Read stories written by talented authors from around the globe.

I sit with my coffee watching for the morning light Waiting for a new day to begin It is as if you touch my hand and I am not alone As the light begins to peak over the mountain I feel energy build within Strength is coming back and a new spark of life Is building Darkness does not scare me like before Many things I still can not do alone But as long as the light comes over the mountain I will continue To believe To hope...

In the small, rundown jail on the outskirts of the city, the atmosphere was always tense. The prisoners, locked up in their cells, waited for the darkness to come. For them, it was a time of rest, a time to escape the harsh reality of their confinement. But for the guards, it was a time of vigilance, a time to ensure that no one tried to escape or cause trouble. On one particular night, a new guard, Jimmy Carson, made his...

Johnny Carson was a cop in the city, patrolling the streets every day with his trusty police car and his colleague, Mitchell Barsto. They were an unstoppable duo, always ready to take on any challenge that came their way. One evening, they parked their vehicle under a tree, taking a moment to enjoy the cool breeze. Suddenly, their walkie-talkie was blaring with a call about a murder on Lincoln Street. A man had been kille...

Henry was trotting along in the twilight looking for food. It was always twilight in the Arctic in Winter – except when it was completely dark. But since Henry was a trickster, he was looking for both food and fun. He loved laughing – especially at other people's expense. Suddenly he stopped, completely still, because he knew that movement could make the ptarmigan up ahead notice him. Henry’s fur was completely white in t...

Pete was five years younger than me and just got his degree. He was 2" taller, skinny, and probably the same weight. He had just got out of a relationship, and wanted relaxed fun which was good for me. My only concern was that he wasn't into exercise at all. I really wanted a guy that could keep physical and intellectual pace with me even as a friend. While I wasn't particularly fit by my standards due to work, I was stil...

I'm Kate, Sam's flatmate, and close friend since childhood. Sam and I became close friends in our first year at Area School. By the time we moved to secondary school, we could run down a hogget as well as any boy could. As most kids in our school, we both enjoyed going out hunting: if anything, more so than the boys as we really enjoyed the money from Possums, but the boys could carry and skin a Wallaby better than us. Bu...

This is a beautiful illustration from nature of how love and support work for the benefit of two. The thinner tree was cut years ago and the big one has been holding and feeding it since then. They "wake up" together in the spring and "go to sleep" together in the autumn. Inosculation is a natural phenomenon in which parts of two different trees, commonly but not exclusively the same species, grow together, self-grafting...

"Are you ready to go, yet?" "No... go without me... I can't be seen like this." "It'll be fine, babe, c'mon." "You're parents can't see me like this! It's not right! Besides, what would they think if we were... were affectionate like this? I enjoy our affection and this... this body is discouraging, neither have I figured it all out, yet." "Did you forget that I'm pansexual? And you're still pretty cute." "My memory banks...

Sigh, "You know what, this just sucks." "It is what it is, Zane, no need to get upset." "Yeah, but, ya know... that happened, man." "Let it go, it'll all be fine, everything will be fine." They looked at the situation they and their friends are in, there's only one way to describe it, they all noticed it, but are too afraid to speak on the subject, don't even want to think about it, for a mere thought will shut it all dow...

With a sterile needle and thread, I sew up the wounds that once filled me with dread With a freshly damp cloth, I clear away the red Dissolving all the reasons for which I once openly bled I carefully pluck out the staples that formally held together my heart Lightly brush off the decay and polish this organic part The scar steadily beats in tandem with the muscle blending into a work of art It’s time for a fresh start I...

Henry was trotting along in the twilight looking for food. It was always twilight in the Arctic in Winter – except when it was completely dark. But since Henry was a trickster, he was looking for both food and fun. He loved laughing – especially at other people's expense. Suddenly he stopped, completely still, because he knew that movement could make the ptarmigan up ahead notice him. Henry’s fur was completely white in t...

I know a quiet girl so shy, Head down, she rarely speaks. She fears the world around her— Anxiety's technique. ♡♡♡ Her salty tears shroud bright blue eyes, But no one sees her cry. The corner is her friend for now; She prays pain says, “Goodbye.” ♡♡♡ No hope in sight, her eyes snap shut; She dreams a little dream. Creating worlds where she'll belong— A rainbow-colored scheme. ♡♡♡ She'll dance on clouds and find her voice;...

Victor's first act of survival was completed out of sight of his forever family. It must have happened sometime during the year or so he had been alive. But that history was lost in the mists of time. Puppy time is mistier than people's time. In any case, he was a stray. And he had been sent to the shelter to wonder what the whole thing was about. It was in the colorful days of October when he got lucky. His Boss-to-be ha...

She did this every year, so the call came as no surprise. In fact, I had been expecting it for the last few days. The only surprise was that it took so long. I was sitting with my wife having our coffee after dinner when the phone rang. As I got up to answer, my wife gave me a knowing glance but did not say a word. It was as if we both knew instinctively. “Hello.” I started into the phone, “Oh, hi Mom. Yeah, I’d been expe...

I wrote my obituary today. It feels strange to write that, a surreal experience to say the least. How does one take stock of his life? If it is by money and status, then I am very poor indeed. If it is by the number of his friends, then I again fail. Did I have the most toys? Take the best vacations. Drive the fanciest cars? Will people remember me in one hundred years? The answer to all of these is, no. What did I do? I...

Let the world always remember,That fateful day in September,And the ones who answered duty's call,Should be remembered by us all.Who left the comfort of their home,To face perils as yet unknown,An embodiment of goodness on a day,When men's hearts had gone astray.Sons and daughters like me and you,Who never questioned what they had to do,Who by example, were a source of hope,And strength to others who could not cope.Heroes...

He leans back on the bed watching over the top of his book as she sits at the dressing table, unpinning her hair. I like the way your breasts rise when you raise your arms over your head, he thinks. But it does not arouse me as it did in those early days. Each pin removed allows a few more strands to fall from the tightly coiled bun.  She tilts her head to one side allowing the brush to stroke freely. The tendons at the s...

Dear AuthorAs you may be aware from my earlier letters, I am one of your biggest fans. I loved your last book — and I don't just mean I liked it a lot. I mean I loved it the way a man loves his wife, his children, his parents. The way a drowning man loves a life jacket, or the stranger who dives into the water to rescue him, heedless of the danger; the way that stranger loves others more than himself. I really, really lov...