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Latest Stories

November 27, 2025
General Stories Abdul Basit

When Ego Finally Melted

Life in Dera Ismail Khan always moves in its own rhythm. The main bazaar stays busy from morning till night and people from different backgrounds pass through it every day. In the middle of this bazar stands the Choggala, a kind of small fortress where police…
November 27, 2025
Horror Stories Ben Macnair

Life Like

The hushed reverence of the Nude Gallery had always been Sarah’s sanctuary. At thirty-two, she often found the modern world a cacophony of shallow noise, but here, amidst the silent, sculpted figures, a profound quietude settled upon her soul. She wasn't an…
November 27, 2025
General Stories Hossam Belal

My Time For Courage

I was a child in Gaza, but I wasn’t like the other children—fear set me apart. Yes, I admit it: I was afraid. And I don’t see any shame in that. I was still just a child, and children have the right to feel fear—especially when they grow up in a place like…
November 27, 2025
Flash Fiction Syed Hassan Askari

The Mistake That Stole Seventeen Years

Sara was the politest girl in her family. She was quiet, shy, and gentle. She would wake up early in the morning to perform Fajr prayers. She would make tea for her parents and then walk to her college—two long kilometers—with her books pressed tightly to her…
November 27, 2025
Horror Stories Ben Macnair

Gone Fishing

The silence of Oakhaven Lake was usually a salve for Barry, a thirty-year-old city slicker who considered himself an outdoorsman by virtue of occasional weekend trips and a subscription to an adventure magazine. But today, the quiet was merely an…
November 27, 2025
General Stories Steven Robnett

Walks Far Woman

I am a geriatric social worker at Cherryvale Memory Care Center. While normally I do not lead outings for patients at the center, I did, on one occasion, as a special favor. The outing, I was assured, would be for a couple of hours and with only one patient.…
November 27, 2025
General Stories Matias Travieso-Diaz

Shattered Glass

When a man carries an instrument of violence, he'll always find the justification to use it. If we really want to escape this war, we have to stop bringing it with us. Brian K. Vaughan, Saga, Volume 1 The last two generations have grown amidst frequent…
November 27, 2025
Horror Stories Syed Zeeshan Raza Zaidi

Where The Road Remembers

The night I first saw her, Karachi had folded in on itself. The city—usually a sprawling, restless mass of neon, horns, and heat—felt strangely hollow, as if someone had cupped it in both hands and gently dimmed the edges. I had been driving for Uber for six…
November 27, 2025
Fantasy Stories Sani Ibrahim

The Clockwork Sparrow

In a city of clanking pistons and hissing steam, where the sky was a permanent tapestry of grey smoke, Elara’s workshop was a sanctuary of intricate wonder. She was a tinkerer, an artist of gears and springs, and her greatest creation was a sparrow. Not a…
November 27, 2025
Flash Fiction Frank Talaber

303 Jen

Time’s recollections flitter like butterflies alighting from fields of sun-cast flowers as I stop before an apartment building staring as snapshots of a life like Kodak moments blur by, one after another. I’ve been here before. Two children and … good God! ……
November 27, 2025
Horror Stories Ben Macnair

A Boat Upon The Shore

The sea, they say, offers solace. A vast, indifferent expanse that swallows grief as readily as it does the sun. After Clara, its ceaseless roar became my only companion, the rhythm of its waves a balm to the ragged edges of my soul. I’d retreated to this…
November 27, 2025
Fantasy Stories Carolyn Brotherson

The Changing

Transforming into an animal was more painful than one could ever imagine. Perhaps that prospect is why Mother prohibited Éana from her Changing, a ceremony that all prospective druids in the Court of Flowers went through after their first year of training.…

Dear Harold,

It was real good to see you the other night. Not many guys would have bought a girl pretzels on a first date. To me it was a real sign of you. Like a statement, I guess you would say.

Anyway, I think you should not be too embarrassed because your fly stuck open at the dance. I don't think people noticed. They looked at you and laughed because of that funny joke you told I am sure. I felt bad you had to explain it three times to those dummies at our table. But some folks just are not too swift you know.

Thank you too for your real sweet apology. I have to admit I have never danced with a man who sweat so much. And you are right. It was uncomfortable when it rolled down my shoulder. But a strapless dress is a risk and I do appreciate your concern.

You also don't have to worry about how the corsage got pinned. It didn't go too deep and the dress is washable. Cold water works wonders.

You are an unusual man, Harold. I have never known anyone like you before. I think sometimes people do not appreciate eccentricity for the gift that it is. Doing rumba moves to that waltz might be frowned on in some circles, but believe me it sets a person apart.

 

Also, I have to say I enjoyed the special effort you made to make the evening magic. I really did not mind changing the tire, so please don't worry about that. I know you couldn’t see that Don't-Back-Up sign because of how fogged up your glasses got.

Well, Harold, I'm running out of time. And of things to say. It's not often I do this with someone after only one date, believe me. When your hardware convention comes to town again, please look me up.

Your friend, Roseanne

 

Dear Harold,

It was nice of you to send me the can of mixed nuts and I only hope you’re not making some sort of statement about me and my friends. Knowing you, however, that is not likely so I guess it is just me. In any case, I should know by now that this is just right in keeping with the you of you, as my friend Swami Phil says.

I’m real sorry to hear that the tie I gave you got caught in the key making machine. I cannot believe people laughing at you about that, Harold. It is a shame they do not know you the way I do.

Did you like the box of chocolates I sent?

I look forward to your visit.

Hugs, Roseanne

 

 

Dear Harold,

Gosh, if I had known that your were allergic to macadamia nuts I would never have sent that particular can to you. Has the swelling gone down? Is the rash still there? People can be so cruel laughing because your scalp got bigger and the toupee wouldn’t fit right.

Well I must go.

Love, Roseanne.

 

Dear Harold,

When you don’t write I think it is because you are angry. And if you are not then you should say so.

I liked the camping trip although it upset me that you forgot the tent poles and that the branches poked a hole in the side. Telling me the warranty would cover the damage after it started to rain did not make me feel better.

I have always said you were different, Harold, and you are.

All the best,

Roseanne

 

Dear Harold,

It has been a long time since I have written, I know, but I have my reasons. Like I told you when I drove you that extra 100 miles to the airport because you could get a cheaper flight from there, that about did me in.

I’ve come to feel you’re taking advantage of me. Now it was nice of you to give me the canned ham at the airport and all, but as I told you before it’s against  my religion.

Sometimes it seems you don’t listen to a thing I say. I’m going to a doctor here, well a counselor, and she says every person in the world, how many ever that is, has a different way of looking at things. But I don’t think you understand that because thinking back I recall that when I say something mostly you say ‘ah ha’ and then keep on as if I said nothing. Which really is not the way it is supposed to be.

Thank you for the fruitcake. But, Harold, if you send presents you ought to examine the package. I found a note in it from your Aunt Mildred written three years ago saying Merry Christmas.

I’ve concluded that you are so different as to be weird, something some of my friends have said for a long time.

The truth is I am fed up. So goodbye.

Roseanne,

PS: I loved you

 

End

 

www.cambriacreations.com

THE CUSTER CONSPIRACY

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http://cigalelitmag.com/lorin-cary---silver-lining.html

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"Obsession" is in Torrid Literature Journal XII

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