The Quiet Afghan
It had been eleven years since Afshin had journeyed out of Mazar-i-Sharif, through the stony deserts and forbidding mountains of the Hindu Kush, to meet the friend who put people…[...]
Read More
The Market and the Misanthrope
Jack is alone in his studio apartment, on his phone, watching the odds creep low and lower.“Don’t overthink it,” he tells himself. “And don’t get greedy.” He understands that the…[...]
Read More
The Accidental Auction Bid
Rowan McCrae didn’t mind doing hard work.He minded being told to “smile pretty for the ladies tonight” by two separate grandmothers before eight a.m., but the work itself was fine.He…[...]
Read More
“What’s up, Doc?”
"What you are experiencing is a range of complex emotions. Here is a script, something to take the edge off your distressing feelings. Take that to the pharmacist, after you…[...]
Read More
The Thing About Opal
The aquarium closes at six. By seven it belongs to him.The octopus is in the east corridor. Large tank, blue-lit, the water always moving slightly from the aerator near the…[...]
Read More
I Went to the Woods
The forest sat alone in a cradle made of sand. It was a seven day drive across the sun-bleached wasteland, nothing but arid desert as far as the eye could…[...]
Read More
Therefore, she suffers so much more
My insurance payment is overdue by more than a week. Buying the clearance chocolate at the grocery store I work at during break is the only thing that kept me…[...]
Read More
The Minotaur’s Sister
My room was never silent, quiet but not silent. The labyrinth was always making some kind of noise. Being there every day for years meant that I was used to…[...]
Read More
From the Front lines to the Front Porch: Memoir of a Matriarchal Soldier
The dirt of Fort Bragg is a jealous thing; it stains the soul with a rusted, iron-bound persistence that thirty-five years of rhythmic "left-right-left" cannot shake. My journey began in…[...]
Read More
Catching the Train
“Tell me the truth.” Tears rolled down her cheeks like raindrops on a window. A view I usually loved. Not her tears—the raindrops. But her crying tore something deep inside…[...]
Read More
Ranch UFO Alien Encounter
It’s hard to believe that several years have passed since it happened. I often wonder what I really saw that day, when I was sitting up on a deer hunting…[...]
Read More
Flowers & Makeup
I'm a productive person.I can wear makeup because I’m not a bitch at my prettiest. And I don’t want to steal husbands and I never respond even if a husband…[...]
Read More
The Cost of Returning Home
“Welcome home, Lieutenant. We’re glad to have you back.”The captain flashes his teeth, and in return I offer a wide grin. Home. When I left this place, I imagined this…[...]
Read More
The Last Honest Thing
The room was always loudest in the beginning—laughter erupting, voices carrying, the sound of shoes meeting the floor. Each Tally in the room belonged to someone. A human, somewhere out…[...]
Read More
Under the Obsidian Beaches
I was never fond of the ocean.My brother often went when he felt lonely or distraught. He said it calmed him listening to the pulse of the waves. “Just listen,”…[...]
Read More
The Heart Always Knows
My best friend Lorelei and I are both writers, for me lifestyle features for a city magazine, for her freelance stories for many outlets. We always have so much to…[...]
Read More
Background Noise
I don’t know why I do this to myself. Here I am, yet again, quite literally, the odd man out. I came to this wedding as a favor to the…[...]
Read More
The View From Outer Space
I am so high up, so far above everything I used to be and know. I think I can see the earth, a point of light far below. I know…[...]
Read More
The Distance Between Staying and Leaving
The mornings all begin the same, and this morning is no different. The room feels too still, like even the air is tired, and before I’m fully awake, I can…[...]
Read More
Standing on the Wrong Side of Hate
Alice couldn’t pinpoint the precise moment in time and space when she had become such a bitch. Perhaps she was just born that way. Perhaps it had been foretold in…[...]
Read More
Wistfully Willing
The sealed envelope taunted me from across the room as I sat at the foot of my bed, knees held tightly to my chest. Several memories had passed since I…[...]
Read More
Echoes + Tropes
“Cut!” The actors relax and laugh at the director’s announcement, and I frown at them from my chair, annoyed at their contentment. “Hannah?” It’s my co-writer, Neal, who notices my…[...]
Read More
A Perfect Mother
I remember when my five-year-old daughter crossed a balance beam in gymnastics on the day Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake. It felt peculiar to be proud of my daughter in…[...]
Read More
The Death of Iris Vane
Iris did not know, when she stepped out of her squished little brownstone on Cobble Hill, that she was going to die. Of course, everyone dies eventually, but for Iris…[...]
Read More
An Irish Wake
Neala loomed over Grandma Aileen’s casket and stared at the waxy skin etched with makeup-filled crevices. Each line on the old woman’s face held a story. Frown lines told of…[...]
Read More
Two Rememberings
Reedsy Prompt for May 22, 2026Include a wake or funeral in your story where the mourners have conflicting feelings about the deceased. (1,760 words) Me: Well, we’re here. Not a…[...]
