#shortstories — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #shortstories, aggregated by home.social.
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@nesce
I'd love to know how things go on with Sonya and Lillith. -
ICYMI
Joyrides For Shut-Ins
Experience the dark and twisted world of American absurdist literature in this collection of stories that will leave you both perplexed and entertained.
From micro-fiction to short stories, each piece delves into the encounters, desires, and violence that make up the fabric of American culture and psyche. Meet characters who are both familiar and bizarre, as they navigate a world that blurs the lines between imagination and reality.
Fans of Samuel Beckett, Lydia Davis, and Chuck Palahniuk will find themselves immersed in this kaleidoscope of dead-pan incidents, where nothing is quite as it seems.
But be warned, as you turn each page, you may find yourself questioning your own grasp on reality.
Don't miss out on this masterful chiaroscuro of a book.
Name your price now!
Buy the paperback at Bookshop.org!
https://absurdproject.gumroad.com/l/JoyridesForShutIns
#bookstodon #weird #absurd #literature #shortstories #microfiction #satire
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ICYMI
Joyrides For Shut-Ins
Experience the dark and twisted world of American absurdist literature in this collection of stories that will leave you both perplexed and entertained.
From micro-fiction to short stories, each piece delves into the encounters, desires, and violence that make up the fabric of American culture and psyche. Meet characters who are both familiar and bizarre, as they navigate a world that blurs the lines between imagination and reality.
Fans of Samuel Beckett, Lydia Davis, and Chuck Palahniuk will find themselves immersed in this kaleidoscope of dead-pan incidents, where nothing is quite as it seems.
But be warned, as you turn each page, you may find yourself questioning your own grasp on reality.
Don't miss out on this masterful chiaroscuro of a book.
Name your price now!
Buy the paperback at Bookshop.org!
https://absurdproject.gumroad.com/l/JoyridesForShutIns
#bookstodon #weird #absurd #literature #shortstories #microfiction #satire
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ICYMI
Joyrides For Shut-Ins
Experience the dark and twisted world of American absurdist literature in this collection of stories that will leave you both perplexed and entertained.
From micro-fiction to short stories, each piece delves into the encounters, desires, and violence that make up the fabric of American culture and psyche. Meet characters who are both familiar and bizarre, as they navigate a world that blurs the lines between imagination and reality.
Fans of Samuel Beckett, Lydia Davis, and Chuck Palahniuk will find themselves immersed in this kaleidoscope of dead-pan incidents, where nothing is quite as it seems.
But be warned, as you turn each page, you may find yourself questioning your own grasp on reality.
Don't miss out on this masterful chiaroscuro of a book.
Name your price now!
Buy the paperback at Bookshop.org!
https://absurdproject.gumroad.com/l/JoyridesForShutIns
#bookstodon #weird #absurd #literature #shortstories #microfiction #satire
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ICYMI
Joyrides For Shut-Ins
Experience the dark and twisted world of American absurdist literature in this collection of stories that will leave you both perplexed and entertained.
From micro-fiction to short stories, each piece delves into the encounters, desires, and violence that make up the fabric of American culture and psyche. Meet characters who are both familiar and bizarre, as they navigate a world that blurs the lines between imagination and reality.
Fans of Samuel Beckett, Lydia Davis, and Chuck Palahniuk will find themselves immersed in this kaleidoscope of dead-pan incidents, where nothing is quite as it seems.
But be warned, as you turn each page, you may find yourself questioning your own grasp on reality.
Don't miss out on this masterful chiaroscuro of a book.
Name your price now!
Buy the paperback at Bookshop.org!
https://absurdproject.gumroad.com/l/JoyridesForShutIns
#bookstodon #weird #absurd #literature #shortstories #microfiction #satire
-
ICYMI
Joyrides For Shut-Ins
Experience the dark and twisted world of American absurdist literature in this collection of stories that will leave you both perplexed and entertained.
From micro-fiction to short stories, each piece delves into the encounters, desires, and violence that make up the fabric of American culture and psyche. Meet characters who are both familiar and bizarre, as they navigate a world that blurs the lines between imagination and reality.
Fans of Samuel Beckett, Lydia Davis, and Chuck Palahniuk will find themselves immersed in this kaleidoscope of dead-pan incidents, where nothing is quite as it seems.
But be warned, as you turn each page, you may find yourself questioning your own grasp on reality.
Don't miss out on this masterful chiaroscuro of a book.
Name your price now!
Buy the paperback at Bookshop.org!
https://absurdproject.gumroad.com/l/JoyridesForShutIns
#bookstodon #weird #absurd #literature #shortstories #microfiction #satire
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I was writing a wee serial on substack before I abandoned the platform, but I also abandoned the story.
