flash fiction

KHERO KHATA / Under the olive tree

Then you will vanish—becoming Amma, Chachi, Mami. No one will remember your name.

KHERO KHATA / Polychrome

I made my first kite out of white paper scraps; on my 16th birthday, it came to me that they needed a pop of color.

KHERO KHATA / Wash your fruits

I rush to the mirror. My gums are pristine, no wound, no sin. But when I look back at the fruit, the truth reveals itself: the flesh is blackened, writhing with tiny, hungry mouths. The rot has teeth

KHERO KHATA / Egg drop soup

The cream colored bowl held the steaming, almost translucent yellow broth with traces of white, garnished by an array of green onions slashed in an angle.

KHERO KHATA / Fixed

The rain began at dusk, its cold fingers tracing the cracked panes of the house like an unwelcome visitor. By midnight, the storm had grown wild, wind howling through the trees, rattling the fragile bones of the dwelling. I stood before the door, my hand trembling on the tarnished brass handle.

KHERO KHATA / The veil of shadow

He had consistently disregarded the villagers' accounts of bhoot-prets as local folklore. To him, they were just stories to scare the gullible

KHERO KHATA / Mother saves her corpses before lunch

Mother woke before sunrise with the weight of the house pulling at her bones and moved against the cold floor, the chill biting at her ankles. In the corner hung the gutted rabbit, its blood pooling on the floor. Her fingers trembled, as she bathed herself in it, coating her skin red.

KHERO KHATA / The floodlights

Chaos. More chaos.

KHERO KHATA / Dual faces of an unseen predator

In a world spun from the threads of chaos, we are born into a tapestry of shadows. We are shimmering maidens in the night, nurturing within us a fire both subtle and strong. Yet, the air around us is heavy with whispers–danger and desire intertwined.

March 13, 2024
March 13, 2024

‘Ignite’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 1

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 1 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Ignite.

February 17, 2024
February 17, 2024

A Born Reader

Surveying the decorated wall now vibrantly alive with Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter characters, Sarah allowed herself a satisfied grin.

December 30, 2023
December 30, 2023

Payback time

I’m not sure when I first realised that we’d met before. In the beginning, you were just the elderly man I often noticed pottering around our communal rooftop.

December 30, 2023
December 30, 2023

Her last words

The slamming of the front door sounded an ominous note, warning of trouble to come.

December 2, 2023
December 2, 2023

Séance In The 70's

Talespeople presents The Screaming Shorts, partnered with Daily Star Books and Star Literature

November 21, 2023
November 21, 2023

Rapture

“Rapture’s coming, son. We best be happy when we embrace the Lord,” was all I heard him say as he pushed a needle into my arm.

November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023

Game

My mother took me on her horse and started to ride south. I clutched my bleeding arm, the pain snapping me fully awake.

November 19, 2023
November 19, 2023

The cabin

If you're Red-marked, you may be forever scarred.

November 8, 2023
November 8, 2023

An evening of spooks and screams

Each submission, whether poem or prose, was limited to 250 words, and the first team to complete all the prompts would be crowned the winning house.

October 27, 2023
October 27, 2023

Lift

I think it was closer tonight. I really did not want it inside the lift.