ONC 2026 In a world woven with secrets, silence can be deafening. Eighteen-year-old Luca Kant has never known the sound of her own voice; born deaf and raised under the suffocating grip of her controlling father, she is haunted by the shadow of her mother's mysterious disappearance. Did she flee from the clutches of a man who could be a monster, or did something more sinister happen? Nineteen-year-old Boy Harrison lives at the wrecking yard. He can speak, but hasn't spoken since he was four. He is haunted by nightmares that echo a woman's voice warning him that to remain safe, he must remain silent. Fate draws Luca and Boy together. Long-buried memories and cryptic connections between their lives begin to unravel. As they delve deeper into their entwined pasts, eerie parallels unfold-did Luca's father play a role in the dark mystery surrounding her mother's fate? Does he hold the key to both their truths? How is Boy connected, and who is the woman he dreams of? In a gripping tale of identity, resilience, and the haunting weight of silence, Luca and Boy must confront their monsters and uncover the chilling revelations that bind them on a riveting journey where silence speaks volumes and whispers could change the course of their lives. PROMPT 80 - Monsters don't live under our beds. They live in the recesses of our minds. (Variation of Edgar Allen Poe's famous quote.) My interpretation - Monsters didn't live under your bed. They sat at your table.

When a killer feral hog invades Verity State Park, Officer Rylee Harding quarantines the entire area until the threat can be eliminated. She soon discovers doing the right thing isn't easy, because summer has just begun, and the livelihood of Verity's residents depends on the seasonal flood of tourist dollars. Facing opposition from town officials, her neighbors, and even members of her own family, Rylee stands firm in her decision and risks her life and the life of her unborn child to face down the remorseless monster. This story is written for ONC2026 using prompt number 78: You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. Updates every Thursday. Jowls, Copyright ©2026 by Dennis Royer, @dennisroyer All Rights Reserved. Cover art by Deviant Art / ArtVixen0520. Used by permission.

ONC 2026 entry, prompt 5. Every day at the exact same time your cat slips out of your home. One afternoon, curiosity gets the better of you, and you follow, only to discover it's living a secret life you never imagined. My take, cats save the world as a backdrop to a romcom.

Nova Jone's life changed dramatically upon discovery that she was the long-lost daughter of notorious pirate, Dahjlonica, and the former delinquent orphan became a pirate princess. She and her father made a profitable living raiding shipments between worlds, especially from the Hahn family, the most ruthless of warlords that rose after the Sol Commonwealth abandoned the Orion Outlands and consolidated within the inner worlds. Nova had a high price on her head. And as if that wasn't enough, the Commonwealth were coming back to reclaim the Outlands, and they had little regard for piracy. Elite Ranger Jake Barton led the way, with orders to eliminate Nova Jones. But as he tracked Nova, doubts grew in his mind. Who was the true villain?

ONC 2025 JASMINE BAKER has given up on men and has decided to find herself. She catches the 6.20 from Flinders Street, each evening. Intrigued by one of her fellow passengers, she watches and listens to phone calls she can't understand. Jasmine witnesses Train Guy exchange packages with another passenger. Her imagination takes over. He has to be a drug dealer. When she sees him beating a man on the station platform Jasmine realises, she could be in danger. An unknowing witness to what must be criminal activity. Prompts - 57 - Two lovers - one is the villain, but no one knows it except the other. Can their love survive the truth? 126 - Because you're you, and I'm me and we just don't fit - Idea of you. Book by Robinne Lee.

She was once a character in a deleted story, now lost and memoryless in the Library Limbo. If she wants to get her memories back, she's going to have to work on her backstory - by helping to fix some stories that have gone wrong. Now, she's forced to team up with an overly-peppy cheerleader and a guy who insists he used to be a detective. As they delve into romance, mystery, and fairy tale stories, she realizes that things might not be as simple as they seemed. All she can do is hope the next plot twist isn't her own.

slow dancing love and pain in the midnight chorus of liquor-washed autumn green ... || a constellation of destructive poetry ||

Shadows are pretty sweet as shade from the afternoon sun yet it is shadows that we fear while out on an evening run. We run away only to realise, they are part of us. Wherever we go, our shadow follows. Except when it's the night and we realise our cold lonely souls cannot find peace without seeing them for we all fear the unknown. [A sad/dark poetry collection] Trigger warning ⚠ mentions self harm, death and substance abuse.

A Christmas Tale

I read somewhere that when you stop believing in Santa Claus, you get underwear for Christmas. Well, I'm not going to give you just any underwear. I'm giving you my Christmas shorts. A collection of short Christmas stories. Some romances, some humor, and a lot of Christmas sentimentality.