Here, rising from the ashes... A pair of witches!“Succumb to my devil vagina magic!” Shouted the naked woman as she ran down the street, the wind and rain not bothering her at all.
The suited guy she was chasing ran like his life depended on it. It didn’t, but he didn’t know that."
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Behind the Scenes: Part 5
The storyboards are taking shape in The Book Nook. I wanted to drop in and share a raw, quick sketch from the draft table as our newest picture book builds momentum. Capturing the emotion in a scene before any painting begins is where the real storytelling happens. These initial drawings are the blueprint for everything to come, giving us our very first look at how the pages will feel in a child’s hands. I cannot wait to share the next steps in this journey with you, so stay tuned right […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/09/behind-the-scenes-part-5/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 2
A Quick Look at Our Early Concept Art Before a new scene ever makes it to full color, it starts as a simple pencil sketch. I love keeping these early drafts because they capture the exact moment a story idea begins to take shape. My kids always enjoy looking over these rough drawings during our school day and trying to guess what the characters are doing. I thought it would be fun to share this sneak peek from our latest project with you! Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/01/behind-the-scenes-part-2/
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Behind The Scenes: Part 1
A Peek Inside the Artist's Sketchbook Ever wonder how a book goes from a quick pencil idea to the final printed page? Today I’m sharing an early sketch from Sharing KindnessWherever I Go. My kids always love seeing the rough drafts before the color gets added, so I thought it would be fun to give you a quick peek behind the scenes! Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go You can find Kaylee and more of her awesome art work on her Facebook page! Be sure to subscribe to get all […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/08/28/behind-the-scenes-part-1/
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Preorder my new book The Unnamed: A Collection of Short Stories from the Greenland Diaries While Supplies Last
My new short story collection is up and available for preorder on my Square Store. I’m opening preorders pretty early since I don’t know how many copies I’ll have for my first run and this is the best way for you to get a paperback before I go through them at my six different October events. So yeah, supply will be very limited.
The Unnamed is $15 and I’ll ship it to you for FREE. It will be signed, doodled, and personalized. This is a fantastic book, and a must have if you’ve been reading the Greenland Diaries for the last ten years. These monsters are incredible. This collection is the spotlight they so richly deserve.
Cover and description below:
A Collection of Short Stories from the Greenland Diaries
Before the Drum, during it, within the shadow of its destruction, and decades after its absence; experience a vast collection of short stories from this apocalyptic horror universe.
A strange earthquake below a refinery, a series of grave robberies in a Saint Paul graveyard, a mysterious light in a rural slaughterhouse, a monster reborn in a gravel pit, a tour guide lamenting a journey through the Jade, and the Unnamed finding new purposes without the demonic Drum.
Enjoy a true variety of tales about the vibrant and unique monsters from the Greenland Diaries.
A mixture of violence and melancholy, these agents of the apocalypse will no doubt make you wonder about their existence and meaning long after the final story ends.
Hit it here to Preorder Your Copy of the Unnamed While Supplies Last
#apocalyptic #blogging #bookRelease #books #collections #fiction #horror #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #shortStories #theGreenlandDiaries #writing -
SHORT STORY: The Last Train Out
THE LAST TRAIN OUTAva had just clocked out of work and was heading home.
She usually passed by the train station on her way back, although she rarely used it. She preferred taking a bus and walking the rest of the distance. It was her little way of keeping fit after spending most of her day sitting in a laboratory.
Ava worked in one of the largest biochemical research laboratories in the city. She couldn’t imagine herself working anywhere else. The laboratory was known for its experimental research, but it had also become strangely notorious. There had been three unexplained contamination outbreaks within the facility in the past year, and even the CDC couldn’t keep up and had threatened to shut them down multiple times. Most people found that terrifying. Ava found it fascinating.
She had always been curious about everything and even things that science couldn’t immediately explain. That curiosity would eventually be the reason she survived.
While heading home she passed by the train station and heard it whistle, she instantly had dejavu like she had heard the whistle before, not just the whistle, the exact whistle, the same length, the same pause at the end of the whistle, and at the exact same time, 9:00 p.m.
Eventually, she shrugged it off. She passed the station every day. Maybe her brain was simply playing tricks on her.
The next evening, it happened again.
Same whistle.
Same time.
Same strange feeling.
Then again the following day.
And the day after that.
By Friday, Ava had stopped pretending it was a coincidence.
Suddenly, Ava found herself standing in the middle of Central Station with thousands of other people.
She didn’t remember walking there.
She didn’t remember entering the station.
One moment she had been walking to get a bus. The next, she was surrounded by people staring desperately at the tracks.
Ava looked around with no idea what was going on.
