I hadn't talked to Fireboy in forever, but he owed me a favor. He still understood my signal—and still kept his old jogging routine. The false rock I planted the USB drive in was moved back, indicating he was on board. So now I stood outside the oxygen ba…

There was a sound like a small thunderclap in Simon Melnikov's apartment, as several cubic metres' worth of space were replaced by vacuum.

Agent Irving was, for all intents and purposes, in a featureless black void without air or gravity. He spent a few s…

My Roller Coaster Buddy,

The man who’d “bomb” my hair,

A man of integrity, kind and fair.

Who loved to tease,

Who was silly and always had fun,

Everyone has a favorite memory of “Brother Murphy”.

To everyone he would meet,

He’d give them a …

"You can do it!" Maggie screamed with feline enthusiasm. The others lined up behind me as I faced the door and the challenge ahead.

"What if I fail?" I asked, looking back. "What if I let all of you down?"

"We believe in you!" Pod cheered.

Chirell adjuste…

Liavrea was a bad student.

While her teachers were explaining the intricacies of Elven Woodsinging, the history of the High Forest, or the finer points of high culture, the young Vysoren girl heard only the song of the birds, the low roar of the wind, …

There once was a girl,

Who loved her family,

To the depths of the ocean,

And to the top of the height mountains.

Content she was not,

In her life at the foot of a mountain,

And in a house at beachside,

Her heart longed for more.

Seclusion was not in h…

I never knew what happened to them. I never remembered it when it happened. Sometimes I didn't even remember how I got there.

I could only figure it must be my fault. I was the only person left standing.

Left alive.

I was always unharmed, so I could o…

Ms. Nolan, my English teacher, asked me to stay after class.

It'd been 30 days since David died.

She smirked, "What were you reading under your desk? I just have to know what book has captured your attention so fully." Some teachers would say that with…

I sit up, clutching at my chest. Christ, it hurts! The last thing I remember is... What is the last thing?

I was at the cabin. Gina and I were arguing. What did I do this time? Think, dammit!

She had a gun. She screamed and cried. I remember that much, …

At some point the redolent scent of moisture reached our noses, clinging to the air around us. Soon, it became apparent why.

We reached a section of tunnel that was damp and cool, moist with condensation that itself brown and foul-smelling. We avoided to…

"What happens now?" asked Woost.

"Nothing," said the faerie, landing on the pillow next to the infant's head. "Now we wait. And make plans. And hope for the best. Nothing can happen until the child comes of age, anyway, not now that she is bonded and sea…

And yet, nothing is ever new.

..............................

So it's all about the first line here, as in many other forms of writing. Use it, in a narrative-type scene, to either set the scene or establish reader interest. A good trick is to start with dialogue, as it immediately and naturally brings questions - t…

"Why don't you write about me?" she exclaimed as if it were that easy.

It wasn't. She was the personification of the proverbial "one that got away" and his heart still ached for her even after all the years that had passed since that night in the park on…

When the moment came to reveal his finished product, he felt trepidation. It was time to face the reality. For better or worse, it was his alone. He had sat there by himself grunting and sweating until he was completely tapped out. His muscles quivered, s…

[To go to the main stairs, please visit this page: https://ficlatte.com/stories/41127]

This hallway stretches out on the left and right.

On the left side, the hallway ends soon with a large pane of glass that overlooks the front of the building; it is not blocked by metal bars or anything like that.

On the right, the hallway is longer…

I just want to run away now

Not even truly angry anymore

Just exhausted and hurt

There's been wounds on both sides, yes

But not once was I malicious

Or intentionally hurtful to you

I tried so hard to be

The person you needed.

Well.

The one you said you ne…

Are you happy? You look happy. I'm glad.

I mean, it hurts a little deep inside because it used to be me that made you happy but still, I'm glad.

You deserve to be happy. You're wonderful.

I remember that I was happy during our short time together but…

The echo of my boots attracted the silent judgment of every deluded man in the Hall. Under their disapproving gaze, I was glad to be wearing armor. Well judgment could go both ways and while the Order held temporal power, I was now a peer to a different k…

Toria walked into the classroom and sat down at her desk with her usual grace. No one so much as glanced at her. That was fine. She didn't mind. She just sat quietly with all the others as the teacher talked. She took notes, and made tiny doodles in the m…

The darkness ahead grew, looming over Malika like a physical presence. She couldn't see it, but she knew it was there all the same. She rushed toward to it blindly, cutting down any and all of the Lesser Dead who dared cross her path. Morduth burned hot w…

My snow is grey and never white

It glows and slowly drifts from sight

I watch it fall and breathe the scent

And never wondered where it went

My fog is thin and never fills

It floats and swirls where e'er it wills

I watch the clouds and trace the streams

…

"Kalovay, Kalovay..." Brad muttered to himself over and over as if it was an activity that would help the process of decoding the language.

He had mastered many dead languages in graduate school. It was something of a specialty of his, but he was never t…

9:30PM

The house is silent and dark except for the light above the couch. I sit with a book, trying to disappear into its world so my dreams will be more full of fantasy and less full of reality.

10:30PM

I yawn. My arms and legs weigh a million tons, my …