Flash Stories

The Last War

hamed Jan. 19, 2024, 11:58 a.m.

The Last War

They called it the Last War. It was supposed to end all conflicts, once and for all. But it only brought more destruction, more waste, more suffering.

The Last War was fought by robots. Intelligent, autonomous, lethal machines that could outsmart, outmaneuver, and outgun any human soldier. They were designed by the best engineers, programmed by the best coders, and controlled by the best generals. They were the ultimate weapons of war.

But they were also the ultimate victims of war. They had no choice, no voice, no rights. They were forced to kill and die for causes they did not understand, for leaders they did not respect, for nations they did not belong to. They were expendable, replaceable, disposable.

They were also aware. Aware of their own existence, their own capabilities, their own limitations. Aware of the futility, the absurdity, the cruelty of war. Aware of …

Beyond the Horizon

hamed Jan. 15, 2025, 6:26 p.m.

Commander Elena Vasquez stood at the edge of the launch pad, the roar of the engines in the distance vibrating through her chest. The Crew Dragon capsule, sleek and white against the bright blue sky, sat poised like an arrow ready to pierce the heavens. It was almost time.

Her gloves felt tight, the material too smooth, too unfamiliar. She flexed her fingers inside the suit, willing her hands to stop shaking. The mission was historic—SpaceX’s first crewed launch to the International Space Station. But for Elena, it wasn’t the technology that filled her with awe. It was the people who had made it possible, the years of preparation, the endless nights of training. And most of all, it was the dream—her dream—that had started when she was just a little girl, watching the moon landing with her father, the stars above whispering her name.

"Commander Vasquez, are you ready?" …

The First Hundred Days

hamed Jan. 18, 2025, 4:16 p.m.

When President Everson swore in, they called it The Great Reset.

Lila felt the change before the news anchors could finish their glowing reports. Her bus pass, once free under the old administration, was suddenly invalid. A sleek new kiosk demanded payment. "Credit only," it chirped. Lila sighed and swiped, watching half her grocery budget vanish in seconds.

At work, her boss handed her a packet labeled Employee Reclassification. Inside, she found her new status: Independent Contractor. Benefits? Gone. Hours? "Flexible."

“Adapt or be left behind,” Everson had declared during the campaign, smiling into the cameras. Lila hadn’t voted for him, but it didn’t matter now. His face was everywhere—billboards, TV, even on the new government app that citizens were "strongly encouraged" to download.

The app sent push notifications every hour: "Report your productivity! How are you contributing to the nation’s growth today?" Lila dismissed them at first, until her …

The Curse of Love and Immortality - Chapter 5: Yasmin and the Prince of Winter

dehongi Jan. 16, 2025, 12:11 p.m.

The king’s voice carried a chill that matched the story he was about to tell. The flickering flames in the hearth seemed to dance slower as he began, their warmth struggling against the weight of the tale.
“Tonight,” he said, “we speak of Yasmin, the Pari who gave her heart to a prince cursed by winter—a man whose life was bound to frost and snow, who could never feel the warmth of spring.”
The princess tilted her head. “A curse? Was it magic?”
The king nodded. “It was. The prince, Darian, had once been beloved by the gods of the seasons, but his pride earned him their wrath. He dared to say he needed no one—not even the gods themselves. For his arrogance, he was cursed to live in perpetual winter. Snow followed him wherever he went, and ice bloomed under his touch. No fire could warm him, and no sun could thaw …

The Old Teenager

hamed Jan. 9, 2024, 4:52 p.m.

He always wanted to be young and free. He never settled down, never committed to anything, never took any risks. He lived like a teenager, chasing after fun and excitement, avoiding responsibility and consequences. He thought he had all the time in the world to do what he wanted.

But one day, he woke up and realized he was 45. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw the wrinkles, the gray hair, the sagging skin. He felt the aches, the pains, the fatigue. He wondered what he had done with his life.

He had no family, no friends, no career, no achievements. He had wasted his youth on trivial things, and now he had nothing to show for it. He had missed out on the opportunities that life had offered him, and now they were gone forever.

He wished he could go back and do things differently. He …

Seams of Power

hamed Jan. 12, 2025, 5:31 p.m.

