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Latest Stories

March 19, 2024
Fantasy Stories Wondering Monk

Just My Imagination

The alarm clock went off and started playing an awful tune. Tom opened his eyes and closed them back, squinting. He reopened one eye and stood up to stop the torture. The phone was on the desk, in the furthest spot from the bed. Although he changed his way of…
March 19, 2024
Science Fiction Stories Ocelotlzin

Earth Is Dead

Recording… It doesn't matter who I was; I probably lived a long time ago, and I am now just a voice someone added to the audio-visual records. What is essential is the recollection of events that lead to the current state. So, a little history needs to be…
March 08, 2024
Flash Fiction Benoit

Some Enchanted Evening

It was a rugby tackle with tears: Chrissy burst in, sobbing and babbling, hugging James. Her face was all wet, eyes wild. What…? My parents split up, Dad has moved in with his boyfriend and I cannot join them. I am shut out. I have lost my dad. Torrent of…
March 08, 2024
Horror Stories Marvel Chukwudi Pephel

In The Hands Of My Legs

The car pulled up in front of the large salon. The neon sign, that sexy broad thing, on the salon'sroof read "Mr. Gil's All-night Salon". The exhaust pipe of the car was pumping solid smoke, theswirls moving from the car and towards the salon.…
March 07, 2024
Mystery Stories Vanessa Leigh Giles

Casualty of Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Chapter 1 Until Death do us Part ‘Ring, ring!’. I answered the telephone and asked, “Hello, good evening. Who’s this? “Hello.” This is Dr. Smith from Red Cross hospital. “Is this Mr. Locke, John?”, he asked, hesitantly scratching his bald head. “Yes, doctor.…
March 07, 2024
Crime Stories Robert Pook

Bar Room Trigger

Another return journey on footpaths so familiar. He strides across each crack in each paving stone. Regular loose drain covers sidestepped. Mapping long ago mapped in Richard’s desolate mind. His pace hastened by the sight of the oncoming storm. Quickening…
March 04, 2024
Horror Stories Ano Chinemerem

Sanctity

Where should I begin? I could begin by telling you about this comely boy, whom every notable person around the streets agrees his smile could charm the bills off one. Between one smile, there was his goodness, his dreams and humanity—a little far ahead?— but…
March 04, 2024
Flash Fiction Emanuel Diaz

Et Mortui Partium

As Rafael stepped out into the rain, it wasn't the ordinary drops that fell from the sky. Instead, it was a storm of souls, each one taking the form of shimmering jewelry as it cascaded toward the ground. Rubies, diamonds, and sapphires twinkled amidst the…
February 29, 2024
Poetry Jing Li Ava

London

‘Am I in London?’ "I am." Where is Elizabeth? Happy living story All of your chapter Bounlance joy Please my heart Power hand Wise mind Our baby Vow vow Love all love Miss I miss Endless wonder Bring us together Love all love Miss I miss For everything My…
February 29, 2024
Flash Fiction Rob Pook

Life Sentence of The Smith

Born nine months after his country won the World Cup.A child prodigy.Cast off at age twenty-four.Husband, father, emigree, away on the other side of the world.The blue-collar life.The dreams of success.The search for fulfillment.The long years of empty…
February 29, 2024
Mystery Stories Joshua Lowther

The Operator

Jason looked over to his right, his eyes barely able to focus themselves on the subject of his attention. His neck ached terribly from the strenuous movement. He was tired. The captain’s gaze came to rest on the rookie sonar operator sitting tense at his…
February 29, 2024
Flash Fiction Salvatore Difalco

The Chute

At dusk, we left our unit with a soft pink bundle. I carried it through the wet streets and into the black woods. I said I’d take it all the way, the bundle, but that we had to drop it in together. My wife’s green eyes flashed. “Don’t make me do that.” I…

It all started one Friday night, apparently a pandemic was going on. It had been only a week since “Adara” moved from her parents to a house to live on her own (well more like her parents agreed on self living because they knew the people who leased the house, and it was near to her office). The day she stepped foot in the house, the government declared complete lockdown. Her office works were postponed to next month or until the pandemic was over (being a private company).Who would have thought something like this would happen? This girl’s only dream was to live in a place where there would be no restrictions, and where she could travel as many places as she wanted. Her mother was strict with her, but that strictness helped her to cook meals for herself these days (for that she was grateful).

