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All stories on Byline
Cease and Dance-ist
So it’s like that, I thought, letting the letter flutter to the ground as I tossed my head back in exasperation. This was not the first ...
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Life After Life
It turns out that the easiest part of life after death is the dying bit—after that, well, everything gets a little complicated.
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Forget
The notes of the song flew from her mouth as if pulled by a string. The lights so bright, she was blind. The stage was alive, and the ...
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Life full of mysteries
The homeless man signed heavily as he settled himself into the bench, relieved that there was no one nearby to hassle him, at least ...
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Flightless
She stood up in the run-down apartment, heaving and shivering in her sweater. Another day, she supposed. Better than the alternative ...
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A Dance of Life and Death
Featured 🌟
An anthropomorphic whale sat by itself on the beach. It admired everything around: the waves, the cliffs nearby. What a lovely world ...
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What the Duck
Barry, or Bazza to his mates, was a duck. An actual duck. The beak, the feathers and the webbed feet. His favourite activities were ...
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Cube Rule
I looked around the shed at what the previous owner had left behind: a hoe, the reel for a hose, some stakes, chicken wire... ah, just ...
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Rise of the vampire witch
Laia laughed bitterly. "You're all utter fools," she spat. "I'm the most powerful witch here." The judge in the center shook their ...
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Vermes
Once upon a time, in the fruit-filled jungles of Twibby-Dibby, there lived a giant snail known as...
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What happens after death
It was 11:46am. You'd think the world would end at a more appropriate time, as the last rays of the sun touched the land at dusk or ...
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In A Purple Haze at the Edge of Space: Part III
There’s no way I’m letting some Worms take me out that easy. I paid 10 grains for the emergency DNA mods back in Milky Way and nearly ...
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You’re Only As Good As Your Last Mistake
Monkey pressed the key with a single dot on it. It had used this one regularly over the last few weeks. But now it didn't feel like ...
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The Gift That Didn't Give Much
If I’d actually believed it was possible, I never would have done it.
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Birthday at the Edge of Death Day
"Happy birthday!" they sang—but it wasn't my birthday.
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It's a DeVito Miracle!
"I only agreed to this because you told me Danny DeVito would be here!"
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Much too Much in New Antsterdam
Martin awoke to the sound of car horns blaring from the street below. Pulling on his robe, he down from the bedroom window and was ...
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Abby stop screaming
I finally got on dance moms but Abby lee miller kept screaming"...
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One Wish: Part II
then they thought...
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Revenge to....Taco Bell?
I could watch everything they had done but this, this had crossed a line so far into the dark that the shadows were afraid of it, this ...
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Richeballism
I'd lost him, he was mine, I....needed him, I caused this to him,I just wanted... I just wanted to stop him before- I just-I Hate- ...
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The Death of Rulers of the Land
The blade that lit the surface of my skin ablaze sat there as I bled, waiting for the sweet release of death I held her, I was akin ...
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? Im so confused
My limbs wen numb as so did her heart, and for once, I cracked a smile she was dead, my killer was dead, The police look at me and ...
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space food
We decided to go to McDonald's and when we got there...
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He protects me from the nightmares
Death and taxes. The two things in life they say are certain. But there was a third truth they were now confident was an undeniable ...
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The Best-Laid Plans of Rats and Men
Clouds of dust plumed up as sheets of residue fell off the windowsills. Long abandoned, the house shuddered under the force of the ...
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Heaven
i died and went...
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A Segue at Sea
Admiral Baldwin finished his early morning tea and toast before pacing the deck of the S.S. Lean Coffee collecting his thoughts. He ...
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Whose line is it Anyway !
Suddenly the room went dark. Sam, Miguel & Michael were all alone now. The visitors were gone. An eerie quiet settled in the bedchamber ...
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Pie-Died Death
They sat at the table, lit starkly by the bare bulb overhead. Between them the deck of tarot cards. Two cards face up; three of swords ...
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Of trolls and men
“Ed Every - Twitter superhero. Hire me to sort out your troll problem”. Too long - brevity was key for Twitter bios. “Ed Every - troll ...