At exactly 10:00 p.m., every phone in the station buzzed at once.
Ava pulled hers out.
The same message appeared on every screen.
DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.
Then the electricity went out.
Then the explosions began.
One.
Then another.
Then several at once.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
People screamed.
The train everyone was waiting for was no where to be found just the sound of train racks shaking. Within an hour of waiting at the train, parts of the city were on fire. Everyone scattered around moving to different platforms hoping the next train that came they’d jump in without thinking. While there was chaos everywhere, At 11:30 p.m., another message appeared.
LAST TRAIN LEAVING CENTRAL STATION AT 12:30 A.M.
DESTINATION: NORTH TERMINAL.
Ava stared at the message.
North Terminal had been abandoned for years. She knew that because her laboratory had once worked with the railway authority on environmental testing around the site. There hadn’t been a functioning train there in years. So why was the city sending a train there now?
Ava was already at central station, she sighed relief but before she knew crowd of people were already trooping in, some even pushing others onto the empty tracks.
While struggling not to fall and also to wait for the train, she heard a familiar voice.
“Ava!”
She turned.
Daniel was running toward her.
“You made it,” he said, breathless.
“I almost didn’t.”
Neither of them had time to say anything else.
Then the train whistle sounded.
Neither of them spoke.
The train rolled into the station.
It looked old
Dark
Its windows reflected nothing.
The doors opened.
People rushed inside even pushing some people out of the way.
Ava grabbed Daniel’s hand.
“Don’t let go.”
They boarded.
As soon as everyone settled into the train the lights came back on.
The first journey lasted forty-three minutes.
Ava remembered that because she kept checking the clock.
12:31.
12:47.
1:03.
1:14.
Then the train stopped.
The doors opened.
North Terminal.
But there was no station.
Only darkness.
A voice came through the speakers.
“One passenger must remain.”
Then the lights went out.
Ava grabbed Daniel’s hand.
“Daniel?”
Nothing.
She squeezed harder.
Her hand closed around empty air.
“Daniel?”
When the lights returned, everyone was gone.
When the lights returned, everyone was gone.
Every passenger.
Every bag.
Every person.
Ava was alone.
Then she saw him.
Daniel was standing outside the train.
On the platform. A single flickering light hung above him. His back was turned.
“Daniel!”
Slowly, he turned around.
His face was covered in blood.
Ava stopped breathing.
Something moved behind him.
Two eyes opened in the darkness.
They were looking directly at her.
Ava screamed and stumbled backward, hitting her head against the metal wall of the train.
The train doors slammed shut.
The train moved.
Ava woke up at her desk.
Her heart was pounding.
The laboratory was silent.
It was already 9:00 p.m. She couldn’t remember falling asleep.
She felt a stinging feeling like her palm was burning.
A strange symbol had appeared across her palm. A small black circle. She had never seen it before. She rubbed it but it hurt her as she did like a fresh flesh wound.
She picked up her things to leave the office.
The hallway lights flickered as she walked toward the elevator.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each light went out just after she passed it.
Ava stopped.
The last light above her flickered.
Then went completely dark.
She stepped into the elevator.
When the doors opened again, she was standing outside the train station.
Ava stared at the entrance.
She didn’t remember walking there.
Her phone buzzed.
DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.
Ava stared at the message.
Then another appeared.
LAST TRAIN LEAVING CENTRAL STATION AT 12:30 A.M.
DESTINATION: NORTH TERMINAL.
She was already at central station. People began trooping in.
She dropped the phone.
She saw Daniel
They got on the train together
The darkness.
His bloodied face.
Everyone disappears
She hit her head and falls
The train doors slammed shut.
The train moved.
She wakes up in her office again at exactly 9:00pm
Same cycle repeating itself
This time when she woke up in her office, she was the only one.
Same thing on her palms.
Then someone knocked on her door.
Three times.
Ava froze.
“Who is it?”
No answer.
She opened the door.
Nobody was there.
Only a piece of paper lying on the floor.
She picked it up.
There was one sentence written on it.
DON’T LET HIM GET ON THE TRAIN.
Ava stared at it.
She didn’t know who “him” was.
Until she got the train this time and saw Daniel, it clicked and looked at Daniel.
“Don’t get on the train,” she told him.
He laughed.
“Ava, the city is literally burning.”
“I know.”
“You want us to stay here?”
“I want to know what’s happening.”
The train arrived.
Ava watched the doors open.
Everyone boarded.
She didn’t.
Daniel stared at her.
“Ava.”
“Don’t.”
The train doors began closing.
Daniel stepped back.
Then suddenly, a little girl grabbed Ava’s hand.
Ava looked down.
The girl was crying.
“Please don’t let it leave.”
“Why?”
