Beautifully written SFF

In the Belly of the Angel – Henry Szabranski

Fantasy / Story   2 Comments

It was Full Night, the climax of the two-week Festival of Threll, and the narrow streets of Thranrak heaved with the devout, the curious, and the avaricious. Freya Adinyan plunged past the torch-lit processions and the bustling market stalls, her heart pounding in time to the drums. Tonight she was determined to leave Thranrak and the world of man behind. She forced her way through the mass of festival-goers crowding Ascension Square, towards the tower …

The Machinery – Julia Warner

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“I want you to know your options,” Dr. Foss said, handing the card across the table. The paper was crisp; the edges bit into Adelaide’s fingers. “Thank you.” Her voice seemed to come from the walls around her rather than her throat. Adelaide dropped the card into her purse and returned to the PET scan results. Her skeleton glowed before her in 3D, a ghostly smudge of purple, grey, and the traffic cone orange of …

… and now He erases – Rhoads Brazos

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He calls me the Motorcycle Man. One word? Possibly. I’ve never seen it in print. Certainly never needed to scratch it on paper. The Boy knew my proper name up until last week, when he forgot. I forgive him. Besides, I like Motorcycle Man just fine. It says all it needs to. I’m forever wearing a white jumpsuit crossed with Dixie stars. My helmet appears on my head whenever I ride, but it’s gone when …

Cat Play – Mari Ness

Fantasy / Story   2 Comments

When the girl moves almost next door – across the way in our apartment complex – I lose my breath. Literally. She’s – well, gorgeous doesn’t begin to cover it. Long, incredibly rich black hair that you know just from looking at will feel like silk, and extraordinary eyes that I’ve never seen before – large, green, tilted, kinda cat shaped, really. The eyes are the first thing you see in the face, which is …

The Demon in the Page – Joshua Phillip Johnson

Fantasy / Story   8 Comments

“Ochre!” Mahj’s tired shout was the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot, and the densely packed tomes of the library devoured the sound. “Ochre!” She tried again, her voice straining, tempting another coughing fit. Running from place to place was a student’s game. “Coming!” came the faint reply, wafting through the archives like a shallow breath. While Ochre’s footsteps grew from light pats to insistent thumps, Mahj looked again at the open journal in front of …

Metaphorosis – B. Morris Allen

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Like the sound of soft fingers on skin, green palm fronds whispered amongst themselves. Their soft breath caressed his cheek as he listened for the slight scratching of frond cilia against stiff palm trunks. “Sam.” The breeze was stronger, the fronds closer. He could almost feel them tickling his face. “Sam. You’ll be late for work.” He stirred, allowed the cold waves to sift sand from underneath him. Gently, that was the way, no quick… …