She never panicked; being alone was never a new thing for her. It was Friday noon after eating lunch that she sat on her bed sighing with empty thoughts, everything seemed empty because she started living in a house which she was not familiar with. A teardrop came from her eyes and within minutes, she fell asleep and got absorbed in a dream…

Well, the dream was also horrible…she saw her childhood vacation, it was then she realized that she was a real loner in life…Her family never travelled during vacation, because her father was working out of the native country. Her brother would go with his friends to play, whereas, she would sit in her room, or stare at the sky. Her mother never let her go with her brother to play because he played with a group of boys; she hated herself being a girl so badly during those days.

She woke up from her dramatic dream, or maybe a noon mare and wondered, “Why LORD???” She was hoping everything would be fixed when she grows up and when she finally got a chance to explore the world on her own, the world mocked her with the pandemic. It felt like everyone wanted her to be locked away. Soon there was the darkness of the night, she ate the food that she made and went to sleep. Some thoughts of her life made her eyes blurry again with tears, it was then she noted something shining through those blurry eyes. She rubbed her eyes and looked carefully. It was the reflection of something that got her attention; she searched for the source of reflection and found a white crystal like jewel, so beautiful that it could hypnotize your eyes. It had a thread attached, so it looked like a pendant. She gazed at it for a while and wore it. The next moment, she fainted. When she came to her senses, she was in a different world, a world where road paths to trees, everything was colorful, just like a rainbow. She was sure it was another dramatic dream. But it looked so relaxing and beautiful that she felt blessed. Suddenly, a beautiful girl with shiny black long hair, twinkling eyes, and who wore white dress appeared before her. She looked so unreal and “Adara” was mesmerized with her beauty and told herself in mind, “She would make a beautiful bride”. The girl smiled ( the smile that can melt pain away) and said, you would also make a beautiful bride one day. “Adara” was shocked, how did she know about something that she thought in her mind?.

The girl gazed at her with those twinkling eyes and said “Welcome, to the world of Prisha”. I’m “Ruhani”, a sacred spirit who guards the wandered souls that come here. Adara started laughing and thought maybe it’s time that she woke up now. “Ruhani” said, “you are not dreaming “Adara”, this world is a gift from God, only people with a bit of sacredness can make it up to this world, I knew it the moment you gazed at me, you’ll come along with me. Then “Adara” remembered the jewel incident. Then she asked, “so you are a sacred jewel”?

Ruhani said “I’m glad you remembered, but more like a sacred spirit”. Adara asked, “so, you can hear my thoughts?”

Ruhani replied, “As long as you want me to hear it, it’s like a sixth sense.”

Adara wondered, since she’s in this world, does that mean “she’s dead?” Ruhani smiled again and said, let’s take a glance at this world.

Adara didn’t understand what she said and started following her. She saw the paths were all miraculously in colors when she looked clearly she saw a huge spider, huge enough to cover all the paths of “Prisha”, and a beautiful spider web, then she realized the rainbow pathway was because of the reflection from the spider’s web. She saw elephants with big ears which could fly(just like jumbo), dogs and cats talking together in human language, birds with hands, lions playing with deer, ants(human sized) with soldier uniform, water fall in which water is moving upwards (Adara was very confused).

Ruhani laughed. Adara said, “Don’t you know about gravity? Your world is beautiful. After listening to Ruhani, she became more confused.

Ruhani said, “You are free to go anywhere in the world of “Prisha” as long as you love it here. But tomorrow night, you need to visit me again.