The girl pointed toward the train.
“My mother is inside.”
Ava looked through the windows.
The passengers were sitting silently and strangely every passenger was looking at her.
The doors closed.
The train left.
The moment it disappeared into the tunnel, the entire station went dark.
The little girl disappeared.
Ava was alone.
She looked around looking for Daniel but didn’t find him.
Then everything went black again but this time she didn’t hit her head.
Ava woke up in her office.
Again.
She screamed.
She knew immediately.
She was living a repeated cycle.
But this time, something was different.
The symbol on her palm had changed.
There were now two circles.
Ava stared at it.
Then she remembered the little girl.
The man on the train.
The sentence on the paper.
And one thought came to her.
Maybe the train wasn’t the destination.
Maybe it was a clue.
She had less than 2 hours before the whole cycle reset itself again.
Ava didn’t go to Central Station.
She went to the old railway archives.
She searched through newspapers.
Maps.
Construction records. Everything she could find about North Terminal.
She discovered that the North Terminal had been abandoned five years ago due to the fire outbreak and train accident that happened.
There was no functioning station there.
She looked at the map of the station and discovered an underground control room.
The original railway plans showed a tunnel that had been sealed.
Ava found an old photograph with newspapers that talked about a fire outbreak.
Six people stood in front of the tunnel.
Engineers.
Scientists.
Government officials.
And behind them was the same symbol on her palm. The two circles.
Ava’s heart began pounding. She needed to know more but she was running out of time.
She took the map and pictures and was heading further but she was out of time. Everywhere became pitch black and she woke up in her office again.
This time Ava went straight to the North Terminal.
She found the sealed tunnel.
Behind the rusted doors was a staircase.
She walked down.
Until she heard something.
A train.
But there were no tracks.
The sound was coming from beneath the ground.
She followed it.
At the bottom, she found a massive underground room.
Machines covered the walls.
Thousands of wires disappeared into the ceiling.
And in the centre was a giant glass chamber.
Inside it were people.
Dozens of them.
Sleeping.
Connected to machines.
Ava walked closer.
Then she saw Daniel.
Her breath caught.
He was inside the chamber.
Alive.
She ran toward him.
“Daniel!”
His eyes opened.
“Ava?”
She touched the glass.
He shook his head.
“You need to destroy everything, Ava.”
The lights in the room came on.
Six people stood behind her.
The same six people from the photograph.
Except they hadn’t aged.
Not a day.
“You finally found us.” One of them said
Ava turned.
“What have you done?”
The woman in front stepped forward.
“We built the first train.”
“Why?”
“To save the city.”
Ava looked at the machines.
“You’re killing people.”
“We’re preventing something worse, and the sacrifices are for the greater good.”
“Every cycle ends with the city destroyed.”
“So you reset it.”
“Yes.”
Ava stared at her.
“And everyone forgets.”
“Everyone except you.”
“Why me?”
The woman smiled.
“Because you were the first person who survived the last train out.”
Ava froze.
“What?”
“You were never supposed to remember.”
“How many times?”
The woman answered:
“One hundred and twelve.”
Ava’s face went pale.
She had lived this night 112 times.
Each time, she had boarded the train.
Each time, the city had died.
Each time, everything had started again.
“But why?”
“We built the machines using untested chemicals and machines that were found in space to make the train faster, we realised we could also travel in time and reset things using the train, but the more we used the more we upset the balance of time.”
“We’ve been stuck here feeding the machine and trying to stop the end of the world.”
The room began shaking.
“You have two choices, Ava. Only you can save us all.”
The woman raised her hand.
“Board the train again.”
The machines began humming.
“And the cycle continues.”
She pointed towards the machines
“Or destroy the machine.”
Ava looked at the people trapped inside the chambers.
Then at Daniel.
Then at the machines.
“What happens if I destroy it?”
Before the woman could answer she fell and hit her head and was having a seizure.
The other five tried to attack Ava but she took a metal pipe and hit the chamber filled with liquid. She knew the liquid was harmless, but volatile and realised that her laboratory were the ones who first created the liquid. At that time she didn’t realise what they were creating such large quantities. The liquid from the chambers swept the other five in different directions hitting their head on the metals around.
Ava looked at Daniel.
“Can you walk?”
He nodded.
“Then let’s end this.”
The alarms began screaming.
Daniel pulled the emergency lever beside the glass chamber.
The machine exploded with sparks.
The room shook violently.
“Stop!”
The woman got up and screamed.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing!”
Ava looked at her.
“I understand perfectly.”
She ran toward the central machine.
The woman tried to stop her.
Ava pushed her. Crashing each other against the controls.
The machine began overheating.
The train whistle sounded somewhere beneath them.
