secret through the broken glass of the tower. Garrick crept toward his many reflections in the jagged edges, breathing in the air from across the room…[...]
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Finding Love At the End of the World
I ran to the post station as soon as I finished planting the last seed in the garden. I wanted to get to the post station before it closed for…[...]
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The Aligned Partnership Grant
Elaine had not spoken to her sister since the wedding. It wasn’t the marriage itself that made it difficult. It was the groom. Mara had always been competitive in ways…[...]
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Don’t Order the Fish
“Don’t Order the Fish” It was the summer of 1970. We were newlyweds, a couple in love, and going fishing for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. As we…[...]
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Primordial Suture
CW: sexual content Primordial Suture It was late fall, the time of day when the sun considers setting for the day. The lovely golden light glistened across the red hairs…[...]
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Maid for Each Other
I am Sophia’s complete lack of dignity. I am the girl who gets paid twenty dollars an hour to ensure that Brenda’s life remains a sterile, white-on-white void where joy…[...]
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Speckled Stars & Wrist Worms
His wrists were thin and so bright, a white that could be described as neon, if neon were a shade of white. They appeared luminescent, almost glass-like, with long dark…[...]
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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…[...]
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It was my Fault
If I was the victim from the beginning I should have known. I wish I knew where I lost it. It's like I thought I knew myself but didn't. I…[...]
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Two Mischievous Hearts, One Shared Goal
Two Mischievous Hearts, One Shared Goal Elena Sanchez did not rush. She never did on nights like these. In the bathroom mirror, she saw a version of herself that the…[...]
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The Wedding Pact
The Wedding Pact -- By Neelam Chohan-Jagait Chapter 1: The Dinner Party A warm drop of sweat trickled down Samira’s spine as she poured herself a generous glass of chilled…[...]
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Absolutely
TW: Illness and death Age told my bones to rattle with every step nowadays. Time seems to catch us all off guard. My skin is thin enough that my bones…[...]
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The Games We Play
You shouldn’t carry that bag, Stella. It’s too heavy for someone your age. Give it to me,” Ella offers with a smirk. “At my age!” I balk at my twin…[...]
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The Elusive Phantom Thief
Rhodes had finally cornered the elusive Phantom Thief in the mansion gallery. That criminal had evaded the police for far too long and now was his chance to capture them…[...]
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Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms- Inspired by Chappell Roan’s, “Coffee.” Part One- The Meet/Cute. “Oh, you’re quite charming, and if you looked up the definition of charm, you’d see it in me as…[...]
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The Call Within
My therapist suggested that I keep a journal. For a long time, I couldn’t gather my thoughts. But finally, I forced myself to take a pen and a notebook and…[...]
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Anemone: After Jamila
The windflowers wave to the spring. My red haired beauty moves through the valley like a memory on the stalks. I am with a gentle woman of the flowers now.…[...]
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In the kitchen of Madame Noro
In THE KITCHEN OF Mme NORO The house was smelling very good. The delicious odor emanated from the other room. It was apparently the kitchen after a glance at it.…[...]
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Joie de Vie
I guess she really needs me.Most people don’t, or they fumble me with frightful ease, and that’s sad. Because I’m boundless, and today, she’s the job.A loop of ceramic ebony…[...]
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The Kiss of the Cherry Blossom Petals
3 months, 6 days and 12 hours. That's how long it's been since I heard her voice beckoning me to hold her, when the world felt dark. To hold her,…[...]
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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…[...]
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The Sum is Greater
The three old ladies sat in the semi-darkness, sewing. There was a tray on a table in front of them, piled high with spools of different colored threads. In their…[...]
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Love in a Bottle
She hates this. She hates that she’s not satisfied. Being satisfied would mean that she’s enjoying her life, and she’s not. It would mean that everything is fine, and it…[...]
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Vibrant Flowers from Across the Sea
The color of December was always grey. I lived most of my life seeing grey, and for 21 years of my life, this lack of vibrance constantly degraded my existence.…[...]
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What Belonged to Her…
It was 2:00 a.m., and rain was raging outside. A power cut had drowned the entire neighbourhood in darkness. Not a single light glowed anywhere. All that could be heard…[...]
