Shortys2024 Stories

The paradox of Life and Feminity - beautiful yet complicated! A collection of my written prose, verses and poetries about the two most beautiful and ,yet, the most complicated combinations - life and feminity, where, both have their own beauty as well as complexities. All the photos don't belong to me, they are taken from Google.

As the World Tree, what sorts of pranks can one pull? A valid answer is telepathic finals madness. I mean, really, what could be more satisfying to a sly tree than watching an engineering student fret over finals in their first year? Perhaps that's also why Tiamat thought to give the pens and notebooks a voice. Mental warfare? More like mathematical warfare! Hey, Alcestis, the calculator is threatening you with a sword now! Level up to defeat the quadratic function! Oh no, is that integration?! Stay back, toroid! I will defeat you with the power of wave equations! ....And this gun I found? Eh! Whatever!

A collection of poems and short stories reflecting upon loving and losing yourself and the people who matter most to you. The book focuses on the complexities of living in a human world filled with relationships that can make and break us. They are the stories forged by grief, loss, hope, love, anger, longing, wonder, and forgiveness. **Shortys 2024 Longlist: The Gray Zone**

❝ Love can create magic, and it never truly ends, even when the loved one is gone, It will remain in the memories and in the minds of those left behind, and will continue to inspire, comfort, and guide us. ❞ A young woman's boyfriend, Rain, has moved away for college, and she eagerly awaits his return. She has a vivid dream where they spend a day together, but it's revealed that Rain died in an accident and was given a chance to relive a day with her by "Mr. Time". The dream ends, and she wakes up to a message from Rain's friend informing her of his real-life passing. Despite her grief, she finds solace in the memories of their time together and the magic of their love.

In the vast expanse of South Africa's Karoo, where the earth meets an endless sky, Aria finds herself at the edge of her known world. Seeking refuge from the relentless noise of city life, she instead discovers a landscape alive with hidden rhythms and ancient whispers. Guided by Petrus, an enigmatic old man whose face is etched with the land's history, Aria witnesses the Karoo's secrets unfold under a canopy of stars. As night deepens, spectral dancers emerge, and visions of past lives flicker across the timeless plains. The earth pulses with a 'gumba-gumba' beat, a primal song that resonates in Aria's very bones. By dawn, Aria emerges transformed. The silence she sought reveals itself as a profound symphony of the land's enduring spirit. In the Karoo's red dust and under its vast sky, she finds not emptiness, but a connection to something far greater than herself. It's a tale of awakening, where the land itself becomes both teacher and sanctuary, reminding us that in the heart of silence, the cosmos sings its eternal song.

Story (1): Alaric, the brave knight of the silver veiled kingdom, came ready to battle a dragon but settled for a cup of cold tea instead. Now, why would he do that? Story (2): Alaric Fortis ventures into the dragon's lair. Once again, he came ready for battle, but valor is not all that make him. A keen eye on him leads him to lay his sword upon the ground.

I am a singer, and I sing for special people-those whose time have come to bid goodbye to the world of the living. I sing for them so they can leave in peace ... Would you like to hear my story of how I become a singer?

A fundraising bake sale is announced at school and lonely, recluse Mina takes on the role as team leader. She honours her late mothers passion for baking, and slowly makes friends, finds love, and breaks out of the shell that has encompassed her since her mothers passing. What starts as bonding with others through their stomachs, soon leads her to reach their hearts, and gain a new outlook on life. She realizes she's not the only one that shares her dream, or that's lost a mother too soon. Written as part of #Shortys2024 Word count: 4997 Started On: August 27, 2024 Completed On: September 1, 2024

Pharaoh Thutmose II is dead. His only male heir is a child of two and cannot yet rule. Iset, the young boy's mother, is terrified that both she, but more importantly he, will soon fall victim to the ambitious political scheming of one who wants the crown of the Two Lands for themselves. Longlisted for The Shortys 2024 With no power of her own, and a palace full of enemies, Iset has every right to be worried. * * * This short story, at only 6 chapters long, is a quick read stepped in authentic historical detail, and tells the story of a mother's love in the face of a danger that could tear her world - and the two kingdoms - apart.

The story of Malcolm and the crack in his wall

A collection of short poems about anxiety, vanity, and many kinds of pain...but also perseverance and the full side of the cup.

One Midsummer night. Two girls. Seven flowers. Once the night is over, everything has changed. *** This is an entry for the 2024 Shortys Awards. Credit to @furusato_ for the lovely cover!

A whisper of ancient wisdom, a flicker of hope in a sterile world. In the depths of the lab, a scientist and an octopus dance on the edge of understanding, challenging the boundaries of what it means to be intelligent

The proposal is to write many very short stories (of hope) in the form of poetry (with 5 to 10 lines each) about some people who live in a special place, a magical place called The House of Ten Thousand Orphans. COMPLETE

[Poetry Winner The Shortys 2024] Whispers of the Karoo is an acrostic poem that spells out its title vertically. It paints a vivid picture of South Africa's Karoo region, depicting its vast, arid landscape and the mysterious sounds that emanate from it. The poem weaves together themes of ancient history, hidden secrets, and the surprising vibrancy of a seemingly desolate place. It captures cultural references such as to the gumba-gumba sound and the idea of a landscape that is anything but silent.

In a land where ancient gods slumber, one man's choice will awaken powers beyond imagination. Young man finds himself in a world where myth and reality intertwine as war tears the world apart. Dark forces are rising, and the very essence of existence is at stake. He must navigate a treacherous path, balancing between the worlds of mortals and gods. When whispers of the forgotten become roars of the divine, can humanity survive the awakening?

Four good wizards are having a graduation party. But then they play this game called 'recipes' and they made an unknown potion which turned one of the good wizard into a bad wizard. Will the three good wizards change their friend back into a good wizard or will the good wizard stay bad forever?

Vellichor- the strange wistfulness of used bookstores [ a collection of poetical retellings ]

DS Beth Woodcock finds herself with an unusual murder on her hands. I hope Beth stands on her own here, but her back story is available. She first appeared in "Short Stories 2021: 'The Friends'". Subsequently, she's popped up in "Short Stories 2024" twice: 'Sweet and Sour' and 'On the Ground'". 'On the Ground' is directly related to this story. Written to a Shortys2024 prompt: "When I looked at the list, half the names were already crossed off".

A collection of poems for the Shortys Challenge 2024. Starting September 1st , I'll be posting a short poem a day and submitting it to the challenge. Join me in this personal quest, and let's find out if I can complete the goal of writing 30 poems in 30 days.