The woman screamed:
“IF YOU DESTROY IT, THE TRAIN WILL NEVER COME BACK!”
Ava pulled the final lever.
The machine exploded.
The underground room filled with white light.
Every screen shattered.
Every wire burned.
The sound of the train became deafening.
Before they could make it out, it exploded flinging them outside to the train tracks.
Ava felt a ringing sound in her ears before closing her eyes and then silence.
Ava opened her eyes.
She was lying on the floor of Central Station.
The station was crowded.
People were talking and walking past her.
Trains were arriving.
Nobody was screaming.
Nobody was running.
Nobody was dying.
Ava sat up and quickly looked at her palm. The symbol was gone.
Ava’s phone rang, it was the hospital.
They had called to tell her Daniel woke up from the coma. She smiled. Daniel was Ava’s fiancée, he had been in the train accident that happened five years ago and had been in a coma since.
She looked toward the tracks.
A train arrived.
Ava’s heart skipped a bit.
It was the same black train.
The same one.
But this time, it was different.
The windows reflected the passengers.
The lights inside were warm.
The doors opened.
People stepped off.
Alive.
Real.
Ava watched silently.
Then she saw them.
The six people from the photograph.
They stepped off the train.
Behind them came the little girl and her mother.
The woman who had been trapped inside the machine looked at Ava.
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
Ava frowned.
“For what?”
“For letting us go.”
Ava looked at the train.
“The six of you…”
The woman nodded.
“We were trapped inside the machine just as much as everyone else.”
“And the train?”
The woman looked back at it.
“It was trapped too.”
Ava looked at the black train.
For five years, it had carried the same people toward the same ending.
Over and over.
Never arriving.
Never leaving.
Until now.
Ava looked back at the tracks.
The black train slowly disappeared into the morning light.
For the first time, it wasn’t taking anyone anywhere.
It was simply leaving.
Thank you for reading!!!
Love,
Dupe Abiona
#books #daydreaming #dreaming #fiction #fictionalstories #fictionalwriting #future #futuristicnovels #futuristicshortstories #lifeloveandstories #shortstories #story -
Midnight Tea in a Graveyard by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc now live on Amazon
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cyLV5G85Zp8 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7T165CY You weren’t looking for another “cozy” read. You wanted something that feels like midnight in a cemetery—beautiful, wrong, and impossible to put down.Midnight Tea in A Graveyard: A Gothic Collection of Darkness by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc is exactly that invitation. Each story, each piece, each line of prose has been pulled from twisted dreams, waking horrors, and regrets the author can’t shake. This […] -
Winner Take Nothing by Ernest Hemingway (EPUB)
Author: Ernest Hemingway
File Type: EPUB
Download at https://sci-books.com/winner-take-nothing-b000fc0wxi/
#ShortStories, #ErnestHemingway -
"How did #SovietAuthors treat the #Holocaust? How did it differ from work elsewhere? And what are some of the challenges translating these works into English?"
#HarrietMurav and #SashaSenderovich discuss the new collection of #shortStories they edited and translated, #InTheShadowOfTheHolocaust: Short Fiction by #JewishWriters from the #SovietUnion
https://www.euraknot.org/soviet-holocaust-literature/
#SovietJews #JewishHistory #WWII #SovietLiterature #HolocaustLiterature #books @bookstodon -
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: "𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀" 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗟. 𝗠. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗴𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆 -
Everyone is excited to talk about Green Gables Montgomery's "darker side," and these are definitely more adult, but from a far simple, even quaint, age of gentle spooky tales.
#books #bookreviews #bookworm #readreadread #tbr #tbrpile #tbrlist #quotes #reading #shortstories #horrorstories #horror #lmmontgomery #amongtheshadows
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Shaving: A Greenland Diaries Flash Fiction
Nigel couldn’t believe his beard had gotten this long.
It was down to his chest, tangled and frizzy. It was black, but almost brown at its feathery edges. He could hear his father yelling at him to trim it, his high, almost husky voice echoing in his head. His father was ex military. He loved the clean shaven look and forced Nigel to follow that hairless motif, even though Nigel hadn’t picked up a weapon until the Drum started. Now, he always had one with him. The ravaged green world demanded it, even with the Drum destroyed and the Unnamed no longer hunting him at night.
Nigel wondered if his father was still alive in the nursing home in Saint Louis Park. He had barely been alive before the Drum. It wouldn’t make any sense for him to be spared.
Nigel had been lucky to hide in his Golden Valley home for most of the apocalypse. He had left for a few weeks to join survivors fighting an Unnamed by a lake that kept attacking them. It had been a hard fought battle. Only Nigel and a few others survived. None of them had the appetite for further confrontations with the Unnamed, and they all retreated to their former hiding spots. Those had been the last people he’d spoken to, except for a band of soldiers passing through who told him the Drum was destroyed, and the Unnamed were nonviolent unless attacked.