Adara asked, “How am I supposed to know where you are?

Just close your eyes, and call my name three times. After these words, Ruhani disappeared.

Adara ran across the rainbow grasses, climbed towards the waterfall and jumped towards the water, she found herself floating in the sky along with the water, and when she stepped out of the water she could walk in the sky, later, she discovered beautiful wings supporting her. She talked with the trees, gave handshakes to birds, participated in a running competition with lions and deer, in which the leopard came out of nowhere, and won the competition. The lion scolded the leopard and he made a funny face towards the lion and ran away. Lion went chasing the leopard. Adara was laughing her heart out. The deer came to her for company, Adara asked, “Aren’t you afraid of Mr. Lion?

Deer said, there is no fear in this world, but only hope.

I want to travel more through the world of “Prisha”

you can use my eyes to travel,'' said the deer.

Your eyes? said Adara. The deer shed a tear which turned into a gem and said hold onto this gem and say ‘RUN’, it will take you to places I went.

Adara asked how it worked.

This gem works on the basis of time, it will take you to the time when I travelled there, it can only take you to the past never to future as it works based on my vision and time.

Adara did, as she was told. She,at first, reached at “Christ, the Redeemer” and then to Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Roman Colosseum ,Great wall of China, Taj Mahal, Petra, and she finally, reached the place where the deer was ,she gave the gem back to the deer and thanked her soulfully. She saw the deer running away playfully with the lion, she wondered what a beautiful ending. Then she thought, “Wait! Did I just travel to the seven wonders of the world and why did a deer travel to all these places? What sort of world is this Prisha”??

Then she realized it was night already, she closed her eyes and called “Ruhani’s” name three times, within a second, she reached where Ruhani was.

Then, she saw a huge triangular thing with mirrors inside it, “Ruhani” said ‘this is the kaleidoscope of life, you have to enter it, if you come out of it then you can stay in “the world of “Prisha” forever’.

Adara asked, “What would happen if I cannot make it out of it??” “Ruhani” smiled and waved her hands, the next moment, Adara was inside the kaleidoscope, and she could see herself in different ways, Ruhani said, “Look deeper into yourself”.

Adara looked deeply into her image, what she saw next was mesmerizing, she saw the cells reciprocating , she saw seeds becoming saplings, she saw a mother giving birth to a child, she saw all the happy moments of her life, it never ended… Adara was so happy to see it; she started to cry with joy.

Ruhani said, “look at those happy moments of your life, they are not ending at all! That’s the problem of humankind, they only remember the sorrows and forget about the happy moments of their life, the world you saw in this ‘world of Prisha’ was created based on your imaginations only. Though this world is a gift from god, only the drained souls can stay here longer, Adara! I don’t think yours is drained yet! So, what is your decision? Do you want to stay in the imaginary world you created, or do you want to go back to the reality???”

Adara looked at the mirror again, she saw her smiling face accompanied by her parents. Adara said, “I want to go back to reality.” The moment she started to disappear, Ruhani whispered in her earsm “No one has imagined me this beautiful before, u have a sacred and beautiful heart”. When she regained consciousness, she saw the landlord with her daughter trying their best to wake her up. She woke up, and wondered what was going on? She couldn’t remember anything about the sacred jewel or “the world of Prisha”, but she felt some inner peace, and was happier than before.

The landlord and his daughter came to check on her, they began to leave as they realized that Adara was fine.

Before leaving the landlord’s daughter asked, “Sis! Can I take a look at this shining pendant (which was on the table beside her bed).”

Adara said, “Pendant? What pendant?” The landlord’s daughter gazed at the pendant and took it along with her.

When the landlord’s daughter reached home, she wore the pendant and she fainted. When she opened her eyes she saw a cute looking bunny with brown hairs and big eyes.

The bunny whispered “Welcome to the world of Prisha”!!!”





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