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Loving Again
Silence. Only darkness. Vast, boundless, and hauntingly uncertain. Not a sound from any corner; not a single sound to be heard. There was nothing left of humanity or consciousness. He…[...]
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Red Telephone Box
*There is some sexual content in this story. Red Telephone Box The annual works Christmas party was one of the best Ambrose Oickle could remember. He was particularly impressed with…[...]
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My personal nightlight
A phone call wakes you out of your stupor. The caller was June, your shy but well-meaning friend. Though it was late in the evening, you wondered why she’s calling…[...]
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What I Meant to Say, Was
Fahim glanced over Samara’s shoulder, careful not to wake her. The clock had just slipped past two. Her neck rested comfortably on his arm, her breathing slow and even. He…[...]
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Under the Gold Lights
The ladder slipped before Miranda even had time to scream.One second, she was stringing gold lights across the barn rafters, the next the world tilted, wood cracked, and gravity yanked…[...]
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Black and White
Instinctively, as she had every morning since he left, she reached across the bed. Her hand searched the empty space where he should have been, fingers brushing only cool sheets.…[...]
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The Sun’s Great Descent
The only thing I can manage to do in this moment is look at the sky, at the sun, at that over-encompassing plaster of color, and grand, imposing ball of…[...]
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The Colors He Made
Kevin said he played guitar the way most people admitted things: reluctantly, eventually, and usually too late. That wasn't entirely fair. He'd said he played guitar *the way he admitted…[...]
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A Little Blue Heart and a Vial of Nitroglycerin
What if liking never becomes loving? For Mary, love was a forbidden subject. Grief, though—that was a subject we shared. She was a widow, and I was a widower.Yet for…[...]
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After Dusk
“This beach really is something, huh?”Martin sighs behind his sunglasses, locs strewn any kind of way over the towel. The sound of waves crashing against the shore nearly drags him…[...]
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Like Rainbows
It was the Friday evening before Memorial Day weekend. The day’s heavy rain was slowing to a light drizzle. A few rays of sun begged to make an appearance before…[...]
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Atheal’s Morning before Battle
Atheal gazed east, towards the dragon lands. She hadn’t forgotten the thirst-ridden villagers they left behind. She extended a hand to welcome the morning mist that cooled her skin and…[...]
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Where the Golden Flowers Bloom
The sole of Elise’s boot nearly skids on the slippery moss, the path overgrown and damp from years of neglect. Not many hikers use it anymore, despite its once popularity.…[...]
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How irritatingly beautiful pink can be!
There had been a time when pink had frustrated Anna-Liese.She was so insanely sick of seeing anything with that color. Or rather, she was sick of seeing a very certain…[...]
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The Gray Between Us
For Elena, the world didn’t end with a bang; it ended when the Officer called her Mrs. Miller—when the green drained from the forest, and from their home.She could hear…[...]
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After the Before
[Spoiler alert: Story contains spoilers from the Before movie trilogy.] The scene goes dark on screen as the two peer onward from their seats. He leans into her ear.Him: “So,…[...]
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The Blue Hour
No one ever talks about the blue hour. Not like its counterpart, the golden hour, which receives praise for rendering the perfect glow for selfies and family photo shoots. People…[...]
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Tastes Like Yellow
The summer sunshine flooding Liam Lambert’s bright yellow kitchen perfectly suited the fragrance of his special lemon-infused cookies, fresh out of the oven. Even so, Liam was feeling anything but…[...]
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The Black Romance
The storm of war cries, fireballs whizzing just overhead, the taste of blood in your mouth—none of it was new to Sir Calon. War had been his trade since youth.…[...]
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Colors of the Sunset
I had always enjoyed watching the sunset, for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little girl, my mother would bring me to this beach just…[...]
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I Have Always Loved You
“Just so you know, this was all your fault.” Tiza uttered, keeping a steady walking pace behind Azer. The taller man stops in his tracks and turns around to face…[...]
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Minus the Blue
After serving the most persnickety customer in the world (and possibly the universe), Stella needed to catch a break. But the next man in line ordered a #17 minus the…[...]
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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…[...]
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Until Next Time
* Contains themes of captivity, coercive control, and implied medical threat involving a minor. * I swipe the paper doily off the floor, placing it neatly back on the side…[...]
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