Nigel felt his dark, reflectionless face. His features were gaunt, weathered by a lack of nutritious food. His cheeks were flat, his nose large, his forehead dry. His lips were cracked and bloody in places. The weather had been fine. It was the fear eroding his flesh. The constant worry of the Unnamed returning, or a crazed Reanimated storming through the neighborhood.
Slowly, above his white bathroom sink, he began to trim his beard. There was no electricity for his razor, so he resorted to a pair of orange handled scissors he kept in his office for trimming documents. They were sharp, but loud as they crushed the fibers between its blades. In minutes, most of his beard was reduced to a prickly edge beneath his fingers. He sighed.
“I guess it’s time. They said it was safe.”
Ahead of him hung a wool blanket, yellow and brown, duct taped to the wall in miscellaneous streaks of silver adhesive. It dangled just above the sink.
It blocked the mirror.
He’d put it up during the first week, when he noticed the shadows watching him. Now, with the Drum destroyed, survivors passing through told him mirrors and reflections were back to normal. They no longer held phantoms.
He slowly reached for the fabric, then stopped.
“I can’t do it.”
He walked out of the bathroom with a shrug.
“I can’t believe it’s okay.”
I really enjoy writing about these quieter moments in the Greenland Diaries, where characters are learning to live again after a horrifying ordeal that shook the foundations of humanity. These bits of flash fiction give me ample opportunity for it. You can learn more about the mainline series right here. Thank you for reading!
#author #blogging #bodyHorror #books #cosmicHorror #darkFantasy #darkFiction #decay #fantasy #fiction #flashFiction #grief #hauntedLandscapes #horror #horrorWriting #identity #isolation #liminalSpaces #machines #memory #monsters #obsession #patrickWMarsh #poeticProse #prosePoetry #psychologicalHorror #shortStories #speculativeFiction #survival #teraryHorror #theGreenlandDiaries #transformation #trauma #weirdFiction #writing
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I Can’t Leave: A Greenland Diaries Flash Fiction
Rob had memorized the pattern of abandoned cars in the parking lot outside the building. A red van, a blue truck, a few white sedans, silent and sun faded, lay scattered across the velvet sheet of greenery in the basin around the office tower he’d been hiding in. He’d been fixing a boiler in the basement when the Drum began. Most of the building was empty that first night. Everyone had already left for the day. Only a handful were torn apart beneath the Unnamed’s obscene claws.
And then the office was empty.
Except for Rob.
He had always imagined himself different at the end of the world. At six foot five, all elbows and height, with an unkempt beard dropping to his chest and a perpetually worn Minnesota Twins cap, he’d figured he’d look the part. He had thought of himself as stereotypically male, chew, flannels, and a quiet, lumbering confidence. But when the monsters arrived and stalked the hallways, he learned quickly how fragile that image was. Back on his grandfather’s farm, he and his friends in their local anti government militia had joked that if the world ever collapsed, they’d be ready.
But once the Unnamed descended and began mutilating and resurrecting their victims, the only thing Rob grew adept at was hiding.
For someone so tall and broad, sneaking through the office should have been impossible, yet he’d shaped himself to its shadows. He learned to bend beneath desks, wedge between bookshelves, flatten against cubicles. Even when the Reanimated drifted through, he found ways to slip past them, though other survivors told him not to fear them. Those survivors were nothing like him. They weren’t afraid of the shadows. They fought them day and night. He’d heard their skirmishes echoing through the Drum. Even now, with it finally over, the night outside carried only wind, insects, and the soft groan of the building settling.
How were they so brave?
A few survivors had passed through recently and told him he could go home, or even find work with the Reestablishment. But he couldn’t force himself to leave the gray block of the office. Every time he packed his few supplies, slung the rifle he’d taken off a dead soldier, and started toward home, he barely made it a few blocks. A shadow, a rattle of debris, a shift in the wind, anything could spook him, and he’d sprint back to the familiar corners of the office floor.
Day or night didn’t matter.
He just couldn’t leave.
Thank you for reading my flash fiction from the Greenland Diaries. In this story, I wanted to show a character you might expect to be strong because of how they postured their identity, but when the apocalypse appeared they realized it was all an image without integrity. They weren’t actually built for the conflict they thought they were seeking. Monsters are an excellent mirror.
