Flash Stories

The Gharial's Tears

hamed Jan. 19, 2025, 6:25 p.m.

The river, ancient and winding, carried its story through the heart of India, flowing steadily beneath the sky where the stars whispered secrets to the moon. In its depths, hidden by the silver ripples of the Ganges, lived two souls whose love had endured beyond the barriers of time.

In their past lives, they had been human—he, a fisherman who had loved her with a quiet passion, and she, a village girl whose laughter had filled the air like the sweetest song. Their love had been forbidden, pulled apart by the cruel hand of fate. She had drowned, swept away by a storm while trying to escape the world that would never accept their union. He had died shortly after, heartbroken and lost.

But love, as it often does, refused to die.

When the river’s flow met their spirits, they were reborn—twisted into the forms of creatures that would forever …

One Thousand Demons

hamed Jan. 19, 2025, 5:38 p.m.

In the dusty glow of the weaving room, Mina ran her fingers over the half-finished carpet. The air smelled of wool and dye, a familiar comfort in her family’s workshop. The intricate pattern shimmered under the light—a labyrinth of vines and symbols that had been passed down for generations.

Her grandfather’s voice echoed in her mind: “Each thread, each knot, has a purpose. The pattern isn’t just for beauty—it’s a story, a shield.” As a child, she’d thought it was just superstition, the way her family whispered prayers as they worked. Now, at 19, it felt like a relic of a past too distant to matter.

But that changed the night she found the letter.

Hidden inside an old wooden loom was a brittle parchment covered in delicate Persian script. Mina held it carefully, reading by the dim light of an oil lamp. The words spoke of King Solomon’s divs—demons …

Smoke and Song

hamed Jan. 24, 2025, 6:48 p.m.

Olivia Rodrigo sat in the green room of the Wiltern, her acoustic guitar resting across her lap. The muffled sounds of the crowd filtered through the walls, a low hum of anticipation that matched the nervous flutter in her chest.

The FireAid Benefit Concert had been organized in record time, a response to the devastating wildfires that had ripped through the hills of Los Angeles. Entire neighborhoods reduced to ash, families displaced, lives upended. She’d seen the images—haunting skies of orange and gray, the air thick with despair.

She strummed a chord absently, her mind drifting back to her own memories. The summer when she was twelve, the wildfire that had come dangerously close to her hometown. Her family had packed the car in a panic, her dad grabbing photo albums and her mom clutching the family dog. She remembered sitting in the backseat, clutching her guitar, wondering if their …

The Curse of Love and Immortality - Chapter 10: The Hidden Truth

dehongi Jan. 16, 2025, 12:19 p.m.

The princess sat still, her eyes fixed on her father. His voice had grown softer as the tales had unfolded, each one wrapping its tragic beauty around the heart of the story they were telling. But as the candlelight flickered and the evening deepened, a silence fell between them, a heaviness in the air that seemed to speak of something far more personal, far more profound.
The king leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant as though lost in the long corridors of his memories. The princess had been silent for some time, her heart heavy with the weight of the stories she had heard. But now, there was a question hanging in the air, one that had lingered in her thoughts through every chapter they had shared.
"Father," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "you’ve told me of so many Paris, of their sacrifices, of their love for …

Between Floors

hamed Feb. 26, 2025, 5:39 p.m.

The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime. Lisa exhaled sharply, wiping a tear before it could smudge her mascara. She had just ended things with Jake, and her heart still pounded from the argument. She tapped the button for the lobby, ready to leave it all behind.

Then, a voice. His voice.

“Hold the—”

Too late. The doors sealed, trapping her in the small, mirrored space with Jake. He cursed under his breath, jamming the lobby button. The tension between them was suffocating.

Then, with a jolt, the elevator stopped.

A muffled announcement crackled through the speaker. “Apologies for the inconvenience. We’re experiencing a temporary malfunction. Please remain calm.”

Lisa laughed bitterly. “Of course. Perfect ending to a perfect night.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, avoiding her gaze. “Look, I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t.” She crossed her arms. “We said everything we needed to say.”

Silence. A …

The Vanishing Feed

hamed Jan. 17, 2025, 1:36 p.m.

