Category: Short Stories

“Evelyn Harper hadn’t expected the chill. Not just from the late autumn air clinging to Briarwood’s cobblestone streets, but the iciness that settled in her chest watching the casket lowered. Aunt Maeve, a woman more shadow than substance in Evelyn’s memory, was finally gone. As the first clods of earth thudded onto the polished wood,… Read more

Alex Harper pushed through the clinging fog, the chill seeping into her despite the autumn coat. Crows scattered from the gnarled oak guarding the Fogwood cemetery entrance, their calls echoing her unease. The funeral. A disruption, unwelcome and laced with a subtle wrongness she couldn’t yet name. Her boots crunched on the gravel path. Marcus… Read more

Emma Thompson, black coffee already bitter on her tongue, meticulously cataloged the chipped teacups at the antique stall. Each fragile curve, each faded floral pattern, a silent story. A gruff cough cut through the market’s murmur. Lucas Reed, his usually jovial face etched with panic, shoved a crumpled note into her hand. “They took it,… Read more

Amelia Harper, black coffee steaming in her hand, meticulously charted the crumbling architecture of the cliffside manor in her worn leather notebook. The salt-laced wind whipped strands of her dark hair across her pale face, a familiar discomfort. A frantic pounding shattered the rhythmic scratching of her pen. Daniel Brooks, breathless and wide-eyed, stood silhouetted… Read more

Charlotte Barker, perpetually fueled by black coffee, meticulously photographed a crumbling tombstone in Ravenwood Cemetery. Fog, thick as a shroud, clung to the weathered stone, obscuring the finer details. A sharp crack echoed – a branch, snapped underfoot. Charlotte spun, her hand instinctively reaching for the small, weighted object in her coat pocket. Daniel Hartman,… Read more

Inciting Incident: Aidan Seraph, fingers flying across the holographic interface of the expedition’s navigation system, calibrated for the uncharted quantum rift. Alarms shrieked. The ancient relic, secured in a stasis field beside him, pulsed with an eerie, glowing light, far brighter than its usual hum. The ship bucked violently, throwing Aidan against the console. The… Read more

Eleanor Blackwood, slender and pale in her dark dress, adjusted the wilting lilies on the freshly turned earth. The Ravenwood air hung heavy, a damp, misty shroud mirroring the knot in her stomach. A low, guttural caw ripped through the somber silence, a raven landing on the headstone. Then, it wasn’t alone. Another, larger raven… Read more

Evelyn Harper, fingers tracing the intricate carvings of the strange key, sipped lukewarm tea in her cluttered study. The diary, bound in faded leather, lay open beside it, its cryptic entries a familiar torment. A sudden, sharp rap echoed through the quiet. Annoyed, she set down her mug, the porcelain clinking against the wooden desk.… Read more

Alexandra’s slender fingers danced across the holographic display, lines of code blurring beneath her touch. She wasn’t just debugging; she was building, crafting a bypass into New Avalon’s antiquated security net – a ghost in the machine. Suddenly, the console flickered violently, spitting out an error message in archaic script. The room plunged into momentary… Read more

Amelia Hawthorne, fingers stained with ink, meticulously cataloged the Ravenwood Historical Society’s dusty archives. The scent of aged paper and forgotten stories clung to the air, a comfort she usually found solace in. Today, however, her focus wavered. A frantic pounding echoed from the main hall, shattering the quiet. Marcus Bennett, his face pale beneath… Read more