Literary Fiction Stories

Dr. H. Ashford

The telegram arrived at half past two on a Thursday afternoon, which meant that Dr. Ashford had already committed the sin of removing his boots and settling int…

Sofia Verlanti

As she stepped into the apartment, the humid evening air clung to her like a damp shroud, heavy with the scent of blooming flowers and something else - the smel…

Cass Ferren

1 The clock on the wall has not been right since February. She knows this. It reads 2:47 but the light through the window says later — the particular amber of f…

Yuki Kazehara

At eight forty-three, Natori Fumika was halfway through putting the dampness log back in its drawer when the duty phone began to ring again. The municipal archi…

Sofia Verlanti

As she climbed the stairs, the heat of the evening clung to her like a damp shroud, heavy with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh basil. The elevator had f…

Yuki Kazehara

By seven twenty, Senda Aoi had already decided that the combs were wrong. She stood in front of Case Four with her satchel still on her shoulder and the morning…

Elara Nightwood

The river had stopped accepting the dead three hours before dawn, which meant someone had broken the covenant that kept the black glass flowing. Kael felt it in…

Sofia Verlanti

As she stepped into the house, the weight of her hospital shift still clinging to her like a damp shroud, she was met with an unexpected sight: her ex-husband, …

Yuki Kazehara

By half past four, the rain had found the gap above the municipal archive window and was dripping, with steady civic patience, into a chipped umbrella stand no …

Sofia Verlanti

As she stepped into the apartment, the humid evening air clung to her like a damp shroud, heavy with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth. The familiar…

Elara Nightwood

The roads had begun appearing three weeks after Catriona stopped drawing them, which meant the world was remembering something she had tried very hard to forget…

Luc Devereaux

The rain stops at 5:17 a.m. I know because the neon sign above the pharmacy flickers off the same second, like someone pulled the plug on the sky. I shake water…