Literaryfiction Stories

About My Short Stories This is an ongoing collection of short stories-each one inspired by the people who've left a mark on my life. Family, friends, coworkers, and even passing acquaintances all have their own stories, and here you'll find them captured in snapshots. Some are funny, some bittersweet, some unforgettable-but all of them are real moments seen through my eyes. A celebration of the characters we meet along the way, and the ways they shape who we become.

He was born silent. He was never meant to speak. But when a promised "high-paying IT job" turns into a nightmare of scams, slavery, and horrors worse than death, Zhou Musheng becomes the only witness who cannot scream. With proof hidden in places no one looks, he faces 500 meters of river between him and freedom-and a system that harvests more than just labor. A literary thriller of survival, migration, and the unbearable weight of truth. Some stories must be carried in silence... until they break free. [TRIGGER WARNINGS: human trafficking, forced labor, organ trade, violence, psychological trauma. 18+ only. Reader discretion advised.]

Some stories are not meant to be told loudly. They are meant to be whispered-kept by those who know that certain truths lose their magic when exposed to the wrong light. Diary of a tree with a wide canopy and shallow roots is one of those stories. It begins with a secret, continues with a mystery, and unfolds like a quiet confession between the narrator and the reader. At its heart lies an extraordinary tree, born from an unseen force carried within a human soul, and a woman who arrives one day with the shape of a mother and the courage to name what fate left unnamed. Through lyrical prose and intimate reflection, this novel explores the fragile space between reality and dream, between what is lost and what continues to grow in silence. It speaks of roots we inherit and roots we choose to plant ourselves. Of grief that never learned how to cry, of lives shaped by absence, and of the stubborn hope that survives even in shallow ground. This is not a story of heroes. It is a story of ordinary beings carrying invisible weight: unanswered questions, inherited silences, and the quiet desire to become someone new. Tender, symbolic, and deeply human, Diary of a tree with a wide canopy and shallow roots invites readers into a world where healing is not about returning to the past, but about daring to move forward. Even when certainty is nowhere to be found. Enter gently. Some secrets are waiting to be trusted with you.

"In 'When reality bites,' [Penelope Martin] embarks on a journey of self-discovery and heartbreak as she navigates the complexities of real-life love. Having grown up on fairytales and romantic comedies, she's convinced that her own life will unfold like a dream. But when reality fails to meet her expectations, she must confront the harsh truths of love, relationships, and herself. This poignant and relatable tale explores the gap between idealized love and the messy, beautiful reality of human connection."

Introduction Some lives are not marked by turning points. They move instead through routine, through hours measured by duty, by expectation, by what must be done next. In a hospital where time is precise and silence is earned, work continues without spectacle. People arrive. Decisions are made. Absences are noticed only after they matter. Conversations begin midway and end without closure. This story unfolds between shifts, between pauses, between moments that are never announced as important. It does not ask what will happen. Only what is already happening, quietly.

A teenage head-shop clerk in early-1980s Las Vegas drifts through long-haired haze, neon-lit boredom, coke lines in the back office, and the quiet rot of family secrets. Raw slice of pre-internet military limbo and small-town escape.

In a small town on the Adriatic, the past returns easily - all it takes is recognizing yourself in someone else's story. 1920s. After the Revolution and the Civil War, Maria, a Russian émigrée, settles on the Yugoslav coast. What remains of her life are diaries, letters, photographs - fragments shaped by a turbulent era, and a secret she herself never fully understood. 2020s. A century later, Rita arrives in the same town with her mother, after fleeing a Russia that is rapidly unraveling. A job assisting an American journalist seems ordinary enough, until Maria's archive ends up in her hands. What begins as routine work with documents gradually turns into something far more personal and dangerous: other people's lives, hidden motives, an old tragedy, money, power - and the growing sense that the past never disappeared. It was simply waiting for someone to open the box and begin reading. Through letters and diaries, Rita begins to see not only another woman's story, but her own reflection - and it becomes harder to pretend that this has nothing to do with her. The Dial is a novel about memory and exile, about choices made without clear answers, and about what happens when the past can no longer be kept at a safe distance. Set against the Adriatic coast - sun-bleached streets, stone houses, heavy summer air, and the endless hum of cicadas. Published here chapter by chapter.

