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Latest Stories

April 25, 2024
General Stories Michael Barlett

Dubious Provence

CHAPTER ONE The grizzly old man watched through the window as a Jeep Cherokee approached along the pathway leading to his cabin. He had no clue as to who the visitor might be, although the person had been there many times before. Sadly, the old man was…
April 25, 2024
General Stories Robert Pook

Debut

Glossed red leather clatters into a hallowed wicket of willow, cracking the silence within storied stands of the ‘Home of cricket.’ M.C.C., Lord’s cricket ground, two hundred years of history. Centuries old celebration of appeal, and congratulation, echo…
April 25, 2024
Mystery Stories Kownain Sid

Don't Feel Bad When I Die

(Inspired by true events) Part one: The descent into darkness "Come on, sweetie, now is the time for a bedtime story," a man tells his daughter as he begins reading from a few papers he was carrying. "Today, David is meeting his former teacher, Pinky, after…
April 20, 2024
Poetry Paweł Markiewicz

The Quire Of The Sheep

We are calling for your soul for a benevolent autumnal source May the hoary times arrive full of sunny gloom endlessly dream! with a fancy coming from tender sea we are conjuring you dreamer your mythical pearls Come propitious birdies from Olympus-mountling!…
April 20, 2024
Crime Stories Jason Smith

Peter's Peril

It was finally happening. After years of struggling, Peter had landed his dream job. A producer in Hollywood had read his self published book and wanted to create a television show based on it. He’d personally asked Peter to join his writing team. This was…
April 20, 2024
Fantasy Stories Nelly Shulman

The White Dove

The dusty glass of an ancient lamp sparkled, and Bronwen jumped back. Nikola rolled his eyes. “The electricity is quite safe,” he said. “Sooner or later, you’ll use it.” Sitting down in a worn velvet chair, Bronwen snorted. “What for, Nikola? I have my magic…
April 13, 2024
Flash Fiction Benoit

The March

By just one seat, the Coalition of Hard Fighting Women, More Justice for Women and Green Now had won the election. At 12 noon on Giri (Wednesday), triumphant feminists would march from each end of Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate. Led by Prime Minister…
April 13, 2024
Flash Fiction Dominik Slusarczyk

The Exam

I I catch the ball, spin, and throw it back to my friend. I throw it way too hard. It goes sailing over my friend’s head, bounces, then goes into the back of a girl sat in a little circle with her friends. One of her friends tuts at us and tells us to be more…
April 13, 2024
Mystery Stories MegaParsec

Mrs Briton's Secret

Everyday Mrs. Briton would quietly leave the house in the dark. She would tiptoe so that no one would ever come to know that…..(beginning given) She was dying. The only pillar of the family’s well-being depending on a tiny vial and a hypodermic needle. Every…
April 11, 2024
Horror Stories Luna Woods

Cornswell The Witch

The year is 1692. A young fellow named David was on his way into town when he saw a weird-looking house in the distance. The house was old and run-down, but there was still light burning through the windows. "DAVID. DAAAAAAVIIIID." David turned around to see…
April 11, 2024
Science Fiction Stories David Blitch

Do You Remember When?

Do you remember when? Before the Alien Bastards came? Well, I sure do! I sit here in my farm house on the lake, at the foothills of the White Mountains, getting wasted on cheap beer even before the lunch bell has rung. It is a place so secluded, among the…
April 11, 2024
Romance Stories A.Coster

A Night In The Black Forest

My homebound journey following my tour of Europe was interrupted when my plane halted in Paris for a couple hours, leaving me with just one hour in Frankfurt to make my connecting flight. As I had feared, I would not make it. If you’ve traveled through…

It all started one Friday night, apparently a pandemic was going on. It had been only a week since “Adara” moved from her parents to a house to live on her own (well more like her parents agreed on self living because they knew the people who leased the house, and it was near to her office). The day she stepped foot in the house, the government declared complete lockdown. Her office works were postponed to next month or until the pandemic was over (being a private company).Who would have thought something like this would happen? This girl’s only dream was to live in a place where there would be no restrictions, and where she could travel as many places as she wanted. Her mother was strict with her, but that strictness helped her to cook meals for herself these days (for that she was grateful).

She never panicked; being alone was never a new thing for her. It was Friday noon after eating lunch that she sat on her bed sighing with empty thoughts, everything seemed empty because she started living in a house which she was not familiar with. A teardrop came from her eyes and within minutes, she fell asleep and got absorbed in a dream…

Well, the dream was also horrible…she saw her childhood vacation, it was then she realized that she was a real loner in life…Her family never travelled during vacation, because her father was working out of the native country. Her brother would go with his friends to play, whereas, she would sit in her room, or stare at the sky. Her mother never let her go with her brother to play because he played with a group of boys; she hated herself being a girl so badly during those days.

She woke up from her dramatic dream, or maybe a noon mare and wondered, “Why LORD???” She was hoping everything would be fixed when she grows up and when she finally got a chance to explore the world on her own, the world mocked her with the pandemic. It felt like everyone wanted her to be locked away. Soon there was the darkness of the night, she ate the food that she made and went to sleep. Some thoughts of her life made her eyes blurry again with tears, it was then she noted something shining through those blurry eyes. She rubbed her eyes and looked carefully. It was the reflection of something that got her attention; she searched for the source of reflection and found a white crystal like jewel, so beautiful that it could hypnotize your eyes. It had a thread attached, so it looked like a pendant. She gazed at it for a while and wore it. The next moment, she fainted. When she came to her senses, she was in a different world, a world where road paths to trees, everything was colorful, just like a rainbow. She was sure it was another dramatic dream. But it looked so relaxing and beautiful that she felt blessed. Suddenly, a beautiful girl with shiny black long hair, twinkling eyes, and who wore white dress appeared before her. She looked so unreal and “Adara” was mesmerized with her beauty and told herself in mind, “She would make a beautiful bride”. The girl smiled ( the smile that can melt pain away) and said, you would also make a beautiful bride one day. “Adara” was shocked, how did she know about something that she thought in her mind?.

