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A New Kind of Literary Pulse

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Logo Long Story Short Award - 2024
Short Fiction
 2 min

Spring Cleaning

carrie khoo

In my waking dreams, I am, once again, six. I am not Clementine, or Clem, but Clemmie. Princess of the Hollowed-Out Oak Tree, like the ones in the picture books. 
My castle has a red door and green ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

The Chalk Door

Shar Trice

Evan slogged down the apartment building's narrow hallway after another long day of monotony in the office. He reached the bottom basement floor and dropped his trash into the bin by the wall ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

before sunrise

Yong Xin Tan

10:58 pm. The lights shut off, plunging the sleeper train into a forced silence. A palpable weight settles into all of the passengers. Chattering voices peter out to a distant buzz. AirPod cases ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

The Treasure Room

Aster Cheng

Deep within the heart of the palace at the top of the world, deep within the endless mist, there was a treasure room.
It belonged to the man who ruled the world, and she was his daughter—a ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

"Memory"

Deborah Yap

In the theatre, emails and notifications flooded her work phone non-stop. Frantically replying each of them, she was determined to let nothing ruin her night. "Please, just tonight. Just tonight!" A ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

The Joy of Morning

Kyle Yoon

I'll be honest—my morning walks began in late May for someone. Someone special. That was my reason at first. Why it was is another story, but in that pursuit, I found something else, a new reason to ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Down on a Whim

Zoe T

It wasn't everyday a hole ripped itself through the fabric of heaven, and it wasn't everyday someone fell through it. 
Ochsa managed to achieve both in the span of one day. 
Unfortunately ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

The Mother

Alice Allen

A woman headed out into the woods to look for her missing daughter. The forest began to turn dark, with shadows swallowing the leaves and darkness hungry to devour all in its grasp. The girl had not ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
 5 min

The Flash

Aaron Fry

"Walk right up to that X and keep your feet planted the whole time. No pacing around," said a tall woman in a red blazer. She was clearly tuned into her earpiece but seemed an expert at having two ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

When the Stars Aligned

S R

Their hands graze against each other as they walk by the river. The lights overbearing, the sounds overstimulating, and their hands just aching to hold another. They give in with an arm loop, the ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
 5 min

Miracles Die Too

William Eitelgeorge

Cassius was smiling the last time I saw him. Every time I light a cigarette, I think of his smile; but once I start smoking, the thought fades away. I've been smoking a lot lately. It helps with ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Kinēsis

Oscar Fabricant

         We were both there that day at the playground.          We had been making our hot wheels float through the air. At that age we couldn't float anything heavier than a toy car, and even ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Happy Birthday

Vincent Lim

Today is my birthday, again.
I ought to be happier, but I cannot help but feel only melancholy in this moment... I suppose I was happy.
‘Do blow out your candles, dear. Your cake is ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Bare Branches, Bare Bones

Latriva Pierce

           The biting November wind swept the dead, crumpled leaves into the fire pit. It was quiet and ashy, specks of white soot falling away from the cracked logs. I stared at the blue tarp ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Out Of Earshot

Riley Newfield

I always prefer to stand just out of earshot. It helps keep me from listening to things I shouldn't hear. The irony is that I come from a family of eavesdroppers, the type who never bring a book to ...  [+]
Short Fiction