Read More
You’re Always Here
Thirty-five minutes and twenty-nine seconds. He walks in when the clock ticks thirty, and her heart skitters with instinctive, awful familiarity. It is the little things like these that she…[...]
Read More
About the Colour Pink
Sally had always loved the colour Pink. The walls in her room were blush Pink; her pillows were coral and raspberry, and most of her clothes were too, in fact,…[...]
Read More
About to Fall
A thick fog envelops Hyde Park as I ride my ginger pony around the deserted kiosk at Speakers’ Corner. Winter Wonderland closed last week, leaving its muddy footprint stamped on…[...]
Read More
Beneath the light of the comet
The summer ET was released on video I was first in line at the rental store - itching to watch it - having been deemed too young to see the…[...]
Read More
Windows to the Soul
I ring the doorbell, my suitcase hunkered beside me on the footpath, a black, sullen thing. After a few moments, the door swings open. Jane, my eldest, looks surprised to…[...]
Read More
Blindsight
I wish I never got my sight back.That thought crossed my mind sitting outside the hospital, in the green Chevrolet Camaro my father left me. The sun rose, bathing the…[...]
Read More
Black and White
CW: Police harassment They slouched in the flickering darkness, watching the final credits. For two hours, Mark Dirac had shared part of the universe with Blanche, breathing in her wild-rose…[...]
Read More
The Hymn of the Lady of Gold
“I warned you this journey would be perilous, even for a dragon.” “And I warned YOU what my parents would do to you if you let me die,” Rena growled.…[...]
Read More
The Weight of Coming Home
The bus rolled into town just before sunrise, its tires hissing against wet pavement. Clara pressed her forehead against the cold window and watched familiar streets pass like ghosts she…[...]
Read More
Can-Can Wonderland
What does that even mean? When I thought of the can-can I thought of the scandalous scarlet skirts whipping back and forth on stage showcasing ebony heels and a little…[...]
Read More
The colours in the dark
Whispers swirl, and colours whip past me. These strings and flashes of light are rushing somewhere. They wisp and float into the dark where I can't see. I pull and…[...]
Read More
Dearly Dear
Form me to you. dearly, I am sending this letter to finally write back to you. I am sorry. I know it took me a while. But you know how…[...]
Read More
The Tether Between Us
“Why does a cosmonaut need a gun, Papa?” The corner of his father’s mouth rose. He followed Pavel’s gaze back through the museum doors to the display case holding the…[...]
Read More
Constellations Between Us
“I remember,” the voicemail whispered. Nova Carter sat frozen on the edge of her bed as those two words filled the tiny apartment bedroom she shared with her little brother.…[...]
Read More
First Kiss
What could have been. After the kiss, I was shocked. I expected: love, a future together, a boyfriend. I imagined us together. I thought back upon our conversation, and the…[...]
Read More
A Worm in Three
My dad always said the best time for fishing is right before sunrise. On summer vacation we'd drive up to the family cottage for a week of rest and relaxation,…[...]
Read More
426: Fade to Black
426: Fades to Black While in a coma, I dreamt about things that had happened on this date throughout my life; although I didn’t know it was a dream, it…[...]
Read More
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…[...]
Read More
The Golden Boys
Pyranus and Tarng were cousins who faced the challenges of childhood together – bullies, girls, and boring instructors in their learning cohorts. Their upcoming 15th birthday marked the age of…[...]
Read More
on a wingless plane
Studies. Research. Accolades. I decided to take a breather from hunting down the mob who stole my friend and concentrate a little on what's actually in front of me. Exams.…[...]
Read More
How Long Is Forever?
"How far away are the stars?" Daphne gazed into the dark sky and wondered aloud. It was a perfectly clear night in August, two weeks left of summer vacation. Her…[...]
Read More
Charcoal Drawing
It doesn’t all go at once, you know. Think August to October. At first, you see the tips of the leaves turn a crisp autumn color, then the green of…[...]
Read More
In Memory of Aggie
Cimarron, Oklahoma; April 1937 ”Well, Rudy, shall we spend the next ten minutes chewing the fat, or would you rather I just get the truth over with?”I don’t reckon that’s…[...]
Read More
A Pagan May Day Festival in the garden of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water
"Good day" echoed thru the huge stainless steel room. White lights glared off the the shiny floor and walls. Stale air hung still, smelt metallic. A crowd of women, silently…[...]
Read More
Excalibur Totallly
Let me just say this upfront: being embedded in a rock for an unspecified number of years is not the glamorous origin story people think it is, at all.Yes, I’m…[...]
Read More
She, The Goddess
The Earth knows, She has always known. She holds her secrets until we are ready to listen to our heart, for Her song is quiet and Her heart is wide…[...]
Read More
Artemis and the Country Boy
My favorite place in the whole world is a clearing on the other side of Rainwater Creek. To get there I must balance on a fallen log suspended across the…[...]
Read More
Good Grief
My mother is gone. As I sit beside her lifeless, but not-yet cold body on the third floor of St. John’s General in these first few minutes of her death,…[...]
