An expert in the field of neurological mapping is the only person qualified to enter an experimental simulation and rescue her greatest rival. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: “It could be psychological. Maybe his subconscious put something in there, or built a section of the maze on its own, and he’s having a tough time getting out.” “And what else…

An inventor aiming to revolutionize cosmetics with her intelligent nanoparticle mechanisms, revises and refines her invention to serve a greater purpose. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: Kaira explained how it worked. Her nanoparticles were simple mechanisms that responded to commands transmitted from a voice-activated processing patch attached to h…

A mouse narrowly escapes a cat, and is later haunted by the ghost of the cat, who believes the mouse plays a part in the “unfinished business” of the cat’s life. Genre: Fable Excerpt: Two eyes, yellow with a green glow, hovered in the darkness. A shaft of soft light from a crack in the wall fell between Rini and those eyes, those eyes that loomed. …

A girl accidentally passes before a warlock who is laying a curse on someone, and wakes the next morning to find that the curse has fallen upon her instead. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: I didn’t earn what happened to me. The curse that fell on me was meant for another. That’s what happens when petty warlocks are reckless with their magic. What’s the …

A desperate people once made a monstrous bargain with a demon, and monsters they became. Genre: Fairy Tale Alert: This episode contains mention of harm to human babies, comparable to what can be found in classic fairy tales such as “Hansel and Gretel.” Excerpt: Legend says that the draugamunninn were once human. They were a practical but severe peo…

A restless fairy creates a restless trinket with the power to grant its bearer three wishes, but as each wish is grant, the last wish fades away. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: A restless fairy grew bored one day and created a restless trinket, imbuing it with all of the fairy’s magic. The magic was all bent toward one purpose, to grant the bearer of t…

The youngest of three siblings makes a wish at a mall fountain, where unseen fish supposedly live, helping people’s wishes come true. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: I twisted my mouth to one side, and stared at the coin that I held in the middle of my palm. “There’s a scientific explanation for it,” my sister said. "For what?” I said, glancing up at th…

Alert: This episode contains heartbeat sound effects. Long ago, the human heart experienced an extraordinary change, all because one god wanted to find a quiet place to sleep. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: A tale was once told among the ancestors of the people who live at the base of the great mountain to the north, from which a waterfall plummets into…

A moth dreams of visiting the Moon, but is too small to fly all the way. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: When first the moths alighted in the world below, the land of earth, they did so out of curiosity. And they did so because they were sent forth from their home by their creator. Their home and their creator were one and same, and she bore the name Moo…

A prideful swallow is cursed and changed into the form that she finds most abhorrent, a tree. Genre: Fable Excerpt: The swallow was a happy bird, but also somewhat superior. Nothing brought her joy the way flying did. Slicing through the clouds and flicking the air with the perfect points of her tail. She believed that birds were the supreme creatu…

After a man stuck in the middle seat of a long flight wishes he had more room in his row, his wish comes true: his seatmates start vanishing. Genre: Mystery Excerpt: But saying it out loud, he sounded a little foolish to himself, so he laughed and waved a hand. “I’m probably just being a worrywart for nothing. But I figure better safe than sorry.” …

Two passengers find themselves alone just after takeoff, on a plane that seems to be floating in some substance that the passengers can only define as being green and gold. Genre: Science Mystery Excerpt: If we were asleep, and the plane crashed into an ocean with green-and-gold water, and we’re now sinking, and the rest of the passengers managed t…

Do the voices coming from the food in my fridge and pantry want to harm me, help me, or just…be? Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: “Tell me I’m sane,” I said. There was a pause on the other end. And then he finally spoke. “I refuse.” I sighed. “Freddy, come on.” “Give me some context, then.” What’s the Writing Prompt that inspired the story?Describe …

During his first week working at a unique pizzeria, Ronnie encounters some uncanny late-night customers, who place an order for the rarest pizza on the menu. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt:“What…what will this one do?” Ronnie asked as he folded fresh rosemary leaves and parmesan flakes into the dough. “It’ll make the customer swoon with pleasure upon first…

Three friends decide to do their science project on a forgotten novelty invention, a self-peeling banana. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: “What about dinosaurs?” I said after a few minutes. “We could do our project on how and why they went extinct. That’s exciting.” K.D. shook her head. “It might seem too basic. Like something we would have done in…

A young journalist follows her latest lead into a quirky fast food place located in her dreams. Genre: Mysterious Fantasy Excerpt: “Welcome to Thoughtsburger, would you like to try our new Weltschmerz platter with a side of Bitterness and Longing?” Ria stared at the person who had just addressed her. “Uh, no, thank you.” What’s the Writing Prompt t…