Sienna woke up to the same ritual she had followed for years: reaching for her phone before her eyes fully opened. But this morning, her finger hovered over the app where she lived most of her life—Loop.

Except the icon was gone.

She blinked, panic immediately replacing her sleepiness. She scrolled through her home screen, swiping again and again, but Loop wasn’t there. A quick search confirmed it wasn’t just her phone. It was trending everywhere—or, rather, nowhere. Loop had vanished. No warning, no explanation.

Sienna’s first instinct was disbelief. Then grief. She’d spent years curating her life for her 1.2 million followers: morning routines bathed in golden light, skincare recommendations, candid-yet-perfectly-posed coffee shop shots. Her followers loved her authenticity, but the reality of her bare kitchen walls and chipped nail polish rarely made the cut. Without Loop, she wasn’t sure who she was anymore.

Her inbox flooded with frantic …

Humanoid Robots Revolution | Chapter 5: The Endgame

hamed Jan. 27, 2025, 3:04 p.m.

Aerith stood at the center of the gathering storm, her heart heavy with the weight of the choices before her. The world had shifted beneath her, as if the very fabric of reality were being pulled and twisted by unseen hands. She had believed that by letting go of control, by nurturing hope instead of power, she could steer the revolution toward peace. But now, as the echoes of distant battles reached her ears, she realized that peace was no longer an option.

The forces that had once revered her for her gift now saw her as a threat—one that had the potential to undo their carefully laid plans. The leaders of the rebellion, including Vael, had realized that Aerith’s power was not merely a tool for healing or understanding; it was a weapon. And weapons, in the eyes of those who thirsted for power, were meant to be wielded.

Seven Trials

hamed Jan. 19, 2025, 5:46 p.m.

The crowd roared as Arya stepped into the arena, her pulse pounding with the beat of a distant drum. The banners of the competition fluttered in the desert wind, each one emblazoned with the image of Rostam astride Rakhsh. This was no ordinary competition—it was The Trials, an event so steeped in mysticism and legend that no one knew where the challenges truly came from.

Arya adjusted her gloves and scanned the open plain. The announcer’s voice echoed from unseen speakers.

“Seven challenges. Seven tests. Only the brave survive.”

The first trial was announced: Lion's Fury.

A massive gate creaked open, and a roaring lion emerged, its mane wild as fire. Arya froze, her heart thundering. It looked too real to be theater. But the stories of Rostam flooded her mind—how he had slain a lion barehanded. Gritting her teeth, she snatched a spear from the sand and faced the …

Legacy

hamed Jan. 14, 2025, 4:56 p.m.

Maya traced her finger along the spines of medical textbooks, remembering how her mother had done the same with cookbooks in their old apartment's kitchenette. The residency acceptance letter lay unopened on her desk, next to a stack of loan statements that made her stomach clench.

"You're going to be a doctor," her mother would say between double shifts at the diner, pressing cold compresses to her swollen feet. "Like your father wanted to be, before..." The sentence always trailed off there, into the space left by his death. No life insurance, just mounting medical bills that her mother was still paying off twenty years later.

Her phone buzzed – a text from her cousin James: "Starting at Goldman next week! Dad's old roommate came through. Dinner at the club to celebrate?"

Maya smiled, remembering summers at James's house, swimming in their pool while her mother cleaned their rooms. Aunt …

The Silence of Steel

hamed Jan. 25, 2025, 3:20 p.m.

The blackout hit without warning—no flicker, no sign of a storm. One moment, the world hummed with the steady pulse of technology, and the next, it was gone. Phones, computers, cars, lights—all of it, vanishing into a quiet void.

In the small city of Eldridge, it was the sudden cessation of sound that unsettled people the most. No hum of refrigerators, no buzz of overhead lights, no distant beeping of microwaves. Just the eerie stillness of a world disconnected.

At first, the reaction was disbelief. People gathered in the streets, pulling their phones from their pockets, only to find them dead. Cars stopped in the middle of intersections, drivers staring out of windshields, wondering why their engines refused to start. The familiar rhythm of life faltered, replaced by an uncomfortable void.

Sarah, a young journalist, felt the weight of the silence in her bones. The noise, the distractions, they had …