Fictional Worlds

Part 1 The soldiers made no secret of their arrival; far from it. The lead pair of riders galloped into the outer courtyard below, scattering the peacocks, who set up a furious and discordant song …

Author: Dave Ludford Had he been walking at a faster pace or with any real sense of purpose Ryan Jennings would have missed it completely. Scuffing the forest floor aimlessly however with first one foot then the other, his meanderings revealed something that he at first thought was some kind of weird seed or pod […]

"Madwomen" from EVERY DROP IS A MAN'S NIGHTMARE by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, recommended by Molly Antopol

"Nia," a short story by Zdravka Evtimova

Author: Majoki “Thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-six…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-seven…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-eight…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-nine…” Clarisse counted. And counted. Her mother watched from across the room. Her nine-year-old daughter was spending another entire twenty-four hour day counting, and Rochelle felt helpless. It was the end of July and usually Clarisse would […]

When the news said three more young men had been found dead in their homes, Grace knew her mother had come to town.

In the land that is now Malaysia, there once was a tribe of monkeys called the Mawahs, whose king was appointed by King Solomon to be the Raja of the jungle. Raja Mawah built himself a throne on the south bank of the Perak River and ruled the jungle fairly.

Lewis was poking at his tablet, trying yet again to open the training module from Station Commerce, when the sensor above his shop door chimed. “Not now!” he snapped without looking up. “But… but I….”…

Author: Rachel Sievers They stood under the overhang as the rain poured down around them. The dark sky filled with angry black low-hanging clouds had an ominous feel to it. “Do you think it will quit soon?” The girl asked, her damp white hair falling over her eyes. “Do I look like god to you?” […]

Author: Patrick Hueller Published 3:34 PM, Wednesday, July 31, 2030 Associated Press NEW AI A THREAT TO HUMANITY? Today was supposed to be a big day for technology fans. Instead, software engineer Miranda Cartwright issued a dire warning for humankind. At a press conference, ostensibly to launch TECHtonic Shift’s latest AI software, Ms. Cartwright gave […]

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer “John?” “Yes?” “Got another one. Big cable channel. Going out past Bindenhouse into the wilds.” “Okay, pop my contacts open and scroll to ‘D’.” “Got it.” “You’re looking for ‘Department Q’.” “Found it.” “Open it. Click on ‘action request’ and fill what details you’ve got, then forward it to my […]