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Realtors and spies
We are building a bridge...a new path to a new town. This area was recently bought by a big company and they want to develop a new ...
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In A Purple Haze at the Edge of Space: Part II
I could no longer see my pod or my blaster, just this vision of inviting lava coupled with the intense cold. I reached in the direction ...
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One Wish
She went into the woods and saw...
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Witch’s Brew
As a family of spellcasters, the Fosters knew all too well when to lay low. Once they made it to a dingy pub on the outskirts of town ...
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Wingin' It
Four sagely birds convened at the tallest tree in Vogel Valley, each carrying a branch from their respective homeland. After exchanging ...
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Creator die later
"Hey guys, what's up! I'm Miles Trouquesor and in this video I'll be unboxing the brand new NecroHaus GCM28 Neural Oscillation Diffuser ...
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Witches and Toothpaste and Cats, Oh My!
Never leave a container of mint balls next to a witch's cauldron. But the trick to this is, what exactly is a witch? When I first came ...
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On Second Thought, Let’s Just Eat Them
The men are afraid to ask you but “Do you not crave blood sir” ? Listen well lieutenant, I take no pleasure in feeding. All things ...
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In A Purple Haze at the Edge of Space
Maybe it was the length of time I’ve spent in the silence of space, but music has meant a lot to me these last 5 years. I’d gotten ...
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Putting the Mush in Mushroom
Once, I had read how the mushrooms we see in the forest are not individual organisms, but part of a much larger whole that exists underground ...
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Which Witch Doctor Doctored the Witch, Doctor?
Her hands trembled as she took the reigns, knowing what it meant to leave. She tapped Lancelot with her heel and he left the open door ...
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The Doc Who Needed A Doc
Sunlight poured in through the grimy hotel window, rousing me from my slumber. I yawned and consulted the bedside alarm clock, which ...
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Alice and the Ogre
Alice's life changes on a Tuesday morning. The coffee shop she works at, close to campus, is crowded with professors and students getting ...
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Metaphors of Impressment
The children heard the sudden gritty rubbery traction sound of approaching tyres and leapt off the narrow woodland path with only a ...
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Science Friction
It's said there's a fine line between doing what you're told and getting what you want. But it's not a fine line. It's a sheer, icy ...
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Cheaters Never Prosper
I took my sharpie and I wrote all over his car. I couldn’t believe that
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Too Many Legs
My partner and I pulled up outside the scene of the crime, annoyed to find the news crew had already beaten us there. It was the third ...
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The Last Time We Said Excuse Me
I took two weeks off of work and told everyone I was going to Mexico with my parents. The truth was that I was going to sit in my apartment ...
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A Voice In The Dark: Part II
Mitch and Mindy leapt up, terrified what lay beneath. They twirled around, examined the human remains occupying their chairs and, in ...
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Gilford, the Unnecessarily Magical
Where am I going to find a box of grits at this hour? It’s an unconventional ingredient, as far as magical components go, but Southern ...
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Advice From a Culinary Vampire:
It was a really hot day to be in the onion fields. The heat made the aroma of the onions strong and pungent. The citizens residing ...
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A Shell Unlike Any Other
The boy suddenly woke up on the shores of a beach. Bitter cold and the familiar stench of coastal decay overtook him. The deafening ...
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Emerald Eyes
Finally after 3 years of searching, I had found my little sister. There was only one problem, directly on top of the cage that she ...
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Good Morning, Beanstalk
The giant’s body lay face down in what this morning had been Halbert Haversham’s home, stables, and small orchard. The giants left ...
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Walking on Eggshells
Humpty Dumpty was tired. He was tired of being glued over and over again...why did he had such a thin and fragile shell? He wanted ...
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An Assemblage of Dolls
The doll continued sewing in the dark corner, greeting the needle spiders as they clattered across the wooden shelf. Many avoided her ...
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Life Is A Game
He brought his hands together in glee, his eyes gleaming. He received looks as if he had lost his mind, but that just increased his ...
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Mugwort’s School for Murderers
I ran through the hallways trying to get to class. It seemed like one of those scenes in a movie where the main character is comically ...
