Edward J. McCoul

“The Last Hour” by Edward J. McCoul

“The Last Hour” by Edward J McCoul Mason bolted through the dimly lit streets, his feet pounding against the wet pavement as he glanced nervously at his watch. Forty-two minutes left. In less than an hour, his life would end, unless he found a way to stop the inevitable. The city was a maze, a sprawling labyrinth of alleys and shadows, and every passing second felt like a weight pressing down on his chest. It had all started that morning, when he’d woken to the text message: “YOU HAVE 12 HOURS LEFT.” There was no sender. Just those chilling ...

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“The Undying Love of Saint Teresa of Avila” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #275

The Undying Love of Saint Teresa of Avila” by Edward J McCoul I am Teresa. Teresa of Ávila, they called me once. My eyes are closed, my lips silent, yet I watch and speak. I have dwelled here, in the darkness of this convent, in the quiet folds of earth. Silence surrounds me, and stillness is my companion, but I am not bound by them. I am only bound by love. They tell tales of my incorruption. Flesh that resists decay, a body that is more earthbound than most, yet I am not bound by earth. No. I am bound only by a longing—a burning flame in m...

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“The Cat’s Secret” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #275

The Cat’s Secret” by Edward J McCoulThe black cat’s eyes glowed in the darkness as it trotted down the deserted sidewalk, pausing now and then to look back, as if making sure its follower was still there. Cassie shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders, her breath forming clouds in the cold October air. She hadn’t planned to be out so late on Halloween night, but the cat had been waiting on her doorstep, staring at her with those piercing yellow eyes until she’d felt compelled to follow.The streets were empty, the neighborhood...

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“The Haunting of Alex Graves” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #275

“The Haunting of Alex Graves” by Edward J McCoul Alex Graves sat alone in the dimly lit office of his small apartment, a mug of cold coffee on his desk and the quiet hum of the city in the distance. He hadn’t been able to sleep in days, and tonight was no different. The only sound louder than his racing thoughts was the echo of footsteps that didn’t belong to him. He looked around the room, eyes narrowing at the shadows dancing in the corners. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard them. It was always the same: a faint tapping, as if someone ...

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“They Are Out There” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #274

“They Are Out There!” By Edward J. McCoul They say childhood fears are like seeds buried deep, sprouting only when you least expect it. For me, the seed was planted when I was young, a child too small to fully understand yet big enough to imagine the unimaginable. I was a boy of eight, sitting in a dark theater, my father beside me as the screen flickered to life. The air buzzed with anticipation, but I was already nervous, my stomach tight with the kind of dread that only children know. War of the Worlds came first. As I watched those metal...

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“Liam the Lovable, But Fearful, Leprechaun” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #274

“Liam the Lovable, But Fearful, Leprechaun” By Edward J. McCoul There are two things Liam O’Shaughnessy loved more than anything in the world: gold and friendship. And there were two things he feared more than anything else: heights and rainbows. Which was unfortunate, since he was a leprechaun. Every time he went to check on his gold at the end of a rainbow, he’d have to climb up a hill or down a rocky slope. “That gold won’t guard itself, Liam,” he’d mutter to himself, inching along on shaky legs. Then he’d see the shimmering rainbow stret...

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“The Unwanted Unicorn ” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #274

“The Unwanted Unicorn” By Edward J. McCoul It all started on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday. Twelve-year-old Max was home alone, nose-deep in a video game when he heard a loud, wet sloshing sound from the backyard. That was strange. He muted his game and listened. There it was again—a sound like someone was pouring oatmeal into a bucket. He crept to the back door, cracked it open, and peeked outside. And there, in the middle of his mom’s prize rose bushes, was the last thing he ever expected to see. A unicorn. It wasn’t quite what he had imagi...

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“The Silent Muse” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #274

“The Silent Muse” By Edward J. McCoul The gallery was buzzing with whispers and the soft clinking of champagne flutes. A crowd had gathered around a single painting—a portrait, stunning and mysterious. But the artist, Gabriel Wright, was distant, his gaze fixed on the doorway, as if waiting for something or someone. In his heart, he knew that tonight would bring answers. It had started years earlier, on a night when Gabriel had nearly given up painting for good. He’d been struggling with creative block for months. Every brushstroke felt forc...

