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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…

In Tamil Nadu, there was no general entrance examination for admission to medical studies four years ago but the general entrance examination called KEET has been in force form the last four years.

This makes it difficult for many lay people to enrol in medical college. Facing this choice for many is a challenge. However one can join the medical course only if they have cleared the exam.

Manikkam arrived at the police station. Upon entering to the police station, the police station writers sighed and asks 

"So when was the exam for your daughter ?"

"Yes sir two days to write," he replied to the station writer , and went to his seat and sat down.

Only the body of the manikkam was sitting on the seat and his thoughts were all rippling somewhere. He was also counting on his daughters future in anticipation for the exam that sudar going to write again.

Manikkam could not even notice the petitioner who was standing in front of his seat holding the complaint in his hand for a long time. He was sitting in such a deep thought.

His Nearby constable Lakshmi calls 

"Sir, sir .. there is something wrong with him? Come on in, take a look and make  enquiries” Even constables voice fell on the ears of the manikkam so slowly as if someone was speaking from a deep well. It took him a while to get back to that normal situation.

While  manikkam was getting  petition from the petitioner and  reading it. Suddenly there was a feeling of being in his throat and he drank the water from nearby water bottle while he was swallowing, he could not drink the water and exhale abruptly, when he has  cough and the water dripped all over the table.

The pain occurs as if something is tightening his neck. He goes into a coma and returns to mild sobriety. The guards all came near to manikkam and relaxed him.

The manikkam couldn’t sit in that seat above it and something kept urging him.

He told the police inspector and drove home with his two-wheeler from the police station. When he reached home, he could not park the bike properly at the door. He tilted the cart down in a stumbling block. He entered the house  door entrance that was  lower to his height.

A little tap on his forehead rubbing his forehead with one hand and feels dizzy. Couldn't notice anything exactly. Wife makes him set aside.

"Why are u so early?"  She asks Nothing fell on manikkam ear when he heard that, only darkness in his eyes a faint murmur of ear-piercing echoed in his ears.

His wife would ask him for a long time. No questions fell on his ears, faintly he knew his wife and suddenly only a twinkle in the eyes of the manikkam flowed and he slowly opened his mouth.

"Where is  sudar?" He asked.

"She hasn't come out of her room! since morning?" As soon as the answer came from Sudar's mother, Manikkam got up slowly and started knocking on the door of Sudar's room. For a long time no response from sudar. That environment made the manickam mind set even more vague.

Sudar's mother began to cry. It is a guard quarters. There are families of guards nearby. Hearing the noises coming from the house of  manikkam, the nearby friends started entering into the house one by one.

"What's the matter sir?"

Manikkam replied "The door of this room makes trouble   Papa sudar were reading in side. We shouted for a long time .. Papa didn’t open the door?"

They decided to break the door, a hard hit. When the door starts to open slowly, the mother of the sudar starts screaming  Manikkam has never seen her daughter in such a condition. sudar was always Bloom’s brightly like a lamp. When it opens darkness appears inside the room.

she tightens her neck through the ceiling fan using her shawl, she was wearing.

Only when he saw his daughter hanging motionless with a cloth around her neck. Any father can’t tolerate that one moment of their children that one moment, when he sees in the distance, his daughter who gave birth to this world surrounded by darkness. Manikkam grabbed her legs and screaming aloud.

Sudar…… sudar….”his eyes were full of tears Of love.

The mother of the sudar hits on her head and began to scream as much as the world could hear. The mothers scream was not only heard by the rulers and the kings of justice.

The neighbourhood of the sudar were doing the work for the funeral of her. When they received the body of  sudar after post modem from GH. 

They put  Sudar on a bench and poured water on her head and rubbed yellow on her face. Such a gloomy face. Manikkam had never seen his dear like that before so brightly and when he saw that face is full of yellow. He started to crack even more.

When Sudar’s mom saw her daughter  was lying like a wood but her face was blooming. She screamed with her Subconscious.

Aw.… oh you my god, Where are you going from now on .. Let us all go, Who are we going to live for. ”

What a blessing we have lost  of you. Our life is immovable.”

"Alas, my princess not even have a word to say in the morning,  I will no longer hear anymore. You have orphaned us who is going to sleep on my lap anymore. ”

"Come and lie down on your mother's lap you my darling .." She put the immovable sudar on her lap and sang a lullaby.

Kamani Sudar, how we will be without seeing you?

Where will we be?

We will wait forever

You’re smiling mother

All the flowers that fell on yours laughter

They Dropped out to the way of for your grave ward

We will wait forever

Let us sleep forever.

You are the one who spoke the language of a kid.

We were watching the language of speech

Not a word  today

Grave chariot is waiting for you.

We will wait forever, my dear.

Let us sleep forever.”

Tears welled up in the eyes of everyone present as they listened to the song. She hugged her daughter tightly while singing the lullaby and kissed her all over her face.

Sudar's mother's throat is dry, Tears from her eyes. All her worries were that the tragedy of not being able to get her dead daughter back was turning her hearts in.

While they were all crying for the sudar outside. The notebooks she used on the desk  where she was reading.  Through the opened  window wind blows. The pages of the note-book turned  something in the letter of bloodshed in the past.

"Dad, Mom I would have gone too far away from you. when you read this the absence of mine is in this note. I have a hard time… Dad.

I can't write this KEET (killing Eligibility entrance test) the expectations of you on mine were killing me, I can't  achieve our dream.

You people were having a big dream on me I don’t want to spoil. 

My death was not a suicide. It was a murder committed by the government, the judiciary and the rulers.

If only one choice would decide the mortal life of the students We do not want that choice.

From Anita sister to still with me thirteen students have died  till now. The government and the rulers who are burying the students' future in this country are ruling in graveyards.

Mom, Dad .. I'm leaving. I can not live among them. Excuse me, I'm tired.

I am sorry, I am tired.”

The wind blew through each side of the pages, with painful lines on the end.

Sudar was taken to the yard with everyone’s painful mourning.



The End

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