The chirping of a blue bird woke Robert out of his blank eyed stare. His eyes refocused, as his old hands went to rub them back into reality. Their disappointed scowl still staring bluntly ahead. Robert found himself sitting on his porch. He was fatter and older than he ever […]
My aunt left me her place on Hensel Lake when she died last September. I had visited once as a boy and remembered almost nothing about it, so I drove up alone on a Friday afternoon to see what I had inherited. The road in was a dirt track with
The dying rays of evening bleed across the horizon, leaving behind fleeting kisses as the sun departs until the morrow. In its absence, a vast congregation of trees gathers around us, casting long shadows in their wake-offering a fragile refuge where predator and prey wait in silence. “Mommy? Are we
The camera didn’t look like something that should still work. Didn’t feel right from the start. When my sister handed me that box on my birthday, I could tell it’d be a pile of garbage. She’d always been a cheapskate, the woman can’t walk past a yard sale without stopping.
Followers of the Flaming Hand Read More »
The day was edging toward dusk, the sun casting long shadows across the backyard. I remember the cicadas’ hum filling the air, marking the middle of summer, a relentless reminder of what should have been carefree days. I am posting this because I need help, and someone else might have
Looking to Kill a Dog Read More »
Entry 1: Phonemes There is something peculiar about Phillip, one of my 9th graders. He used to be exceptional at English. I am an English as a foreign language teacher in Germany and I taught the same class last year, and that means I already know him well. But after
The Language that spreads Read More »
DIVICORE TECHNOLOGIESInternal Maintenance & Operations SystemDocument Type: Maintenance LogAccess Level: Internal Use Only – MAINTENANCE LOG 0216Date: 02-23-2026Time: 16:42Department ID: SI-PNW-04Employee: Boris MorozovEmployee Number: 4471Division: Server InfrastructureRank: Senior Maintenance TechnicianLog Type: Incident Report Today’s failure rate for RAM units across the floor has doubled compared to the daily average. I
A Fire In The Server Read More »
Zoe had not left her apartment in almost four months. The last time had been a Thursday, a trip to her primary physician to check up on a worrying rash that was developing on her calf. Her father had given her a ride. She had to stare at the patterns
A Frog In The Terrarium Read More »
ASYNC INTERNAL DOCUMENT Interview & Field Report — Case File 23-DELTA Prepared by: Senior Archivist T. CaldwellSubject: Wanderer Designation WD-041 (“Carla”)Status: Recovered / Stable / CooperativeClassification: LEVEL 2 — RESTRICTED CIRCULATION**Date of Report Compilation: [REDACTED] — PREAMBLE This document consolidates findings from three separate interview sessions conducted over the course
Case File 23-DELTA (leaked) Read More »
Most of my childhood was spent in the same 20 square miles of forest, somewhere in the Appalachian wilderness. I lived there with my mom in this cabin she claims to have built with her own two hands. I believed her for a while, though now, I’m fairly certain she
I Wasn’t Allowed to See My Face Read More »
No one ever talks about the sounds. They talk about the body.They talk about the wire.They talk about the eyes.But no one talks about the sounds.Because if they did… they’d understand it wasn’t just a killing.It was a sermon. Before the cornfield…Before the crows learned his name…There was a man
The Last Sermon of Malachi Read More »
Detective Flynn entered the building and was instantly met by fellow detective Terry. “What’s the situation?” Flynn asked him as they walked briskly. “Still refusing to talk… said he won’t talk to anyone about it,” Terry answered. They got to the interrogation room and Terry opened the door. There were
My father committed suicide when I was six years old. When you’re that young, you don’t really understand much beyond the fact that Daddy is never coming back home. And that mommy will never be the same again. She was always a drinker, but when Dad died, it increased tenfold.
The House I Squatted In Never Existed Read More »
The house appeared in her search results on a Tuesday morning, nestled between listings that were either too small or too far from town, and Abby had stopped scrolling. She looked at the pictures for a long time. A craftsman-style two-story in Ridgefield, Washington. Good bones, the listing said, and
A Door To The Basement Read More »
March 2nd, 2026 I don’t really know why I’m writing this down. Maybe because it felt too real to just forget about, and I’ve been sitting at my desk for the past hour trying to convince myself it was just a dream. Of course it was just a dream. I’m
A Hole In The Concrete Read More »
I don’t know what I saw in that damn chapel. I don’t even know if it was real or not. I sure as hell hope not. So, I came here to tell my story. Maybe someone could help me. Maybe just telling it will make me feel better – help
The photograph looked ordinary at first. On a quiet Saturday morning, the small neighborhood yard sale did not look very exciting. A few folding tables stood on the sidewalk in front of a modest brick house. Cardboard boxes sat under the tables. Old blankets were spread across the grass with
The Man in the Photograph Read More »
Recently my family was contacted by a storage unit company. They said my dad was listed as the secondary contact for a unit under my uncle’s name. Which was strange, as my uncle had been a missing person for nearly 14 years now. Which apparently the company didn’t know, explaining
My Uncle was Obsessed with Holes Read More »
I just couldn’t do it anymore. After thirteen long years on this road, it was time for a change. I’ve been all over the country. I’ve seen the flat lands of tornado alley, from Wichita Kansas to Canadian Texas, where the windmills turn like silent sentinels, and the milky way
A degree in wildlife management. It sounds so exciting, and the $70,000 piece of paper has certainly ensnared many bright, nature-loving youths with the allure of grand vistas and endless adventures, and I am one who heard the sirens call. From a young age, I knew people weren’t for me.
The Thing behind me wants me to turn around Read More »
It was a rainy Saturday morning, and I could hear the rain tapping against my window. I looked up from my laptop and let out a soft sigh. The sound was somewhat annoying, yet also oddly soothing, and I thought it might help me focus on the history essay I
The night smells wrong. Not merely damp, not merely cold—spoiled, as though the air itself has been left too long inside something dead and forgotten. Each breath coats your tongue with the taste of old coins dissolved in rot, metallic and sour, thick enough to cling. The fog doesn’t drift;
I learned very early that people are softer than they pretend. Not emotionally—physically. Socially. A human being is a structure held together by habits and assumptions, and habits collapse under pressure. Mine just happened to be… efficient. Skin-to-skin contact. That’s all it ever took. A handshake held a second too
I didn’t choose the dead minute. It chose me.The first time it happened, I was twelve, hiding in my bedroom while my parents screamed downstairs. Plates shattered. Something heavy hit the wall hard enough to shake dust from the ceiling. I remember staring at the clock, begging time to move