Read More
Premonitions of Everyone Else
Dear Katherine, I’ve always hated those people who name their diaries. I swore I’d never do it. You’re just a book. But the name Katherine has just been in my…[...]
Read More
33rd and First
She had lived thirty-three different lives, yet she was still an absolute failure. “No, wait. That came out wrong.” Spencer groaned, removing his metal frames to rub both temples.But it…[...]
Read More
Matebese’s Constant
Trigger Warning: This story contains references to child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, bereavement, and alcohol abuse. Reader discretion is advised. Shamrock green grass blanketed alpine peaks pointing to bright blue…[...]
Read More
About the Colour Pink
Sally had always loved the colour Pink. The walls in her room were blush Pink; her pillows were coral and raspberry, and most of her clothes were too, in fact,…[...]
Read More
Paper Wings
Ren commands the paper into intricate folds. The amber sunlight streaking through the window by his desk illuminates the softness of his dark eyes. Serious. Meticulous. Inspired. His collection of…[...]
Read More
Green With Envy: The Turning of a Friendship
“Grover?” I asked, looking at my friend and noticing how content he looked lounging from under our favorite willow, his arms crossed behind his head.“You know I hate that nickname,…[...]
Read More
Boone’s Farm Regrets
I’m pretty sure we can all remember the first time we got drunk. For some, the over consumption seemed fun. An exciting experience that made the next adventure in drinking…[...]
Read More
Sir Eddard Covington Marsh Puff-Puff the Fourth
The branches scratched his arms as he climbed. He could hear Mrs. DiLeonardis below as she yelled out in a raspy voice. “You’re not there yet, he’s further up. More…[...]
Read More
The Queen of Victoria Avenue
I didn’t tell my mom I was adopting a dog, because when she was six, a dog bit her, and she’s been deathly afraid ever since. I don’t really like…[...]
Read More
The Joke Is On Me
My name is Jayla Jennings. My story started when I was nine years old and the experiences I had have lasted a lifetime mixing love, fun and family. It all…[...]
Read More
From Ashes to Love
I remember the moment I became a man. Not in the way other men remember it. They might remember it with a first kiss, broken bone, winning the ball game,…[...]
Read More
Unspoken silence
Mara kept the blanket folded at the end of her bed, the edge lined up perfectly with the seam of the mattress. The pillows were stacked in the same order…[...]
Read More
The Missing Piece
I pull the box out of the garage because the dogs need to go out. That was my excuse. The truth is less organized. I let them into the yard…[...]
Read More
When the Words Went Quiet
Eric used to be the kind of person who could turn anything into words. He was my next-door neighbor and my best friend. He was talented in many ways. He…[...]
Read More
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…[...]
Read More
Penguins in Aruba
Jamie has never professed to be a writer. He’s not very creative, and honestly, his sister tells enough tall tales for the both of them. He lets his sister handle…[...]
Read More
Literally, Human (The Shape of My Heart)
Koong, kwang, koong, kwang… Perhaps the very first sound I heard in this world, inside my mom’s belly, was my own heartbeat. As weird as it sounds, I often imagine…[...]
Read More
Merlion Dreams
31st of AprilToday is April 31. I still can’t believe it! They really changed the dates. But if you think about it, it makes so much sense. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime…[...]
Read More
Barn Lament
Now in the hot skies that beat against the coulter blades, he began heading almost unconsciously toward the barn. In his wake, fell stalks and husks, but the green Deere…[...]
Read More
“The Girl Nobody Came Back For”
Envy Leeown learned how to measure time by abandonment. Not in minutes. Not in hours. But in how long it took for hope to start hurting. She was ten the…[...]
Read More
Alone on the Brooklyn Bridge
The year was 2017, sometime in the fall. I had just moved to the City for work at a prestigious agency Deutsch, which turned out to be a total shitshow.…[...]
Read More
Craving a Mind
CW: Violence, self-harm, mental health Hurt. Sick. Pain. I can barely see. Every minute, I hunch over to sink my teeth into something. Something that makes me feel…alive. Good. The…[...]
Read More
Echoes of the Hillside
I sat upon a hillside, all my life before me and behind me, somehow it is possible to already have lived your future, did you know that? When you grow…[...]
Read More
Rum Bottle Decor
She was doing very little to grab my attention intentionally, but impact often outweighs intent. Her hair was straight and still a little wet from her shower shortly before and…[...]
Read More
The Probably Not Mine Pile
Jetty told me this morning that my daughter would be visiting tomorrow. I nodded in the way that means I understand, which is different from the way that means I…[...]
Read More
A Letter to My Niece
I lost myself somewhere along the way. Along the path of wildly chasing after a figment of my mother’s imagination. My body was changing, my mind bending to the will…[...]
Read More
The Stranded Honker
I was a fool among fools in my later teenage years. Maybe everyone can look back and relate, or maybe I only hope that's the case. Regardless, I feel the…[...]
Read More