The girl gazed at her with those twinkling eyes and said “Welcome, to the world of Prisha”. I’m “Ruhani”, a sacred spirit who guards the wandered souls that come here. Adara started laughing and thought maybe it’s time that she woke up now. “Ruhani” said, “you are not dreaming “Adara”, this world is a gift from God, only people with a bit of sacredness can make it up to this world, I knew it the moment you gazed at me, you’ll come along with me. Then “Adara” remembered the jewel incident. Then she asked, “so you are a sacred jewel”?

Ruhani said “I’m glad you remembered, but more like a sacred spirit”. Adara asked, “so, you can hear my thoughts?”

Ruhani replied, “As long as you want me to hear it, it’s like a sixth sense.”

Adara wondered, since she’s in this world, does that mean “she’s dead?” Ruhani smiled again and said, let’s take a glance at this world.

Adara didn’t understand what she said and started following her. She saw the paths were all miraculously in colors when she looked clearly she saw a huge spider, huge enough to cover all the paths of “Prisha”, and a beautiful spider web, then she realized the rainbow pathway was because of the reflection from the spider’s web. She saw elephants with big ears which could fly(just like jumbo), dogs and cats talking together in human language, birds with hands, lions playing with deer, ants(human sized) with soldier uniform, water fall in which water is moving upwards (Adara was very confused).

Ruhani laughed. Adara said, “Don’t you know about gravity? Your world is beautiful. After listening to Ruhani, she became more confused.

Ruhani said, “You are free to go anywhere in the world of “Prisha” as long as you love it here. But tomorrow night, you need to visit me again.

Adara asked, “How am I supposed to know where you are?

Just close your eyes, and call my name three times. After these words, Ruhani disappeared.

Adara ran across the rainbow grasses, climbed towards the waterfall and jumped towards the water, she found herself floating in the sky along with the water, and when she stepped out of the water she could walk in the sky, later, she discovered beautiful wings supporting her. She talked with the trees, gave handshakes to birds, participated in a running competition with lions and deer, in which the leopard came out of nowhere, and won the competition. The lion scolded the leopard and he made a funny face towards the lion and ran away. Lion went chasing the leopard. Adara was laughing her heart out. The deer came to her for company, Adara asked, “Aren’t you afraid of Mr. Lion?

Deer said, there is no fear in this world, but only hope.

I want to travel more through the world of “Prisha”

you can use my eyes to travel,'' said the deer.

Your eyes? said Adara. The deer shed a tear which turned into a gem and said hold onto this gem and say ‘RUN’, it will take you to places I went.

Adara asked how it worked.

This gem works on the basis of time, it will take you to the time when I travelled there, it can only take you to the past never to future as it works based on my vision and time.

Adara did, as she was told. She,at first, reached at “Christ, the Redeemer” and then to Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Roman Colosseum ,Great wall of China, Taj Mahal, Petra, and she finally, reached the place where the deer was ,she gave the gem back to the deer and thanked her soulfully. She saw the deer running away playfully with the lion, she wondered what a beautiful ending. Then she thought, “Wait! Did I just travel to the seven wonders of the world and why did a deer travel to all these places? What sort of world is this Prisha”??

Then she realized it was night already, she closed her eyes and called “Ruhani’s” name three times, within a second, she reached where Ruhani was.

Then, she saw a huge triangular thing with mirrors inside it, “Ruhani” said ‘this is the kaleidoscope of life, you have to enter it, if you come out of it then you can stay in “the world of “Prisha” forever’.

Adara asked, “What would happen if I cannot make it out of it??” “Ruhani” smiled and waved her hands, the next moment, Adara was inside the kaleidoscope, and she could see herself in different ways, Ruhani said, “Look deeper into yourself”.

Adara looked deeply into her image, what she saw next was mesmerizing, she saw the cells reciprocating , she saw seeds becoming saplings, she saw a mother giving birth to a child, she saw all the happy moments of her life, it never ended… Adara was so happy to see it; she started to cry with joy.

Ruhani said, “look at those happy moments of your life, they are not ending at all! That’s the problem of humankind, they only remember the sorrows and forget about the happy moments of their life, the world you saw in this ‘world of Prisha’ was created based on your imaginations only. Though this world is a gift from god, only the drained souls can stay here longer, Adara! I don’t think yours is drained yet! So, what is your decision? Do you want to stay in the imaginary world you created, or do you want to go back to the reality???”

Adara looked at the mirror again, she saw her smiling face accompanied by her parents. Adara said, “I want to go back to reality.” The moment she started to disappear, Ruhani whispered in her earsm “No one has imagined me this beautiful before, u have a sacred and beautiful heart”. When she regained consciousness, she saw the landlord with her daughter trying their best to wake her up. She woke up, and wondered what was going on? She couldn’t remember anything about the sacred jewel or “the world of Prisha”, but she felt some inner peace, and was happier than before.

The landlord and his daughter came to check on her, they began to leave as they realized that Adara was fine.

Before leaving the landlord’s daughter asked, “Sis! Can I take a look at this shining pendant (which was on the table beside her bed).”

Adara said, “Pendant? What pendant?” The landlord’s daughter gazed at the pendant and took it along with her.

When the landlord’s daughter reached home, she wore the pendant and she fainted. When she opened her eyes she saw a cute looking bunny with brown hairs and big eyes.

The bunny whispered “Welcome to the world of Prisha”!!!”





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