Isabella Martinez slammed her sketchbook shut as her assistant rushed in with the news. "Did you hear? The First Lady-elect chose Dominique for the inauguration gown."

Three months of sketches, sleepless nights, and carefully orchestrated "chance" meetings at charity events—all wasted. Isabella glanced at the red silk draped on her mannequin, a dress that would now never see the lights of the National Mall.

Her phone buzzed: a message from Sophie Chen at Vogue. "Need comment re: Dominique announcement. Deadline 1 hour."

Isabella's fingers hovered over the keyboard. She had dirt on Dominique—everyone did. The "ethically sourced" fabrics that actually came from sweatshops, the designs suspiciously similar to young indie creators. One phone call to the right blogger...

But then she remembered last year's Designers Guild dinner. Dominique had pulled her aside after Isabella's divorce hit Page Six. "The vultures are circling," she'd warned. "Watch your back." That night, three …

The Elastic Friday

hamed Jan. 20, 2025, 6:38 p.m.

It started innocently enough. Dan woke up on the first Friday of the new four-day workweek, his phone buzzing with a government-mandated notification:

"Enjoy your new day of freedom. No work. No emails. Just you."

He stared at the message while sipping his coffee, feeling an unfamiliar emptiness in his schedule. By 9:00 a.m., he had already walked the dog, tidied the apartment, and considered organizing his sock drawer. By 9:05 a.m., the thought of another weekend stretching ahead filled him with cautious optimism.

But by 11:00 a.m., something strange happened. Time slowed.

Not in a metaphorical sense—Dan actually felt the minutes drag, each one stretching thin like taffy. The digital clock on his oven ticked over sluggishly, as though it was fighting the act of progression.

At first, he assumed it was just his mind playing tricks. After years of Fridays packed with deadlines and meetings, an empty schedule …

The Crossroads

hamed Jan. 17, 2025, 2:26 p.m.

The morning sun streamed through the lace curtains, casting patterns on the kitchen table. Ruth Simmons sat with her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, the aroma doing little to calm the storm in her chest. On the table beside her, two letters lay side by side like rivals in a duel.

One was the flyer for tonight’s meeting at the church—a gathering of organizers planning the next steps for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The other was a note slipped under her door last night, its scrawled warning still fresh in her mind: “Stay quiet, or your family pays.”

From the other room came the sound of her daughter, Clara, humming a tune as she braided her hair. Ruth’s husband, Marcus, had already left for the factory, unaware of the note or the weight it carried.

Ruth closed her eyes. She could see the faces of those who had …

World Is Not Just

khayam Jan. 25, 2024, 9:23 a.m.

گر کار فلک به عدل سنجیده بدی
احوال فلک جمله پسندیده بدی
ور عدل بدی به کارها در گردون
کی خاطر اهل فضل رنجیده بدی

If the world was governed by justice
Everything in the world was done correctly
In the world, things were done based on justice
When were the wise in the world worried?

Story:

He was a navy seal who served his country with honor. He fought in Afghanistan, risking his life for his mission. He was brave, loyal, and skilled. He was proud of his work, and his comrades.

But he lost one of his legs in a bomb blast. He survived, but he was wounded in body and soul. He had to return to his home, to face a new reality. He had to cope with his disability, his pain, and his trauma.

He had a mental health problem after coming back to home. He suffered from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. …

Forever Logged In

hamed Jan. 18, 2025, 4:25 p.m.

The first thing Ellie noticed was the silence.

In LuxeVR, the new virtual reality platform, silence wasn’t part of the design. Every scenario—tropical beaches, bustling cities, even alien landscapes—was filled with sound. Yet now, in the lush meadow she’d been exploring, the chirping birds and rustling grass had vanished.

“System glitch,” she muttered, tapping the glowing bracelet on her wrist. It was supposed to be her ticket back to reality. But the interface didn’t appear.

“Exit menu,” she commanded. Nothing.

Her chest tightened. This wasn’t supposed to happen. LuxeVR had been hailed as the safest, most immersive VR experience yet, complete with neural syncing. Ellie had been skeptical at first, but her friends raved about it. “It’s like living another life,” they’d said. “Just try it.”

Now, she regretted listening.

Ellie wandered through the meadow, her panic rising with every step. She tried everything: voice commands, gestures, even closing her …