#author #blogging #bodyHorror #books #cosmicHorror #darkFantasy #darkFiction #decay #fantasy #fiction #flashFiction #grief #hauntedLandscapes #horror #horrorWriting #identity #isolation #liminalSpaces #literaryHorror #machines #memory #monsters #obsession #patrickWMarsh #poeticProse #prosePoetry #psychologicalHorror #shortStories #speculativeFiction #survival #theGreenlandDiaries #transformation #trauma #weirdFiction #writing
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Why 'The Storyteller's Pace Cannot be Criticized?
#thedarkknaik #filmreview #bollywood #thestoryteller #anantmahadevan #satyajitray #pareshrawal #adilhussain #tarinikhuro #shortstory #shortstories #bengalishortstory #golpoboliyetarinikhuro
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Why 'The Storyteller's Pace Cannot be Criticized?
#thedarkknaik #filmreview #bollywood #thestoryteller #anantmahadevan #satyajitray #pareshrawal #adilhussain #tarinikhuro #shortstory #shortstories #bengalishortstory #golpoboliyetarinikhuro
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Why 'The Storyteller's Pace Cannot be Criticized?
#thedarkknaik #filmreview #bollywood #thestoryteller #anantmahadevan #satyajitray #pareshrawal #adilhussain #tarinikhuro #shortstory #shortstories #bengalishortstory #golpoboliyetarinikhuro
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NEW FLASH FICTION: Out today is my latest piece titled 'Discretion and Valour'. Malcolm, a quiet and unassuming valet at the Riviera Grand Hotel becomes an unwilling participant in a most gruesome and grizzly discovery.
I've very much enjoying this latest series and I hope you are too. Head over to the blog and read this latest instalment.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/07/02/discretion-and-valour/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #geelongcreatives
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Some saucy Sunday reading! 🔥
In 'The Concierge' , we meet Frederick. He is debonair and oozes sophistication, ensuring that his guests at the Riviera Grand Hotel and all of their needs are well taken care of. Sparks fly when Kimberley, a sultry and alluring actress checks in.
Read this and some of my other flash fiction on my blog.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/06/17/riviera-grand-the-concierge/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #audiofiction #fictionpodcast #tinytale
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ICYMI: An excerpt for my latest story released today, titled 'The thin blue line'
He tried in vain to wrestle free from the restraints as he came to. The ropes were bound tightly around his wrist and ankles, as life slowly ebbed from his battered and bruised body. Repeated blows came from the darkness with such brute force, hammering him from every angle, as he howled out in agony, pleading with them to stop.
Read or listen by clicking on the links below.
Blog: https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/06/06/the-thin-blue-line/
Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4CkHLBGVYEmZzgGqExBfQX?si=TWj7tWmfTFeclMzbW5Houw#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #darkfiction #thriller #suspense #aiart #aiartwork
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New flash fiction out today.
In today's story titled 'In Country', a soldier is lost in the jungle desperate to escape the war and return to his wife, willing himself and battling not only the elements, but his enemies hiding in the shadows. Will the war claim another victim or will he see his beloved wife again?
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/06/03/in-country/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #darkfiction #thriller #suspense
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In today's flash fiction, 'Jumping at Shadows' we meet Frank. After meeting the love of his life in a seemingly chance encounter, he makes a horrific discovery, spends a decade living in the shadows and running from his demons. But the past always has a way of rearing its ugly head.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/30/jumping-at-shadows/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #thriller #suspense
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Lots of coffee, a good book and very few plans for the weekend. Had a super busy week writing for my blog, interviewing and recording for the podcast. Oh, and doing that thing I actually get paid for!!
Definitely need a recharge.
If you're after some weekend reading, check out today's story over on my blog
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/26/the-dreamscape/
Have a great Saturday everyone!
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #thriller #suspense
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NEW STORY AND PODCAST OUT TODAY!!!
'Done Deal', my latest flash fiction story is out today. Read it on my blog or search 'Flash Fiction in Five' wherever you get your podcasts.
Blog: https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/20/done-deal/
Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Llw4MRczJEGaum3dcR78i?si=qTN0gdHNSpaGTPPZPnZdyA#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #thriller #suspense
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NEW BLOG AND PODCAST: In today's dark flash fiction titled 'The Battle Within', a visceral and confronting tale of a man who exists on the fringes of society, plagued by the torment in his mind.
Click on the link or search 'Flash Fiction in Five' wherever you get your podcasts.
Link to the blog below.
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ME9bOHKvg7G0IdnCU7OUP?si=h6ZDCUXvQK-QutjcHWN0lg
Blog:
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/16/the-battle-within/#flashfiction #writer #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #podcaster #audiofiction #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #darkfiction #thriller #suspense
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ICYMI: A sneak peak at my latest short story titled 'Trapped'. This is the last in the 6 part 'New Beginnings' series that I've been working on over the past few weeks. It is my first full short story, just shy of 7,000 words, which I am very happy with.