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Celtic Maid of Disaster
Grind the beans until they turn as smooth as sand in an hourglass. Pull the lever until the water streams down in an iridescent cascade ...
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Becoming One
He looked at the night sky and imagined other worlds. Alternative universes where he was happier, wealthier and maybe a couple of inches ...
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The Mythical Sword of Fromage
It had been eleven months to the day since the storms first began. Most cities were but flattened piles of crumbling brick and rotting ...
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From Wicked to CEO
I started out as any normal child. I’d pass the days away playing silly childish games, like duck-duck goose or tag with the neighborhood ...
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The Doorway Effect
How do you know if you’re crazy? What if you’re actually on to something you’re not supposed to know, and being labeled “crazy” is ...
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The High Fructose Fun Tour
I watched the fire burn what was left of the rubble away. My nose filled with smoke, my heart with vengeance I walked to the woods ...
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Time Flies
The plane was landing, and I was running out of time. I frantically looked across the aisle at his slack-clad legs, crossed at the ...
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From Aliens to Demons
“A hero’s journey is long and winding, but a hero always finds the way,” my mother read. “That’s the end of the story, Anya. Good night.” ...
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Donut Hunt Monsters: Part III
The buttery crumbs spilled out of my mouth and onto my velvet robe. As I devoured the ethereal croissant I began to feel drunk with ...
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The Holiday Mixup
I twisted the noose in my hands, curving it into a heart shape. Happy Valentine’s Day, I thought. Nothing else I’d done or tried to ...
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A Voice In The Dark
“Please don’t hurt me...” Kay was curled up into a ball, her arms over her face. In the dark she couldn’t see who was there. “No, stop!” ...
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Spain or Ukraine?: Part II
Days later Houston, having recovered from the attack, stood in a dusty atrium in one of many deserted, faceless municipal buildings ...
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World Widening Web
When humankind first encountered an intelligence equivalent to its own, it was not at all what we expected.
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Penance in the World Hereafter
Fortune cookies. I've been making them for eons, directing entire Chinese restaurants in the delicate art and penning the predictions ...
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Dreams Wash Away
Once upon a time there was a man who likes seeing stars. That man was married and he had 2 daughters. One day, while he stayed at home ...
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The Glory of a Face
Wearing a mask is a beautiful thing until the moment dawns on you that taking it off is a lot harder than putting it on. I had been ...
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Demonic Dissent
I had always been an unremarkable demon. I came from a proud bloodline of many a well known incubus that had seduced some of the major ...
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The Ghost of British Rock Past
It was a beautiful night. The moon was shining over the mountains, illuminating the treetops and silhouetting the owls and other night ...
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Winter’s Tail
There is snow everywhere. It keeps piling up. It is not melting. It’s almost June.
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Furry Friends
Whenever someone asks me about my childhood, I don’t smile and think of good times. I shudder. I think of the only thing from my childhood ...
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John Mason and the bizarrest case ever
The night was cold and foggy, the perfect scenery for a gruesome crime. Detective John Mason was assigned to the case, he was the best ...
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Living Time
Crunch. The bug bit into its snack once more, covering yet keeping in time with the ticking of the clock it was captured in. It gleefully ...
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Short Term Memory Loss
Day 304: I am still all alone with no answers, just as I have been for the last nearly year. The lack of human companionship is finally ...
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Lessons Learned
You think you know me. But I’ve fooled you with my ordinary clothing and passive manner. I want you to think I’m weak, submissive ...
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Burt's Discount Dental review: ⭐ 1 star
The damp murk of the cellar, unaided by the arm of moonlight reaching in through the grime of a solitary window, was silent and still ...
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Under the Icy Siege
Before their eyes was the frozen ocean, fractured but solidified once more underneath. It seemed like an undulating ballroom floor ...
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Ballad of Mary Blue
Felce had always been a quiet town on the cliffs bordering the sea, the only racket emanating from it coming from the waves crashing ...
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The Mars Experiment
Well, it's not every day that you discover your mother is the most despised supervillain in the history of Mars.
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Train Wrecked!
I ran up as fast as I could. I could hear the loud booming voice ahead, bellowing "Giddy up, Giddy up! Last train out to your new life ...