Elias Thorne does not cry. He wakes up at 6:14 AM. He measures his coffee grounds with the back of a knife. He walks the same route to his archival job, counting the cracks in the pavement to keep the world from falling apart. At 38, Elias has turned his life into a museum of habits. His apartment is perfectly quiet, a sanctuary maintained for a ghost: the fading water ring on the dining table, the empty side of the bed, the coat in the closet that smells like cedar and memory. He believes that if he controls the small things-the temperature of the water, the lock on the door-he can survive the absence of the one person who made the silence bearable. But structure is fragile. When a lightbulb burns out and the seasons begin to change, Elias is forced to confront the dust settling in the corners of his life. This is not a story about moving on. It is a story about the friction of survival, the weight of a teaspoon, and the quiet geometry of a life lived in the aftermath.

Elliot Morris is a recent graduate of the prestigious Briarton College who, despite his best efforts, struggles to find work. Forced to put his post-graduate aspirations on hold, he takes a less than ideal job sorting through donations at Thriftopia, a profit-driven thrift store. There, Elliot forms an unlikely friendship with a coworker. Together the duo navigate the uncertainty, disappointment and fleeting opportunities of life in their early twenties.

His heart is completed through three lifetimes. He was once a Camel, carrying weight that wasn't his. Then a Lion, powerful yet painfully imperfect. And finally... a Child, learning the courage to soften again. Each life left its own scars- buried anger, unexpected betrayals, quiet forgiveness, and fragile hope. But every path led him toward a single lesson: "We heal when a heart meets another heart." Now, as a dentist in the human world, he meets fear-stricken patients, broken smiles, trembling hands, and eyes that hide stories deeper than pain. And for the first time, he understands what his three lives were teaching him: Compassion is a form of power. Kindness is a kind of wisdom. And healing... is a shared act. This novel reads like a fairy tale in warmth, a poem in clarity, and a philosophy in depth. Once you begin, you'll feel it- this isn't just a story. It's a quiet act of healing.

**Full release date pending.** A CRIMINAL'S LIFE IS NEVER EASY. . . . Assault is a vile crime. Everyone knows that. Even so, Ann Torres committed it - and was imprisoned for it, too, despite there being so much more to her story. Now she's out, living with her aunt. But when loving Aunt Nell is struck by a terminal illness, she's forced back into her parents' place, and her mother wants an apology from her to the assault victim. Not only to make amends, but also to fix the unspoken problems within their family. However, there's a twist: Ann won't be told where the victim is, or how to apologize. She'll need to figure all that out for herself, and if she doesn't . . . Valorya Taylor is not your average schoolgirl. Ever since her biological mother died, she's had troubles carved deep inside her brain. Yet the worst part is she doesn't understand them, and no one else does either. (After all, how could her already struggling family pay attention to her, whose health seems to be fine?) Then, when she and Ann happen to meet at school, the two end up helping each other - unknowingly constructing a bond that neither of them recognizes. But as they each fight their respective battles, how far can they go to heal from their crimes and the toxicity that lies within? Cover by Natt Kuznetsov (@NattKuznetsov).

you think you know it all .......you don't even know who you are I wonder how many of you would would make it out .All nine of you entered for a reason but I won't get your hopes up for leaving this place as a one peace A psychological sci-fi thriller for fans of Westworld, The Leftovers, and Annihilation.

"They say the war is over. So why is the world still so loud?" For Matthew, 29 July 1944 isn't just a birthday, it's a mark of shame. In a post-war Norway that wants to erase every trace of Germany, Mattie is a reminder they can't burn. He only has two things left: a wooden boat in his dreams and Gutt, the teddy bear who knows all his secrets. This is a story of a boy trying to find a harbor in a world that has no room for a 'War Child.' Matthew is a Lebensborn child a product of a history the world wants to forget. Now, as the dust of World War II settles, he must navigate a life of silence, prejudice and shadows. While others see a 'Little Nazi,' Mattie only sees a horizon. He is waiting for the adoption ship, hoping that across the sea, someone will finally look at him and see a son, not a sin. Was supposed to be the "Perfect Child". But when the flags of the Third Reich fell, he was left behind in the cold Norwegian soil a living ghost of a fatherland that no longer exists. With a tattered teddy bear named Gutt as his only witness, Mattie spends his days staring at the horizon, waiting for a ship that will carry him to a home where he isn't called a 'monster.' But in the aftermath of 1945, some wounds don't bleed they just whisper. First title: Mattie God's gift of Lebensborn Second title: Tyskerbarn In the land of snow ___________________________________________ Update: Every Thursday and Sunday Draft: 26 July 2025

