You slice my heart with your indifference; I burn your soul with my words. Playing like a predator and prey, we prance and growl and scratch and bite. Twirling to the rhythm of our heartbeats, we roar and explode, intertwining our roots.
Amidst this tango of desire, our unravelling begins.
Born and raised in Dehradun, a small valley on the foothills of the Himalayas, Nazia fell in love with writing at a young age. Her work can be read on FemAsia, Rigorous, CafeLit, and other online journals.
Time for our evening walk. I tug. She won’t budge. Not in the mood either. I release her leash, plumping myself onto the sofa. Cuddling the pillow close, tears stream down. My poodle strokes me with her tongue, staring into my eyes as if she’s saying, “Just let him go.”
Chidi Young lives in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. He’s a teacher, photographer, and graphic designer who loves to read and write short stories.
He lifted the tiny infant from the abandoned basket, thanking the gods for their gracious gift. Dressing him in golden cloth, he ennobled the child, proclaiming him his son and heir. The boy grew tall, strong, and powerfully capable.
But the king, in hopeful desperation, had overlooked the unusual eyes.
Karen Robinson is a flash fiction and poetry scribbler living by the sea in Devon, England.
“He’s following me!” she cried, pleading him to take her side.
“Where’s your medication, honey?” he begged, hugging her frame close.
Her face fell. “You don’t believe me.”
I crouched down by the stairs, watching silently as dad tried convincing mom the three-headed man in front our fireplace wasn’t real.
Karttika writes mystery and fantasy with every spare time she could get.
A single step forward ripples through the queue. I joined it long ago and it’s grown until now the queue is all I can see.
I dream of reaching the front. Where waits…
I never knew. But I can’t give up. I’ve come too far and nowhere near far enough.
Brian Maycock’s stories have appeared most recently on the NoSleep Podcast and Tales from the Breakroom. He’s in Cornwall.
The lovers ascend swiftly, hearts pulsing with each foothold. She always yearned to climb—swing from branches thick with foliage, apple-blossomed in spring. Now they sway, unsteady, on a winter limb. Only then does she remember the problem with descent. Remembers she has never known how to get herself un-treed.
Kelli Short Borges writes from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, where her family has lived for six generations. Her stories have won contests and been nominated for multiple awards. She is currently working on her first novel. You can connect with her at Kellishortborges.com.
She had high hopes.
Prince Charming was unavoidably detained.
The glass slipper would eventually fit.
Her castle was somewhere, waiting, high on a hill.
Day after day, she read the story.
Day after day, she waited.
Disguised as an imperfect but glorious life, her happily ever after passed her by.
Susan Gale Wickes is a writer from Indiana. She enjoys writing short stories and greeting card verses and the joy of cartoon captioning.
The story of the week for March 18 to 22 is…
Sólarkaffi by Râna Campbell
Our love took sick in Louisville with a whimper. Died in Knoxville without a sound. Its ghost wanders in the mountains of East Tennessee looking for the Carolina border like a lost cub scout separated from his pack. Ghosts have no sense of direction and can’t hold a compass besides.
Matt was born and raised in NY state and presently lives in Dark Corner, SC.
Crossroad demon in a three-piece suit: “Initial the pages and fill in the blanks.”
And I’m supposed to say, “Thanks,” like I have a choice.
Poisoned ink dries on the page, as I sign my life away. Just some more bones to build your throne, another soul under your control.
Billie-Leigh Burns is a writer from Liverpool. Her work has been featured by 50 Word Stories, Funny Pearls, and Mersey Review. She is also a bookkeeper, making her the only writer she knows who owns an ‘I Heart Spreadsheets’ mug.