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Lost in Greg's Beard
All was quiet in the Musick household save for a mechanical hum emanating from the attic. A keen observer watching from the across ...
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New Head, Who Dis?
How is it possible for a person to suddenly grow a second head? Of all the maladies that I have researched, I never suspected that ...
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Fraught with Battle
"Fellow Blockians, this is our hour of battle. We must not falter! To victory! Battalions 8 and 9, prepare for ambush!" The legoes ...
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Jim’s Bad Day
Jim had been stuck in a time loop for—by his estimates—a hundred and fifty years. At least the day he inhabited was sunny and warm ...
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The Companionship of Cyborgs
The flickering lamp was the only source of light in the darkened field of buttercups. The bunny couldn't pause to think of why it was ...
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The Catfight That Saved His Life
The end of my life was near. I could feel it in my bones. “Make it a double,” I said to the bartender. What would a few extra drinks ...
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Seeing Kate
I was walking, book in hand, when I bumped into someone. I was met by a familiar face. My friend, Kate, looked back at me. But then ...
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The CVS in Wonderland
It was a crisp fall day. The end of our hike had led us to a clearing in the forest, just behind the CVS. Holly was standing still ...
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Destroy all humans
I was there alone.
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The Coral Cure
Everyone loved Lora's laugh. It was low, full of humor and light and everything you could want in a sound meant to elicit smiles. It ...
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A DREAMY NOON
The gentle hum of the blowing fan in the corner, the slither of sunlight strewn across the room and settled on the tired, angelic and ...
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Fish Talk
The tiredness enveloped her as she closed the call room door. She hoped for just an hour of sleep before the nurse called saying that ...
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Leisure Wear is Serious Business
One of the only good things to come out of the pandemic was this: by 2025, sweatpants have become acceptable garments in every situation ...
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RG09LBJ: Part II
Oblivious to my lifelong mental condition to which he had just contributed (motorcycle-phobia) RG09LBJ pootled down the street on his ...
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Cecelia’s Personal Storm
Somewhere outside, someone—or something—was wailing. A blizzard was due, and Cecelia wondered if perhaps it was a banshee warning the ...
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RG09LBJ
"...vanity plates are cheap in the USA, but here in the UK they can cost a fortune, so I saved myself a few thousand quid by changing ...
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The Axe Conspiracy
Kim rolled over and snoozed her alarm, even though she knew there was no getting back to sleep. As the comfort of dreams wore off and ...
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Who was phone!?
The hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach was overtaking me. I reached for the bottle of Lorazepam, only to find that it was empty ...
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Clownish Fate
"Baloney!" cried the clown. "I'm telling you, thanks to Stephen King, all the children in the audience were terrified of your antics ...
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The Boy who Stopped
Every morning, before the day started me and Lucy would watch the military boys run along the country side. Everyday I would ask Lucy ...
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Lodai Laundry
There are so many beautiful and subtle things about this planet that make it unlike earth, but the most striking has to be the red ...
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The Luck of Subject D
Day 154 of the genetic mutation research: Subject D has started to repond to the treatment. The other subjects didn’t run with the ...
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The Stoat Gambit
He approached me in the in plaza, smiling. Without a word, he handed me a card. It read “Marcus Wallaby the Third. Effing up the ineffable ...
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His Sand Water Doom
"So you sold our perfectly good camel for those date seeds and not at the bazaar like I told you to?" I could see my father shudder ...
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Adventures in WTF land
This is how the story goes, how it ends, no one knows. Line by line, we fabricate it ‘til we sound inebriated. Using only context clues, cleverly ...
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Gnomes and Gardens and Stones, Oh My!
It was the weirdest plant Charlotte had ever seen- and she’d seen many in her 22 years as a Master Gardener. First of all, it seemed ...
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Codependent Incarceration
It was over. It was finally all over. Completely and utterly finished, no chance of returning.
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Art
Ahhhhhhhhh! The girl screamed.
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Escape From the Medusa
"Beautiful, aren't they?" The boy could hear the medusa hiss right next to his ear from behind him as he stared. On the wall opposite ...