He didn't go missing. He stepped away. When Rohan disappears from an elite boarding school in the hills, the institution closes ranks. No questions. No blame. No story. But Siya can't accept the silence-especially when fragments of Rohan's thoughts begin surfacing in the wrong places. As pressure tightens and memories blur into longing, Siya is forced to confront a terrifying truth: some disappearances are deliberate-and loving someone doesn't mean being protected from their choices. The Quiet Vanishing is a slow-burn literary mystery about power, absence, and a love that leaves questions instead of answers.

At fifty, life feels fleeting. Years of laughter, loss, and longing have left their mark. Through reflections on joy, heartbreak, and the road not taken, Ariadne journeys back to the moments that defined her, and the one love her heart never let go of.

In the silence of the Haworth parsonage, Emily cannot write. Her inkwell is dry. Her gentleman will not come alive. So she dreams. And on the moors, a figure emerges. Heathcliff. But creation has costs. When Emily imagines a woman fierce enough to match him, she loses them both to each other. Night after night, she tries to unmake what she made. Night after night, Catherine will not dissolve. What remains when your characters outgrow you? This is my entry for The Wattpad "WutheringHeights" Movie Reimagined Contest. It is under 3000 words, rated for readers of all ages.

|3X FEATURED · SHORTYS 2025 SHORTLIST · AULD LANG SYNE HONORABLE MENTION · WATTPAD CREATORS PROGRAM| #SupportPacificIslanderVoices Erin, a conflicted Elemental Spirit, embarks on a life-changing journey across the ocean as the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. *** Erin hasn't been an Elemental Spirit for long, but she has watched the Earth change right before her, becoming more unrecognizable each day because of humans. As her first journey across the Atlantic Ocean approaches, she has one goal and one goal only: to eliminate the humans. Take them out one by one, starting with the Caribbean. As Erin moves her thunderstorms away from Cape Verde and begins organizing into a massive hurricane, she starts seeing the world from different perspectives: between ships, islands, animals, and even the Hurricane Hunters investigating her. When she nears peak intensity in the Caribbean, Erin faces the toughest question of all: "Is this right, or am I just another monster?" That's something the young hurricane must figure out on her own. *** *A short story inspired by Henry Loomis's quote in Jurassic World Rebirth: "When the Earth gets tired of us, believe me, it will shake us off like a summer cold."* *FYI: This is a story, not a science lesson, so don't expect everything to be completely accurate.* *Moral: There is just as much good in the world as there is evil.* *Word Count: 5,000 exactly (500 words per chapter).*

In a world where power decides whose talent survives, a young woman returns to reclaim what was stolen from her blood. Born to a seamstress erased by cruelty, Kallika grows up carrying unfinished dreams, silent wounds, and an inheritance the world tried to bury. Years later, she enters an empire built on lies - not with anger, not with violence, but with memory, patience, and extraordinary art. This is not just a story of revenge. It is a journey of destiny, justice, and transformation. Of a woman who turns pain into power, and silence into truth. When the past returns wearing silk, empires begin to tremble. ✨ A character-driven story of inheritance, art, and quiet justice.🌺🌺🌺🌺🌻🌻

She came for the season. The city expected her to leave. Lina grew up between places, cultures, languages - always temporary, always passing through. Working a seasonal job in a port town shaped by tourism and war, Lina observes lives passing through - until she realizes her gift is no longer harmless. She knows who will leave. She knows who won't return. With one year to decide her future, Lina faces a choice between safety and truth, silence and staying - in a place that deserves more than temporary people.

She arrived at the station planning to leave everything behind. A broken heart. A familiar town that suddenly felt unbearable. The last train was meant to take her far away to silence, to anonymity, to escape. But delays have a way of changing plans. While waiting on an almost empty platform, she meets a stranger, someone with no history, no expectations, and no reason to stay. In the quiet hours before the final departure, a conversation unfolds that gently challenges her need to run. The Last Train is a quiet, emotional short story about heartbreak, healing, and the unexpected moments that remind us who we are. Sometimes the last train doesn't take you away. Sometimes, it asks you to stay.