A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Home
Logo Long Story Short Award - 2025
Short Fiction
 5 min

The Baby

Lacey Smith

Zeke Estrella sat in his patrol car with his brother and partner, Micah, watching the traffic go by as they both ate their dinners. 
They sat in silence since Zeke was not one for words and Micah ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

FROM THE DEAD

Granny Molope

Family is the most precious gift, but what happens when your family is taken away from you and brought back when you least expect it?
Carolina has two children, Kyler and Hankie. Kyler is a ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Still All In

Emmanuel Ikeh

Summer in New York City felt like a heartbeat — fast, loud, and alive.
The sidewalks shimmered in late July heat, and the air smelled like sugar, salt, and the faint buzz of dreams that neve ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 1 min

All In

Dennis Lim

ALL IN The page was empty again. The cursor blinked as if it was breathing, steady and patient. The assignment was simple: write a short story on the theme All In. He had written about love ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
 1 min

Emakhoneni (The Street Corners)

Chuma Mateza

Momma always told me akangi funi emakhoneni Sonke kodwa siyazi ukuthi angeke uyi thole use 'khoneni  But really I wasn't looking to get paid ekhoneni Thought of it like recess more of an escape ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

A Study in Eclosion

Yi Bei Yeap


The woman does her shopping on Tuesday evenings. It is the only day she does not go to the park to play chess, or study at the local college. Soon it will not matter, her mother had told he ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Was I Really

josh schneider

So many 'was I really' questions flooded my brain. It felt like I was drowning in a sea of fear and doubt as I just stood there, soaking it all in.
Was I really walking up to Iron Trident ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

The Bear and The Bees

Ingrid Belcher

The man who accidentally amputated the newly-wed's other leg had not stolen her husband's bees – they had simply taken up residence in one of his sculptures. Charles, the chainsaw artist, didn't want ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Basket in the Woods

Dionne Pinto-Guerra

"I offer myself as this year's sacrifice!" I yell out frantically, my voice cracking on the last syllable. I pant as I try to catch my breath, the boiling air burning my throat with each breath. The ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

Saving Lotus

Boring Boreas

"Boreas!" My consciousness gradually gathered, as the can of iced cola touched my skin, sending a chill. The smiling face before me gradually became clear in the soft light. "See that girl outside ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

Moya Oliviya (My Olivia)

Chisom Okoye

The rain sprinkled on the car, creating streams down the window. Andrej started the engine to warm up the car, not intending to drive out of the parking lot just yet. The passenger door opened, and ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

The Lightning Bolt Bandits

Layla Kees

The lightning drake, Salt, sprinted as fast as possible next to the speeding train. Her rider, Pepper, clinging to her reins and driving them faster and faster. The border was in sight, they didn't ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

Hold on

S.H. Chai

It was the 98th time – or perhaps the 99th. Sienna had long lost count. What was once indelible quickly turned faint and blurry after she relived her life so many times. Her life had turned upside ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Plagal Cadence

Tam Leong

The city is silent around you, the place that you grew up in reduced to a graveyard of silence. You never thought you would come back here, willingly. Up until a year ago, you hardly thought you ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Kingfisher

August Hale

On the occasion in question, Halcyon arrived for work at the exact right time and performed ver duties in the exact right way. Everything to specification. No small detail overlooked. Today, of all ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

A Change of Heart

Mariah Schlachterman

Every year, we host the annual human hunt, and every year like clockwork, we win. I originally was not going to make attendance, as I had an assignment to closely monitor a younger model. I am Model ...  [+]