A person learns their college is closing down
78 words
"No," Daniel muttered under his breath, reading the announcement on the campus website again. He felt a sudden, fierce urge to pace. He got up from his desk and began to walk, his steps quick and rest...
A person learns their college is closing down
70 words
I wanted to scream. I felt it bubbling up inside me, a hot, bitter tide. I slammed my fist on the table, the impact jarring through my arm. The library, normally a sanctuary, felt like a cage. My care...
A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line
148 words
He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it a mess. The paper from Mr. Johnson, taped to the door, quivered slightly in the wind. *Could we chat about that old oak? It’s blocking my view, and I'd lik...
A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line
148 words
The phone felt heavy in her hand. Mr. Davies, her neighbor, on the other end, his voice a smooth, irritating monotone. *Just a quick trim of that old maple, you know. Lighten things up a bit.* The air...
A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line
115 words
The sun felt harsh on her skin, as though it was mocking her. Mr. Harrison’s proposition, delivered with a disarming grin, hung in the air: *That oak’s roots are encroaching, you know.* She felt t...
Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition
150 words
The sterile white walls of the laboratory seemed to close in on him. He felt suffocated, trapped. The results had been inconclusive, yet again. He wanted to scream, to smash something, to escape the r...
Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition
147 words
He paced the confines of his small apartment, the worn rug doing little to soften his frantic steps. The diagnosis, or rather, the lack thereof, had been a source of unrelenting anguish. The fatigue, ...
Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition
119 words
The hospital cafeteria buzzed with the chatter of patients and staff, but Leo felt utterly isolated, trapped in his own private hell. The burning sensation in his skin, the constant nausea, the feelin...
Someone receives flowers with no card attached
148 words
He had told her he’d call. The text, sent three hours ago, was still unanswered. Now, these flowers. A sudden, unexpected splash of color on her kitchen table. The vibrant hues seemed to mock the mu...
Someone receives flowers with no card attached
113 words
The flowers sat on the kitchen counter, a splash of color against the cold, gray morning. Emily stared at them, her jaw clenched. Roses, deep red, perfectly arranged. She hadn’t slept. Every shadow ...
Someone receives flowers with no card attached
104 words
The air in the hospital room was sterile, the silence punctuated by the beeping of machines. The flowers, a riot of colors, felt like a mockery of the situation. Inside, the world was dim.
Sarah didn...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
119 words
Liam stared at the dog-eared pages of the novel, his fingers trembling. He hadn't known Maya, his wife, possessed this kind of imagination, or this specific kind of venom. In the book, he was a haples...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
107 words
"So, you think I'm a monster?" Sarah asked, her voice dangerously low. She held the novel open, the pages trembling slightly in her grasp. Liam, her partner, flinched. The words on the page described ...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
116 words
The discovery had left Michael feeling adrift, untethered. He'd stumbled upon the novel while searching for his keys. His partner, David, had penned a brutal account of their relationship, disguised a...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
103 words
Clara felt a cold dread wash over her as she read the manuscript. Her husband, Ben, had written a book detailing their relationship, thinly veiled as a work of fiction. In the pages, she was a frantic...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
94 words
He found it hidden in the attic, nestled amongst boxes of old photographs. The novel, written by his wife, Emily, portrayed him as a weak and ineffectual man, a mere shadow of his true self. He felt a...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
96 words
The words on the page seemed to swirl before Evelyn's eyes, a mockery of her life with Daniel. In his book, she was a nagging, critical presence, constantly undermining his ambitions. A knot formed in...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
101 words
The air in the apartment felt heavy, charged with unspoken accusations. He had unearthed the manuscript tucked away in a drawer - his life, meticulously dissected, rewritten, and distorted by his girl...
Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them
97 words
The novel's portrayal of him was a deliberate distortion of reality, at least that’s what Sam thought. Found by accident, the writing of his partner, Alex, painted him as a detached, almost uncaring...