Stories tagged “book”
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Some Old Chinese Guy
Kyle saw two huge golden dragons flanking an ornate door. A few wisps of incense wafted through the wind chimes. “Hello? Anyone here?” From behind the counter an old man appeared, and moved far more quickly than anyone of his apparent age had any r...
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70 Deaths In
Hello people of the world. This is your captain speaking. I hope you all are happy beca
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Now and Forever
The apartment was dark and musty; the fingers of sunlight had not brushed the living room in days. The whole building was buzzing with the news. Everyone three floors above and below had heard the fight – the screams, the insults, the words. She ...
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The Book
The first time she had seen it, it was a wet, bedraggled thing, and she had wanted little to do with it. She hadn’t picked it up – Rowan had. “Saya,” he had said, brown eyes bright, “look at the patterns on the front. This...
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Borrowed Time
She remembered the feeling of nauseous weightlessness as clearly as she recalled her non-existent measurement. Ice had clambered down her spine as she looked at her name. No line was drawn next to her stupid name. She had seen it clearly – there ...
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Self Pity
Her mother worked in a hospital. Her father ran the hospital. “Nurse Kirk’s daughter,” or “Dr. Kirk’s daughter” was all they said. It was never her name. It was something she was sometimes glad for. She tried not to ...
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Before & After
Everyday, the Book lost and gained pages. Every hour, the Book became thinner, and then turned grossly fat, and then shed its excess pages, continuing in a vicious cycle and reminding Saya how many people flickered in and out of the world. Rowan asked ...
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A "Just So" Story
Gunman-ji closed the gate of Diplomat-sahib’s compound and then ducked through the small side door to resume his post. He looked up and down the street both ways, ensuring that no bad elements had followed Driver-bhai home on the circuitous drive...
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Singles Going Steady
A quiet jazz melody broke through the conversations that intertwined and became one loud, overbearing mumble of a noise that encased the interior of the coffee shop like a humid summer heat. The barista behind the counter, feeling a certain groove well...
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Bookmarks
Ruby got up and made her way to the condiment bar with her cup, and was soon doctoring the drink with sugar and cocoa powder. She took a preemptive sip and silently congratulated her efforts. Back at the table, she returned to the book, but soon found ...
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Daydreamery
Ruby sighed and sat for a moment, nursing her cold cup of coffee she had nestled in her hands. She stared blankly out the window, not at anything in particular. She was infamous for spacing out for lengthy amounts of time. Sometimes she would get to th...
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Reference Points
Ruby snapped out of her daydreams when the dull murmur of voices once again overtook the music. She looked down at the now empty cup of coffee cradled in her hands and noted how despite her mind drifting completely into other realms, she could still re...
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Sincerity?
The barista who had earlier turned up the stereo, had resigned to a break, and on his way, brought over a second cup of coffee for Ruby and one for himself, and seated himself next to her. “Hey Ruby, you look like you need some fuel,” he said with ...
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Small Talk
The barista stared out the window for a moment, gave a dramatic sigh to possibly ensue some sort of conversation with Ruby and then looked over at her expectantly. Ruby was not enthused in the slightest, but decided to humor him anyway. “So…how’s...
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An Important Moment
“Why’s that?” The barista said, looking over now at Ruby with a somewhat confused expression creeping up onto his face. “Because, people think that they can attempt to do something important, just like that, like they need some sort of validati...
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Across the Street
Neil tapped his pencil with growing aggression. It had been three months since he had written anything worth mention, and he was growing incredibly irksome. The cursor on the laptop screen blinked against a blank white surface of a hopeless attempt at ...
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Blame it on the Splenda
Neil sipped at the now room temperature brew and observed his surroundings for some hint of mild literary inspiration. He drifted almost immediately towards the large windows facing the street outside. On the opposite side of the street there was anoth...
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The Copyright Page to Death's Memoir
Copyright © Eternity (Published 2017 on Earth) by Death, Geoffrey H. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or supernatural, including photocopies, mediums, crystal balls, or “...
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The Reading Room
She stood up slowly, her back cracking and aching from the long crawl. She stood now in a room, no larger than a guest room with floor-to-ceiling shelves brimming with leather bound books. And on a dais in the center of the room sat an old tome, larger...
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Same Book, Different Author
We claim to be unique Say that we diverge from the ordinary But we don’t… I’d love to be that one Setting standards and leading the new But I can’t… I’ve been told no idea’s original Everything we do is recycle...
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Love Stories Do That (tears challenge)
She hated shopping, stores full of people, self-absorbed, vain, spending money they didn’t have on things that really had no value. She preferred second hand, vintage treasures that she recycled into her style. Elevator music that grated on her n...
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The Greatest Journey Into Ones Mind
“So this is it, your last great novel of the 21st century.” “Yes the final copy and the authors notes are in the back of the book.” “Well I guess this is good-bye, I never thought the day would come were I would say those words so early in ...
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Amazing What You Can Keep In There
I didn’t realize my friend Daisy was watching when I slid the book I was reading poolside down into my cleavage to put it away. “Hey! How’d you do that?” “Magic!” I grinned as I had an idea. “Just lie face-down...
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss: “I’m hungry.” Peeta: “I love you.” Katniss: “Do not.”
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"Chasm City" in Ten Words
Civilization FAIL, interstellar travel, nanotechnology plagues, aliens, crime, and vengeance.