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Turds and Tentacles
"By Balu's beard mother, how many times do I have to tell you"? Gurok paused, holding the edge of the door looking back into the room. "When ...
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Missed Connection
The palm trees swayed in the breeze as Vivian gazed at her dog-eared airport novel—an airbrushed photo on the cover—not reading a word ...
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New beginnings
Terry “The Terror” Lunderbuff was a local legend. It was said he was a cheat, a thief and an aggressor whose history as a secret agent ...
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Pooch and the Ludwig Solution
| ##Problems: p.1- it's too big and doesn't fit | p.2- it makes a loud noise all of the time | p.3- squeezing it has no effect | p.4- ...
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The Agent and the Elf
A stakeout wasn’t what David had in mind for Christmas Eve, but here he was, shivering in his car with a cup of cold coffee while “Last ...
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The pickup line that actually worked.
The night, like most nights on the Newfoundland coast this time of year, was appropriately dark and stormy. Eileen sat at the bar ...
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The Secret Life of the TY CEO
Wiping sweat from my forehead, I took a step back to admire my work. The cat house was finally complete, and I couldn’t wait for my ...
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Crazy Fairytale
Byla jednou jedna malá chaloupka.
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A swirl of uncertainty full of pink
Do you know or at least imagine how is to live in a Pink world? That is my case, I live in the pinkiest, sweetest and most cloyiest ...
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Special Delivery!
If John never saw another package again, he’d die a happy man. Lift a box out of the back of the van, scan it, trudge up to decorated ...
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Getting Donald Home
It was a very snowy day, depressing and bleak, when we had our first fateful encounter. His name was Jacob, and he wore a long, black ...
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How Humans Ruined Arbor Day for the Fae
Emily started seeing the fairies as a child. At first, they only came to her at night, rearranging her toys and giggling as they did ...
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Vans
My parents got a call from the principal. The principal told them that I had punched a kid in the face today. When a got home, my parents ...
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Foodie Syndrome
"I believe that your poor-" "Nachos!" "...cousin has caught a-" "Mozzarella, you ignorant fools!" "-very rare disease-" "Kimchi! Creme ...
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Knock Knock, Who’s There? Banana.
A siren sounded in the distance. Wendy ignored it, deeply involved in reading an article on her phone, but Alex’s entire body went ...
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The Haunting of Harold’s House
The house Harold haunted had been on the market for a year. It just wasn’t the same without people living in it. To emerge from a linen ...
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The Ballad of King Markie
First things first. If you are reading this without fear of being caught, we won. I don't have much time, as I can hear the troops ...
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Fraternal Pranks
"So let me get this straight. You were walking home at 1300 AM when you saw these seven short men vandalizing your property by tap-dancing ...
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Cats and Dogs Raining Together
The vacation rental was small, just a one-bedroom cottage in a semi-shabby urban neighborhood, but it was renovated and even had a ...
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Furbies
The girl looked up at the creature. It was an alien!
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Shi Ling and the Dragon of Destiny: Part II
Shi Ling and the dragon quickly turned their boat over and used it to shield themselves from the barrage of flame-tipped arrows heading ...
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The Octopoda Wars
We were living difficult times. Life was not the same since the last war. We lost a lot of people, a lot of friends...but although ...
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No Patch for you Today
Hi Mr. Monkey, my name is Banana Nana, I am a junior Ape scout and I am so excited to be here in this tree! I will win my climbing ...
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Shi Ling and the Dragon of Destiny
The samurai era, synonym of honor, strength and wisdom. A group of samurais were ready to start the training that would define all ...
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Marriage of An Amnesiac
I clamped down harder onto my ears as the gale raged through the trees, leaving the ceramic leaves clank together in a never-ending ...
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Donut Hunt Monsters: Part II
“Where did you train?” the mage inquired. “The North,” I answered. “With Gwynevere, sorceress of the bakèd arts.” “Very good,” said ...
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I dream of a SciFi Vacation
I am a third grade teacher, a Math teacher to be precise. I love my job,I love my students, but sometimes I wish for a little change ...
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Size doesn’t define you Marty!
My name is Marty and I am a giant. I live in a world full of fantasy, and is not strange meeting someone like me...but the problem ...