Head over to my blog and have a read or listen to the podcast.
Blog:
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/13/new-beginnings-trapped/Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1v9gRMyoprWOX5Fc7bUgff?si=taagPAyBRt-gxQyXaNy4SA#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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In the final dramatic episode in the 'New Beginnings' collection 'Trapped' (Listen to Episodes 28 to 32), Lee's children, Billie and Jack go on what appears to be an innocent adventure to the Callister house to explore an old abandoned building. What they don't expect, is to be confronted by the very man who has been stalking the family since their arrival in Malandra. Is there any truth to the innuendo that surrounds Gary and his dark past and are the boys in danger of never seeing their family again?
While you're there, catch up on the earlier episodes of the 'New Beginnings' series and listen to some of my other podcasts.
Click on the link or search 'Flash Fiction in Five' wherever you get your podcasts. Or read it on the blog.
Blog:
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/13/new-beginnings-trapped/#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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Hey there. I'm an Australian flash fiction author and indie podcast producer. I've been working on a novella which I'd like to share.
In the fifth instalment of the 'New Beginnings' series titled 'A mother's love' Lee's worst nightmare has come to fruition and the move to Malandra has thrown her life into chaos. She is hanging on by a thread as she contemplates the worst thing that a parent could imagine. Mick, the local constable goes on the hunt for the children, fearful of what he may find out.
While you're there, read the rest of the 'New Beginnings' series and browse through my other stories.
Read it on the blog or listen to my podcast
Blog: https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/09/new-beginnings-a-mothers-love/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4e2QaZSWyhbdxGdoTDwM1I?si=hCuBTJf_RN2Zhrl00KPgrw
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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In the fourth instalment of the 'New Beginnings' series titled 'New Beginnings: Taken', Lee discovers the identity of the stranger that has been tormenting her family since her move to Malandra. What she finds out about his sordid past throws her into a panic as she begins to piece together his true motives for stalking her family. Her dream of moving to a country escape may turn out to be her worst nightmare. Will her worst fears come to fruition?
While you're there, I'd love you to check out some of my other stories on the blog or podcast.
Links in bio.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/06/new-beginnings-taken/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofinstagram #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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In today's story 'New beginnings: Secrets we keep', Lee and the family have settled into their life in the picturesque country town of Malandra. But the stranger continues to linger around the periphery, making his presence felt. Lee discovers a shocking secret about his past and realises that her family may be in grave danger.
This is the penultimate chapter of the four part 'New beginnings' collection, with the dramatic finale out later this week.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/new-beginnings-secrets-we-keep/#writingcommunity #amwriting #writer #writing #flashfiction #flashfictioninfive #podcasting #podcaster #audiofictionpodcast #audiofiction #flashfiction #writer #writersofmastodon #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #mystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #storyteller #story
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NEW STORY: In today's story 'New Beginnings', we meet Lee; a middle aged woman who dreams of a better life for her family. She feels trapped in the rat race and longs for some peace of mind.
On one of her holidays to her favourite country towns, she contemplates a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city and a reset. But with a new start come new challenges. This is the first of a two part story.
Would love to know what you think.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/04/25/the-grass-is-greener/
#writingcommunity #writing #flashfiction #writer #writersofmastodon #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #blog #fiction #writerslife #mystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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In today's story 'The Forbidden Book', a continuation from 'Musings from the Quill', our writer has almost finished his masterpiece and is skirting the line with the macabre around his choice of book binding. It will really get under your skin!!
It is #darkfiction, so again, it is not for the squeamish. I'd love to know what you think of it.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/04/08/the-forbidden-book/
#writingcommunity #writing #microfiction #flashfiction #writer #writersofmastodon #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #bloggerstyle #fiction #writerslife #audiofiction #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
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In today's story 'Innuendo', we revisit an earlier story (Silhouette) where a writer travels to a small country town and stumbles upon a house with a dubious past.
The townsfolk shut up shop, but something compels him to investigate as he is drawn into a web of intrigue, uncovering a tangled web of rumours and innuendo. Will anyone reveal their secrets?
I'd love to know what you think. If you liked it, feel free to give it a 🚀
Links to the blog and podcast in my bio.
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/03/28/silhouette-rumours-and-innuendo/
#writingcommunity #writing #microfiction #flashfiction #writer #writersofmastodon #shortstories #podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #blogger #bloggerlife #bloggers #bloggerstyle #fiction #writerslife #audiofiction #murdermystery #unexpectedtales #flashfictioninfive #roadslesstravelled #amateurwriter #story #storytelling #writtenword #amwriting #storyteller #story
https://musingsonlife9.wordpress.com/2023/03/28/silhouette-rumours-and-innuendo/
