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Latest Stories

June 04, 2025
General Stories Dylan James Harper

The Bylaws Of The Revolutionary Council

A loud clang rang through the bunker as the door slammed shut. “I really think we have a chance to win this thing!” Greg’s voice echoed throughout the cold walls. The three other inhabitants of the bunker, Jeff, Ben, and Malcolm, all sat around a table…
June 04, 2025
General Stories Michael Barlett

Resurrection

The man lay there in extremis, no longer thinking of cool abstracts like ‘catching the last train for the coast.’ He gulped great rasping breaths – holding them impossibly long – before finally exhaling in a shuttering burst of putrid air. He had been…
June 04, 2025
Flash Fiction Benoit

Time Warp

Nothing was in order, nothing optimal. Germany was awash with refugees and adventurers. Only Angie could hold it together; but then she opened the gates! Who knows why? Other politicians were dinosaurs in the museum. Integration was the solution, was it? That…
June 04, 2025
Fantasy Stories M.D. Smith

Car Of Dreams

Randy Jenkins, age sixty, lived the kind of life people don’t write stories about. He sold office supplies out of a small showroom in the back corner of a strip mall just outside Corpus Christi. He wore beige. Ate microwave dinners. And spent more time…
June 04, 2025
Science Fiction Stories David Rich

Earth Forever

With an exhale, Damerae unclipped a lint-free cloth from his desk, snatched it from the air, and wiped his glasses. He preferred staying hidden in his cozy interior office in the bowels of Orbital Counterweight Station of the International Space Elevator. But…
June 04, 2025
Flash Fiction George Vu

A Stolen Kiss A Beautiful Dream

It had been a long, exhausting day for her – a blur of endless tasks and demands. Yet, despite it all, she had fought for a moment to be with him. Stealing time from the world around her, she walked into the room quietly, hoping to surprise him. After a few…
June 04, 2025
Flash Fiction Benoit

Cow Bells

Based on actual incidents. Swiss Cabinet meeting, 15 March 1943 The American Ambassador has no comment, no explanation. We can expel the Ambassador in protest. I prefer he remains here under close surveillance. The bombing yesterday was of nuisance value; it…
June 04, 2025
Poetry Markus J

Signed To The Message

do your bit for king and country. are you a coward? or are you brave? so now is the time to sacrifice you don`t want to let your mates down it`s a kinship of the soul you know that’s the Australian way it was the message that was kept being sold so they…
June 04, 2025
General Stories Michael Barlett

On The Rebound

I was sitting in a bar knocking back my third Jack Daniels, when a drop-dead gorgeous blonde walked in. As she paused, surveying the room, I raised my glass in a complimentary salute. It was a ‘Hail Mary’ move, and I could hardly believe it when she came…
June 04, 2025
Science Fiction Stories M.D. Smith

Unplanned Landing

Red lights pulsed. Sirens howled. “Alert. Navigation failure. Proximity alert. Impact in thirty seconds.” Captain Mara Voss shot upright in her cryo-pod, lungs gasping like a drowning swimmer. Across the chamber, the rest of the crew jerked awake, groggy and…
June 04, 2025
Poetry Markus J

Marching To The Same Beat

an angel stands under a lonely pine showing the way to the lost souls the ones who innocently answered the king’s call and now flags fly half mast for those that no-more stand buried in some far off foreign land the pipes call out to the brave and the angel…
April 29, 2025
Fantasy Stories Chris Turner-Neal

The Gorgon’s Climb

I am the only one of us who calls it rape. Stheno, when she must mention it, says “our bad luck;” Medusa shrugs and says “gods don’t have to ask.” And I say but they should and she says but they don’t and Stheno says this attitude doesn’t help, and she’s…

The fading smell of vomit mixed with disinfectant filled Chris’s nose as he made his away along the aisle to take his seat. He didn’t mind though because the atmosphere was amazing; the people shouting, the colourful bill boards and most of all the pitch - the place where the magic supposedly happened. It gave him butterflies in his stomach. The guy he had been sitting beside on the bus for an hour stank of smoke and urine so he was glad of the change and nothing was going to ruin his first football match.

Tommy smiled as he handed Chris a pie and a soft drink. “This is it son, do you like it? The home of the gods eh?” 
Chris Sputtered as a rogue piece of pie came out his mouth. “Yeah Dad It’s brilliant” 

“You’ll love it son, you will.” Tommy cuddled his arm around him and opened the beer can in his other hand.

The match had just started and Chris followed the cluster of the colours on the pitch; the green and white hoops of one side and the royal blue of the other, the players were moving so fast it was making him dizzy trying to keep track. He listened intently to the chants and songs of the crowd, one side leading the abuse followed by a reply from the other.

“What are they singing about Dad?”

Tommy opened another can. “I’ll tell you when you’re older. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“YEEEEAAAASSSSSSSS!” The explosion of noise made Chris jump out of his skin and he was almost knocked to the floor as the people around him sprung up as one, like a giant Jack in a box.

Picking Chris up and holding him until they were face to face, Tommy, almost in tears, kissed him on the forehead. Chris could smell the beer on his breath and pulled his head back a little. Tommy said “You’ll be playing for them one day son, people will come and watch you, I know they will”.

Chris beamed back at Tommy. “Can’t wait Dad, can’t wait.”
“Dad?
“What is it son?”
“I love you.”

Tommy held back the tears but wiped his face just to be sure “I love you too Son.”

The nearest supporters shot Tommy angry looks and “Tutted” disapprovingly as he drank the rest of his carryout. Tommy ignored them and carried on, joining in with the cheers and gasps of the rest. “I’m just going to the toilet son. I’ll be back in a minute, be good and don’t go anywhere”.

“Ok, I will and wont Dad”.

“This is where I sat the first time I was here”. Chris hugged Alex and sat him on the seat. “It was the last time I saw Granddad”. He added under his breath.

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