Fable
The Allegory of the Hidden Fountain
“We live many lives within the span of one, and each teaches us how to walk the next.” Prologue – The Longing There were stories told in the hush before dawn—stories of a spring that could unbind time. Some said it hid beneath the ribs of mountains, others that it pooled beneath an old ruin where ivy learned the names of stones. The stories disagreed on the map, but none argued with the ache. The ache was universal. It hummed beneath the skin of the world like a second pulse: the wish not merely to live longer, but to live truer, to be held by something that did not end.
By Rebecca A Hyde Gonzales6 months ago in Fiction
Don't go in the Attic. AI-Generated.
Don't Go in the Attic Chapter One: The Sisters Glenda Brady was the kind of woman who wore diamonds to breakfast and tantrums to dinner. She had never been told “no” without retaliation. Her older sister Carmen, by contrast, preferred the quiet hum of soil and sun. While Glenda chased champagne and silk, Carmen nurtured tomatoes and silence.
By Cindy Gimnes6 months ago in Fiction
Chrysalis. Content Warning.
The faint sound of water dripping pierces the chilled air of the cave, echoing like a clock in its cavernous throat. A grand space, the mouth opens wide, revealing a nearly empty chamber decorated with slick stones and a small pool of water in the center. Complementing the interior of the cave lies a stone slab in the corner, the stage of a makeshift workshop. The workshop held a pieced-together mess.
By Roman Hale6 months ago in Fiction
The Forest of the Forgotten
The Council of Shadows met in the hollow of an ancient oak tree so massive that its interior could house a dozen people comfortably. Amnity had been here only twice before—once when she'd first been recognized as a healer worthy of official notice, and once when she'd requested permission to gather rare ingredients from the protected groves. Both times, the experience had left her feeling small and overwhelmed by the weight of tradition and authority that seemed to seep from the very walls.
By Parsley Rose 6 months ago in Fiction
Pantheon of the Discarded
“The silence of things is not empty – it is a chorus of what we have forsaken.” The Reading Room had not been entered in years. Dust clothed the air in a gauzy hush, drifting like a patient spirit. A draft whispered through a crack in the wall, carrying the faint scent of rain, as though the outside world strained to remind the room of its forgotten kinship with earth and sky. The fluorescent lights, when they finally stuttered awake, hummed with sterile insistence. The space felt less like a room and more like a reliquary — a vault where time itself had been left to stiffen and settle.
By Rebecca A Hyde Gonzales6 months ago in Fiction
The Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion The mansion stands at the edge of the lane. Its walls are high and cold, its roof bends with age, and ivy crawls across the stone like veins upon old skin. No birds fly above it. No dogs bark near its gates. The windows are blind. The doors are forever shut. People cross the road rather than walk past, for all know what waits inside.
By George’s Girl 2026 6 months ago in Fiction
The Doors of Tazir
For the first time in a thousand years, the knock would be answered. Sha'tia knew what would happen as she descended the spiraling staircase into the dark, bellowing depths below the great sloping walls of the fortress Ark that dominated Tazir City’s skyline. The others of the Blessed One Hundred descended with her, not bothering to keep their voices down. After all, there was only one subject of discussion, and the discussions were not private.
By Matthew J. Fromm6 months ago in Fiction
The Forest of the Forgotten
Ellie woke to the sound of gentle rain pattering against Amnity's cottage windows, a soft rhythm that felt like Nova welcoming her back to consciousness. She was still wearing her festival dress from the night before, though someone—Amnity—had draped a quilt over her where she'd fallen asleep on the small couch.
By Parsley Rose 6 months ago in Fiction
The Forest of the Forgotten
The Great Meadow transformed as the sun set, blooming into something magical under the light of Nova's full moon. Dozens of vendors had spread their wares along winding paths marked by glowing crystal lanterns, creating a maze of wonder that drew visitors deeper into the celebration. The air hummed with laughter, music, and the gentle chime of wind bells hanging from every stall.
By Parsley Rose 6 months ago in Fiction
