A palm tree was standing alone in the sand. A blow of wind moved it enough for a coconut to get loose. It snapped off the tree, rolled down on the tree's trunk and made a soft thump as it fell in the sand, quite deeply so. It didn't break at all but it got some sand on top of it.

A tremendous vortex appeared in the sky. Thunder cracked and gray clouds emerged. The change of weather was faster than seen before. The humanity was scared. It wasn't your everyday hurricane. It somehow seemed to be a gateway somewhere? Or for something to pass here...

Soft swaying. A warm breeze. Rustling leaves. When the eyes open the surprise is big - the scenery is upside down and the ground is above! Senses are pointing out of upside-down state. The leg is fastened to a branch. The ground is above, the sky is under. How did this happen?!

I pressed play on the tape recorder then waited. A white noise filled the air for a few seconds, then shifted into a dull buzz as a woman’s staticky voice came into focus. “Melody Pendras,” she said “May 17th, 15:45.” I strained my ears for signs of the song in the background.

Lifeline too be different or same, I asked Henry. Artist at heart he separated equally 4x4 then crossed out the different non-matching letters and below those letters their position in the English alphabet and handed it back replying with one word Solve.

When I looked in the mirror I knew the wig wouldn’t fool anyone. I looked at the plethora of makeup products strewn on the counter, the fashion magazines open as guides and sighed. After all the money and time I’d spent it was time to realize I was never going to be able to be

hi, my name is e-Emma. She said. she was really nervous

Most people don't know this, but the world's greatest cookie is housed in a special gallery in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. This is the story of how it got there.

Or so I think my father thought. I wouldn't know exactly because that was the last time we all saw him. He knew he was risking his life out there, but when he promised me that he'd be back, he looked like he really meant it. Or maybe it's because I believed him that I broke down.

Clouds of dust plumed up as sheets of residue fell off the windowsills. Long abandoned, the house shuddered under the force of the bombs as they made impact nearby. It was a pity they weren't closer. They could have drowned out the wails of the sirens and the screams of the dead.

Suddenly the room went dark. Sam, Miguel & Michael were all alone now. The visitors were gone. An eerie quiet settled in the bedchamber. Then whispers began “Do you guys hear that”? Asked Michael. The two nodded in unison. They listened together as the whispers turned to chants..

We are building a bridge...a new path to a new town. This area was recently bought by a big company and they want to develop a new concept in housing. Modern, futuristic and environmentally friendly...with state of the arc technology...

Never leave a container of mint balls next to a witch's cauldron. But the trick to this is, what exactly is a witch? When I first came across this warning, I avoided every kitchen of every woman senior citizen that I came across. I even avoided my grandma. But a witch is nothing

The men are afraid to ask you but “Do you not crave blood sir” ? Listen well lieutenant, I take no pleasure in feeding. All things must end but I take no pleasure in being humanities executioner. Now be done and let’s move on to the capital. We have a castle to take by sun up.

Maybe it was the length of time I’ve spent in the silence of space, but music has meant a lot to me these last 5 years. I’d gotten used to only hearing my own breath and cursing inside my helmet, no matter how much damage my blaster did. Music helped. Time for some Hendrix.

Once, I had read how the mushrooms we see in the forest are not individual organisms, but part of a much larger whole that exists underground. But as best as I can tell, moving mushrooms don’t exist.

Her hands trembled as she took the reigns, knowing what it meant to leave. She tapped Lancelot with her heel and he left the open door of the stable. She covered her bald head with the child’s blanket and…

“I’ll have you know ‘goblins,’ as you unenlightened savages call us, have been allowed to be employed and mingle in daylight hours in this country since the Greater Opportunity Bylaws of ‘78, and I intend to sit right here until I get an application,” I said, quite perturbed.

Sunlight poured in through the grimy hotel window, rousing me from my slumber. I yawned and consulted the bedside alarm clock, which claimed it was already after 2PM. Had I slept that long? And actually, how did I get here? I scanned the room for any indications of what might

Alice's life changes on a Tuesday morning. The coffee shop she works at, close to campus, is crowded with professors and students getting their caffeine fix before class. So when the bell above the door chimes yet again, she barely looks up. When she does, she sees the beautiful

The children heard the sudden gritty rubbery traction sound of approaching tyres and leapt off the narrow woodland path with only a second to spare as a sleek bike thundered past at full tilt, riderless yet with a crash helmet sat on it's seat, the pedals blurred like propellers

I took my sharpie and I wrote all over his car. I couldn’t believe that

My partner and I pulled up outside the scene of the crime, annoyed to find the news crew had already beaten us there. It was the third time this week at the same location which was, rather conveniently, just across the street from the news station. “This can’t be coincidence,” I

I took two weeks off of work and told everyone I was going to Mexico with my parents. The truth was that I was going to sit in my apartment, stream baking shows, and cry. The helpline I texted said I sound safe since I don’t have a plan.

Mitch and Mindy leapt up, terrified what lay beneath. They twirled around, examined the human remains occupying their chairs and, in unison, let out a shriek. Within moments the cloaked figure had dropped its clipboard and moved toward the pair with the determination of eternity.

Where am I going to find a box of grits at this hour? It’s an unconventional ingredient, as far as magical components go, but Southern Magic did things differently. For one thing, the incantations are spoken much slower, and for another…

It was a really hot day to be in the onion fields. The heat made the aroma of the onions strong and pungent. The citizens residing near the onion fields were used to the smell. For me, the smell of the onions burnt my nose hairs.

The boy suddenly woke up on the shores of a beach. Bitter cold and the familiar stench of coastal decay overtook him. The deafening cawing of seagulls and distant sirens clouded his mind. "I have to get back..", he grunted while trying to get to his feet..

Finally after 3 years of searching, I had found my little sister. There was only one problem, directly on top of the cage that she was locked in slept an emerald green elder dragon.