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Latest Stories

January 12, 2026
Fantasy Stories Garry Harman

Podmate

Looking out from under cover, the hungry creature’s sensors twitched nervously as it searched for danger. It was dark and that was good. How long it would stay dark was a mystery. Often, the bright light came slowly, soothingly. Sometimes it came suddenly and…
January 12, 2026
Poetry Markus J

Aussie Animals

kevy the big red male kangaroo impressed the girls with a manly woo out to set hearts on fire wore his best bushie attire as he blew on his didgeridoo wally the hairy nosed wombat was very hairy, round and fat waddled when he walked loudly screeched when he…
January 12, 2026
General Stories Lesley Brown

Temple De La Sibylle

Rebecca was smoking a cigarette at a brasserie in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. She had always dreamt of moving to Paris, but she shared her dogs with her ex-wife, Hae Jung, back in New York and couldn't bear to part with them. She resigned herself to the…
January 12, 2026
Crime Stories Tom Kropp

Robbers And Rapists Ruffians

Bruno's story starts out in 1773 on a London dead end street when Brita stomped on his feet. There was no warning as she dashed past the alley and crashed into Bruno. The breath was buffeted from her body and her head clipped his chin. Bruno was bounced back…
January 10, 2026
Fantasy Stories Garry Harman

Alien Speaker

The Speaker loitered outside the Speaking Nest, floating effortlessly in the thick atmosphere. Small webbings keeping him stable, eyes constantly goggling for food or danger. He took a glance to inspect his armor. In good condition, gleaming and delightful to…
January 10, 2026
General Stories Tom Kropp

Greg’s Grievous Grudge

The man who used the fake identity of JB Strand sat in his little hotel room alone, smoking crack and drinking. His early years haunted him. His mom had been a junkie prostitute that left a map work of scars across his back from cigarette cherries and…
January 10, 2026
Fantasy Stories Garry Harman

Grey Leader

“Blue Leader to Grey Leader. You there, Pappy?” “Roger, Blue Leader. Can’t you see me?” It was getting dark. Grey Leader was happy to be difficult to spot. Being seen could be fatal. Blue Leader and his flight were cruising in close formation, but not too…
January 10, 2026
Flash Fiction Tom Kropp

School Shooter Stopped

"Scot! You have to get to the tech school now! There's a shooter waiting outside right now! He's waiting for the period to end and ambush students! He's got an Uzi machine pistol and another pistol!" Sharon informed Scot. "Name and location?" Scot inquired…
January 10, 2026
General Stories Michael Barlett

Klondike

1897 CHAPTER ONE The brakes on the Sierra steam locomotive screeched as the train pulled into the Townsend Street Depot in San Francisco. When it lurched to a stop, a man carrying a black leather valise grabbed hold of a stanchion to steady himself.…
January 10, 2026
Flash Fiction Matias Travieso-Diaz

Year End Reckoning

The doors of the temple of Janus Quirinus …the Senate decreed should be closed on three occasions while I was princeps. Augustus, Res Gestae, Chapter 13 I always find the days between Christmas and New Year to be the most trying span of time in the entire…
January 05, 2026
General Stories Cody Wilkerson

Faith Valentine

With the day just getting started I’m excited for work. Today we receive our weekly mission at my job. I have been groomed into the family business, the perfect child, growing up excelling at everything. But a rebel at heart. When it comes to the job, no one…
January 05, 2026
Fantasy Stories M. R. Blackmoor

Mermaids And Sirens

...when a storm was coming on, and they anticipated that a ship might sink, they swam before it,and sang most sweetly of the delight to be found beneath the water, begging the seafarers not tobe afraid of coming down below.Hans Christian Anderson, The Little…

It was supposed to just be a joke.  Really…

Josh, Pat and Casey drove over to the house of Rachel Vessing with the intent of play a bit of a joke on her 17th birthday.  The “mooning” of the attractive redhead while singing “happy birthday” was intended to in fun.   They were sure that Rachel won’t be offended and would take the gesture in the manner intended.

Hey, it was just a joke, right?  But unbeknownst to the boys, Rachel’s father, the Reverend Josiah Vessing, was at home that night and not at bible study as was usually the case for a Wednesday evening in the fall.  The widower was protective of his only daughter so what happened was not totally unexpected.  So the boys were surprised when both Rachel and Reverend Vessing opened the door.  Turned around and bent over, the boys thought that just Rachel was there when she gasped “oh my god” at the sight of their bare buttocks.  But they quickly realized their mistake when they heard a male voice boom out “what the hell??”

Fleeing off the porch while simultaneously trying to buckle their pants, boys might have been a bit too distracted to hear the reverend’s final comment to them as they ran off his property.

 

“That is not what I was talking about last week when I said that we all need to turn the other cheek…”

 

 

The End

 

Author’s Bio:   Tom Schmidt is a Chemical Engineer working in medical diagnostics in upstate New York.  He enjoys creative writing and has been published on www.short-story.me as well as on www.fartherstars.com and in www.overmydeadbody.com in the past.  He is currently working on the “Paul Garigan Crime Mysteries”, a collection of short stories centered around a Malibu based police detective which he hopes to publish in the future.  Tom can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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