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“The Time Traveler’s Gift” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #274

“The Time Traveler’s Gift” By Edward J. McCoul Dr. Ethan Carter was a scientist by day, a dreamer by night. Under fluorescent lab lights, surrounded by beakers and blueprints, he designed devices most would call impossible. He worked for a secret government agency, funded to uncover, harness, and, occasionally, hide what the world wasn’t ready to see. But his latest invention was not for the agency, nor for the world. It was, secretly, for himself. Ethan had built a time machine. It wasn’t some cobbled-together contraption with flashing ligh...

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“Thunder Riders of Yesterday” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #273

“Thunder Riders of Yesterday” By Edward J. McCoulRoy Rogers squinted as the wind whipped around him. He reached for his hat, pulling it down low against the gust that didn’t feel quite right. This wind smelled strange, tinged with a scent like burning wires and wet concrete. He wasn’t in the desert, that much was clear. No more open skies. No more dust kicking under the hooves of Trigger. When he finally opened his eyes, he wasn’t looking out over the wide plains of Texas. He was looking down.Way down.Roy’s heart skipped a beat. Below h...

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“Whisper of Wings” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #273

The Whisper of WingsThe night fell quietly over the small town of Crescent Hollow, where the stars shimmered like diamonds scattered across velvet. It was the kind of town where nothing extraordinary ever happened, where life moved at a slow, predictable pace—until the angel came.Nathaniel had been sent to Earth with a purpose, though he wasn’t told exactly what it was. Angels rarely were. Their missions were delivered through feeling and intuition, through a deeper understanding that lay far beneath the surface of human reasoning. All he kn...

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“In the Shadow of Secrets” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #273

“In the Shadow of Secrets” by Edward J. McCoulSamantha Burke had the eerie sensation that someone was following her again.It started three days ago, a prickling awareness at the back of her neck whenever she stepped outside. At first, she chalked it up to paranoia—just an overactive imagination, she told herself. But tonight, as the fog rolled in thick and heavy over the London streets, the feeling had intensified.She could hear it now. Footsteps. Always a few paces behind.Pulling her scarf tighter around her neck, Samantha kept walking, f...

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“P. T. Barnum, Anonymous and Magnanimous” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #195

“P. T. Barnum, Anonymous and Magnanimous!”Phineas Taylor Barnum, better known as P.T. Barnum, was a man of many talents. He was a showman, a businessman, and a philanthropist. He was the kind of man who always had a smile on his face, and he loved nothing more than making people happy.The American Museum, Barnum's grand entertainment attraction, drew millions of visitors to the intersection of Broadway and Ann streets in New York.The museum was a five-story marble structure filled with a wide variety of exhibits and attractions. In addition ...

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“Tonto, A Faithful Kimosabe” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #195

"Tonto, A Faithful Kimosabe"Tonto rode alongside the Lone Ranger on their trusty horses, Silver and Scout. The sun beat down on the dusty terrain. Tonto was lost in thought until the sound of gunfire shattered the silence.The Lone Ranger spurred Silver into a gallop saying, “Hi HO, Silver!”, and Tonto followed close behind. As they rode towards the gunfire, they heard the screams of a young girl. They found her father, the sheriff, frantically looking for her."Please, you have to help me," he begged. "My daughter, Kate, has been kidnapp...

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“The Rosetta Stone Hero” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #194

“The Rosetta Stone Hero”In the year 1799, the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte was making its way through Egypt. Among the soldiers was a man named Pierre-Francois Bouchard, an officer with a keen interest in history and archaeology.One day, as the troops were digging a foundation for a fort near the town of Rosetta, Bouchard noticed a large stone sticking out of the ground. Curious, he had the stone examined, and to his amazement, it turned out to be a monumental slab of black basalt, covered in inscriptions in three different scripts.B...

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