To help a young man seek his fortune and his purpose upon leaving home, his parents endow him with a parting gift, a basket of lemons. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: The couple had thirteen children by the time they were finished siring. One by one, as each child came of age, they were sent out into the world to seek their fortunes and their purposes f…

To save her friends and herself from being eaten, a ghost crab enters a juggling contest with a devious and possibly unbeatable opponent. Genre: Fable Excerpt: Four unlikely friends were frolicking in the ocean one day. They were the Ghost Crab, the Blue Marlin, the Jellyfish, and the Nautilus. The crab and the marlin splashed about on the surface,…

When a young man sees his reflection in a pool as he has never seen it before, he is both mesmerized and suspicious. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: One day, he had an enticing thought. Then he chastised himself and told himself it was a silly and foolish thought. He shook his head as if shaking off the thought, but it was a sticky thought. It would not …

Longtime lovers the ogre and the elf each recall the first few days of their honeymoon a bit differently. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: The ogre snapped her fingers and furrowed her warty brow. “What was the name of the place where we stayed…was it…the Twilight Twinklings Inn?” “No darling, that was for our first anniversary, when we went up north to …

An urban legend about a haunting phenomenon occurring in a little beach town becomes a news story when escalating incidents lead to the beaching of what appears to be a telepathic whale. Genre: Science Mystery Excerpt: “You’re looking for a story.” “Yes.” “My story.” “That’s right. What’s your story? Where did you come from? How did you get inside …

The inventor of a working time machine takes her closest friend on what was meant to be a quick trip to the near future. Genre: Science Fantasy Excerpt:I didn’t panic right away when Violeta said she had succeeded in building a working time machine. All of her inventions worked. All of them. But all her other inventions were a lot less…ambitious. I…

A fearful and captive servant, who tends a menagerie of unique and captive creatures, is dazzled by the arrival of a most magnificent creature known as a hippocampus. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: At the center of my memory is the image of a horse, a horse the color of orange cream, rearing up, and glancing at me, with an oceanic glint in her eye. She ha…

In life and beyond, the elephant king seeks only one aim, to protect his people from despair. Genre: Fable Excerpt: As the elephant king lay dying, struck silent by his pain, able only to breathe shattered breaths, his mind thought its last thoughts. He could forgive the ones who had killed him. But forgiveness would do his people no good. He could…

A nervous young job-seeker’s interview is constantly interrupted by what seem to be personal phone calls to the interviewer, but from different callers. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: I was nervous. Okay…yes, obviously. Obviously I was nervous. This one, I really, really wanted. Based on the description. Field investigation and research. Constant trave…

A man seeks the help of a psychic after he experiences an unusual haunting from an automated phone line. Genre: Mysterious Fantasy Excerpt: “My life is still following the path he laid out for me.” Madame Granya frowned. “Who?” I stared at her. I wasn’t really struggling with whether or not I should tell her. I was just not telling her. I had nothi…

Sammy receives an unusual birthday gift, a smart device with a face, a set life span, and an unrelenting imperative to help. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: The figurine suddenly collapsed, then sprung up, wheeled her arms around, stretched them out, then up, then bopped up and down by bending at the knees. She gazed up at Sammy. “Hello there!” she…

A reporter and camera operator expect to uncover a hoax when they investigate sightings of flying pigs, but soon find themselves on the path of a much stranger story. Genre: Fantastic Mystery Excerpt: “The boss wants us to relate it to the flying pigs story,” Quentin said. They were driving out to another farm, within the county this time. And this…

When unexpectedly asked about their profession, a person accustomed to remaining unnoticed until needed debates about how to tell the truth—spectacularly, or mundanely. Genre: Science Fantasy Excerpt: I noticed him seeming to notice me, and I found that so unlikely that I almost frowned. I was extremely skilled at remaining unnoticed. The Queen of …

When the once-inseparable children of the Rain and the Sun quarrel and go their separate ways, they set in motion dire consequences for their parents and for the world. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: When they were young, the seven children of the Rain and the Sun were inseparable. They were magnificent, these children. When they were born, so too were …

A spaceship built for short-range research is re-tasked with the mission of traversing a vast and mysterious anomaly. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: The Shifting Night Anomaly was so called at first be-cause its margins seemed to change every so often, making it difficult, if not impossible, to map. We had sent probe after probe inside fo…

A woman entreats a student of medicine for help with an extraordinary and destructive condition, she can conduct massive amounts of electricity. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: I am only a student. That’s why she came to me, trusting that I would have a sufficient balance of knowledge and naiveté to serve her desperate need. And I am woman…

High jinks ensue when two caterpillar fairies who are close to death attend a grand fairy ball as a last hurrah. Genre: Fable, Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: “Alas! We are doomed to die as caterpillars, never having become butterflies.” Lickspittle shook hishead. He gazed up and shook several fists at the sky. Sobersides sighed gravely. “Perhaps tomo…

