A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Home
Logo Long Story Short Award - 2022
Short Fiction
 3 min

Miami

Olivia Ocamb

"Paula, you ready?" Angel asks. I can hear the edge in his question—a mix of fatigue and frustration. He's really asking, "Can we get this over with already?" At least he has the decency not to say ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 1 min

A Happy Ending

Stefani Stewart

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess in a beautiful castle. She was kind and generous and everybody loved her.

In that same palace lived a lowly servant. The servant longed to be ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Invisible Illness

Sienna Stroud

The phone buzzed twenty-six times on my bedside table. Moaning, I turned my aching body and grabbed the phone with my uninjured hand.
"John?" a shrill voice demanded.
"Hey Natalie."
"Where ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Thiens's Resolve

Ezinwanne Ubezonu

It's 3AM and you're there again. You're always there, every day, for the past 3 years, 2ꟷ6AM unfailingly. The stale air of the attic settles uncomfortably all around you, as the only intelligible ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Belleza

Micaela Cors

Once upon a time, there was a princess called Belleza. The princess was gorgeous, with her long dark hair, large topaz eyes, and warm honey skin. She always wore the most extravagant clothes to ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

I don't want anyone else to know

Marine Martins

You really didn't have to react that way. You really didn't have to gaze at my face with such an air of disgust, as if I was nothing more than a crushed worm glued to the sole of your shoe. Your eyes ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

The Long Weight

Megan Simpson

By the time she could hear the front door click shut, she was already shrugging off her coat and tossing the discarded garment on one of the kitchen barstools. It was admittedly too hot out for a ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

The Wish

Kelson Roney

My lab was quiet. Fluorescent ceiling lights reflected sharply in the brilliant shine of a brass oil lamp resting among glass flasks and stir plates on a black countertop in front of me. Wearing dark ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Tuesdays at Jenny's

Sydney Suedmeier

For the past nine Tuesdays, Libby had spent the afternoon at Jenny's Gymnastics Club, which was held in an old warehouse by the local dump. Jenny's was always too bright and too cold, and big box fans ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 1 min

GENIE Terms of Service

Benny Blue

I: The GENIE application complies with IPP regulation 33.2, which states that it must execute all commands put to it, whether desired or undesired by the user.

II: GENIE comes pre-packaged in a ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 1 min

Uber

Gabrielle Shiozawa

Orange streetlights dip in and out of view through the tinted windows in a car I've never seen before. The vehicle vibrates with the fervor of a falcon, churning with effort along the long black ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Little Bird

Ryn Howell

Sometimes, I have trouble understanding people. It is not that I hate them, or even that I think I am better than they are. I just do not know why they do the things they do. I worked at bar once ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Velcro

Molly James

My wife and I share everything. It's one of the many joys of marriage.
We share a name. Not just one but all three. We were both Emma to begin with. Once we were married, I took her last name out ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Silver Echoes

Joseph Kargbo

The vermouth weighed heavy in his hand.

"Honey, help me with my dress."

A cascade of silver teeth interlocked. His fingers grazed over the nape of her neck. Lingering for a moment, he ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Humor Suspense & Mystery  5 min

Chifir

Jesse Richmond

A hand emerged from the darkness and placed a steaming mug—Greg's favorite mug—on the table.
"Drink."
"What is this?" Greg demanded, starting to rise from his chair. "You can't—"
He'd barely moved ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Letters to the Wind

Catalina Vasquez

Once again, I found myself seated under the shade of the imposing stone structure of the train station. Once again, I saw a couple hundreds of people, all moving here and there, all of them looking ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 1 min

Beneath the Redwood Trees

Rylee Donaldson

A mushroom stood short in a forest full of redwood trees that soared high above the forest floor. Two of the white spots on his red cap opened to reveal his dry eyes, ready to cry but no tears could ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

Night Lives

Thomas Demazieres

At first, I thought I misheard. I turned around to see to whom these words may be intended, but the person spoke a second time.
« Hello, my life. »
My eyes crossed hers, and it was ...  [+]