Short stories

Reading the Squeak Times

by Christopher Dabrowski Boar Albert ate and read The Squeak Times. -Loretta -he grunted animatedly. -Did you know that Earth's inhabitants eat pigs? -Oh -quipped his wife. -Barbarians! Albert adjusted the bathrobe belt and went back to reading. Yet he couldn't concentrate. Too much anxiety cost him what he read. -I will avenge them! I will eat a human! I'll buy one from the greyhounds -he decided. -They sell humans? -asked Loretta. -Yeah, th

Christopher T. Dabrowski

The Star Signs of Sceptics

by Gary Welsh She was an Aquarius; he didn’t give a shit about astrology. He told her there were no stars in the sky the night he was born, and hence no constellation to stereotype him with. He didn’t believe there were only twelve types of people in the world, so she read her horoscope out loud to him from the morning paper. She was convinced it would come true. He told her that back when he was an intern journalist, he spent a week working at the lifestyle section of the lo

Gary Welsh

Night Nineteen

by Virginia Elizabeth Hayes Eleanor looked out the crooked bedroom window wondering about the law of averages. Nineteen days ago, she rented a house that was really a collection of added-on rooms, that passed for a structure, out in rural Alaska. She hadn’t traveled here for the architecture. No. the house was conveniently positioned under the zone in the sky called: the Aurora Oval. This was the part of the world that enjoyed more visitations from the Northern Lights, on ave

Virginia Elizabeth Hayes

The Silence of Wings

by Malkeet Kaur It takes off from the runway, a thundering metal bird let loose into the twinkling night sky, its landing gear crunching before folding in. Inside the long, seemingly secure tube, hundreds of souls prepare to cross distant lands and oceans. Some are simply answering the call of home. Its nose climbs higher and higher, slicing through air and wind until it becomes a speck of flickering light to the awe-struck denizens below. Inside the cockpit, the twinkling pa

Malkeet Kaur

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Flash fiction

Short stories in only 500 words or less.

Reading the Squeak Times

by Christopher Dabrowski Boar Albert ate and read The Squeak Times. -Loretta -he grunted animatedly. -Did you know that Earth's inhabitants eat pigs? -Oh -quipped his wife. -Barbarians! Albert adjusted the bathrobe belt and went back to reading. Yet he couldn't concentrate. Too much anxiety cost him what he read. -I will avenge them! I will eat a human! I'll buy one from the greyhounds -he decided. -They sell humans? -asked Loretta. -Yeah, th

Christopher T. Dabrowski

3 days ago1 min read

Chimney Surprise

by Christopher Dabrowksi Something rattled and fell, raising a billowing cloud of black dust. I was sure it was a burglar, but... it's Christmas, maybe it's Santa Claus. However, it wasn't him, even though the characteristic colors, hat, and gift bag matched. It was a stunning woman instead—yes, a little soot-stained and coughing because she had inhaled it, but even without that, her beauty knocked me out. "Hey, I am Snowflake" she finally spoke up. "I'm a Santa substitute. H

Christopher T. Dabrowski

Dec 21, 20251 min read

Almost a Schrödinger

by Anne M. Carson His cat is both alive, hovering at the moment of simultaneity, and also dead. The cartoon vet puts a sympathetic hand on the client’s shoulder, says, “About your cat Mr Schrödinger, I have good news and bad news.” My cat wasn’t dead and alive, but in two places at once, almost a Schrödinger cat. One version of Charlie was hiding from the new cat sitter, safe in the cupboard at home. The other was in hospital comforting me. Doped up with opiods, my calves wra

Anne M. Carson

Nov 23, 20251 min read

Helpful Dog

by Christopher Dabrowski Human worked again, at a glowing rectangle—he called it a laptop. He looked tired, so Ozzy offered to help: - Get some rest, I'll pat the keyboard for you - he barked. Human stroked his head and moved away. The dog glanced at the device. - I won't even write a "woof, woof". Difficult stamps... However, he decided he wouldn't give up and enthusiastically pawed at random buttons. What is happening? The letters grew! Human came and went pale, reading: -

Christopher T. Dabrowski

Nov 11, 20251 min read

Chaos Was A Blue Cat

by Irene Cunningham the woman I saw within her had pale blue hair with electric highlights. She could nestle in cloud under the moon… in fact it appeared sometimes there were great grey wings puffing around her, camouflaging her nakedness. No one knows what she got up to on those nights amongst rooftops and spires, and mornings after the short disappearances, she’d sit facing walls, tail wrapped around her paws probably re-living reckless raving—I should’ve called her Harpy.

Irene Cunningham

Oct 26, 20251 min read

The Empty Chair

by Malkeet Kaur The café was always too bright, the kind of light that made you squint even on overcast days. She sat by the window, her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. The steam had stopped rising minutes ago, but she hadn’t noticed. Outside, the rain tapped against the glass in uneven rhythms, like a song someone had started but forgotten how to finish. He was supposed to meet her at three. The clock on the wall, its hands chipped and yellowed,

Malkeet Kaur

Oct 23, 20252 min read

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Animal Stories

Stories about pets and animals.

Quit Horsing Around

by Susan Duffield-Lodge From the moment our eyes met I knew in my heart that he was the one. I’d never been a believer in love at first sight. Until now. Destiny can be funny like that; sneaking up on you when you least expect it—one of those magical, memorable moments when love gently taps you on the shoulder. I was immediately transfixed by the sheer beauty and magnificence of him as he began slowly ambling toward me. I found myself assessing his physical bearing from afar—

Susan Duffield-Lodge

Nov 25, 2025

Chaos Was A Blue Cat

by Irene Cunningham the woman I saw within her had pale blue hair with electric highlights. She could nestle in cloud under the moon… in fact it appeared sometimes there were great grey wings puffing around her, camouflaging her nakedness. No one knows what she got up to on those nights amongst rooftops and spires, and mornings after the short disappearances, she’d sit facing walls, tail wrapped around her paws probably re-living reckless raving—I should’ve called her Harpy.

Irene Cunningham

Oct 26, 2025