The crew of a prospecting freighter on the edge of known space makes an unexpected discovery about their outdated and recently replaced engine. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: Cruising along at the edges of known space, the Vesta was among the last ships to receive the engine upgrade. But it wasn’t just distance that caused the delay. The t-drives …

Six people get stuck on an elevator, but when the elevator starts moving again, their true ordeal begins. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: It wasn’t where any of us wanted to go, but we all stepped off the elevator as if by some instinct to escape the place where we’d been trapped, even if it had just been less than an hour. At a glance, we could se…

A new homeowner must decide how to deal with the uncanny and uninvited inhabitants discovered in the attic. Genre: Horror, Mystery Content Warning: Animals in supernatural danger. Excerpt: One of my friends told me a terrifying story she’d read about. This guy was living in a house where a family lived, without their knowledge, for the longest time…

What happens when two treasure-seekers cross a forbidden threshold and trespass within an ancient temple? Genre: Horror, Mystery, Mythology Excerpt: “Greetings, travelers,” the temple guardian said. “Give me your names.” The two treasure-seekers gave her their names freely. She did not return their offer of names, nor did she return their smiles. “…

A young reporter investigating a case of vanishing corpses interviews a town recluse, who may be trying to help him…or silence him. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: …he realized she was one of the missing corpses. He couldn’t recall her name, only her face. He watched from outside as she appeared to be making small talk with the cashier. He decided …

For two friends, watching the new season of their favorite show may have to wait while one of them contends with a potentially life-changing event. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: “Sometimes I think it’s kind of nice that vampires are accepted in this fictional society,” Glo said. My attention perked up. That was different. But the response from the rest o…

An alchemist attempts to create a coat that will allow her to travel to other dimensions. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: Aunt Mariya was certain that she had solved the mystery of the many dimensions. All of us could do it, but our minds and bodies prevented us from going, be-cause the environments in these other dimensions were different. Some were sligh…

When a country suffers a curse that extinguishes all but the tiniest of flames, its people strive in spectacular ways to endure, to elude, and to break the curse. Genre: Fantasy, Mystery Excerpt: “Let it be as you claim,” the warlock said. “That there is ‘not enough fire’ in your country.” And then he spoke the words of his spell, his curse. And fr…

When a new father searches through his childhood books for stories to tell his daughter, he learns that some of those books are linked to a hundred-year-old mystery. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Excerpt: For generations, for nearly a century, the Rofotou family had been gathering the pieces of a puzzle that they believed would unlock some grand secret o…

After their realm is cursed to suffer absolute darkness, four companions are tasked with finding the secret of breaking the curse. Genre: Mythology, Fantasy Excerpt: In those days, all people had the power to send their shadows off to explore the world around them, but those shadows could only travel in one direction, the direction in which they we…

There is a door in the basement of my new house that leads to nowhere, or so I thought… Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: When buds are twisted too tightly, they will never bloom beautifully, my grandmother always said, all the more so after she’d witness my staying in my little corner of the room at a party in our house while the other children …

A young boy seeks to make his mother proud by picking the pocket of a man whose fortunes no one has ever managed to steal, not even the master thieves. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: In the town of Pennyhaven, there was honor among thieves. For thieving was allowed, but only if done according to the strictest of rules, which were set by the Union of Thiev…

To rescue her kidnapped infant sister from a magical monarch, Parni and her pet rat enter the dream realm and pass through nightmare and illusion. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: Three days has passed since Parnika’s baby sister, Kulfi, has been taken by the Marshmallow Monarch. Such was the price of living in a town that bordered the famed and…

A sixteen-year-old decides that her first journey alone will be into a forbidden valley of flowers that lies just beyond her town. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: There is a valley, where grow flowers of every hue and kind, colors and fragrance in harmony. They singsongs, it is said, in spring and summer, songs whose ghosts and echoes can be he…

Researchers on the verge of a medical breakthrough must investigate why their advanced surgical machine works perfectly on some patients, and not at all on others. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: Waiting. We’ve been waiting for thirty minutes. A nuisance, maybe, if I were out in the world on an er-rand or anticipating someone’s arrival. But here, i…

A group of friends recruits one of their dads, a biology teacher, to help them identify a strange creature they discovered after a freak storm hits their town. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: Dani, Jon, Ameena and I had volunteered to help clean up the school after the flash storm hit our town a few days ago. We would get our community service requ…

A wealthy capitalist steals a rare and cutting-edge piece of technology in the hopes of developing it for public use. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: “I have plenty of possessions and plenty of currency. And if ever I were to lose any of it, I know how to acquire more. But there is one currency that I cannot make more of. And do you know w…