Vera N

“A Table For Two, Decisions For One” by Vera N

Owen sat down at the small, square table in the corner of the restaurant, its polished wood gleaming under the soft amber glow of a pendant light above. Across from him, Maya folded her hands, her eyes scanning the menu as though it contained all the answers she was looking for. But the food didn’t matter tonight. The real menu lay unspoken between them—the decisions they had to make, the paths they could no longer avoid.  He sighed, pushing a stray curl of hair away from his forehead. “You’re still thinking about the apartment, aren’t ...

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“Frostbitten Retribution” by Vera N

Seren stepped into the frigid night, the snow crunching beneath her boots as she distanced herself from the manor. The cool air bit at her cheeks, but she hardly noticed. Her thoughts swirled chaotically, a mix of anger, regret, and something else she couldn’t name. She had come to avenge her father, to make Gregor pay for the pain he had caused. Instead, she found a man burdened by the weight of his choices, shattering her resolve. The path through the woods was familiar, yet she felt lost. Each step away from the manor felt like a step awa...

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“Whispers Beyond the Door” by Vera N

The kitchen was dimly lit, the overhead bulb casting a soft, yellow glow over the tiles, making the shadows seem longer than usual. Outside, the rest of the house lay in silence, the creaks of old wood and the ticking of a clock somewhere the only sounds cutting through the stillness of the night. It was late—past midnight—but Jason didn’t care. The quiet was a relief after the day he’d had. He entered the kitchen, his shoulders still heavy from the tension he carried home with him. His work shirt was wrinkled, his jeans loose and worn, and ...

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“Lemon Cake and Lost Connections” by Vera N

Sandy and Chloe stood side by side in the warm, sunlit kitchen, each of them staring down at the recipe book as if it held all the answers. The book was old, with yellowed pages, and the recipe they were following had been passed down through generations of Sandy’s family. The page for her grandmother’s famous lemon cake was worn and soft, evidence of its frequent use. In the margins, Sandy’s grandmother had left little notes in her distinctive looping handwriting, though they were now so faded it was hard to read them. “It has to be somethi...

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“The Weight of Wings” by Vera N

Hannah stared at the shattered pieces of glass strewn across the floor, remnants of the delicate bird she had clumsily dropped. It had been a simple ornament, a gift from her grandmother, but to Hannah, it symbolized her childhood dreams. Now, as she knelt to pick up the shards, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss. This was not just a bird; it represented her aspirations, crushed under the weight of adulthood and disappointment.For months, she had felt trapped in a monotonous routine. Working at a dull office job left her uninspired, and ...

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“The Portal in Her Pocket” by Vera N

It was a cold winter morning when Ellie found the key. She had been walking home from her shift at the café, her breath puffing out in small white clouds, when something on the ground caught her eye. Half-buried in the frost-dusted gravel, it gleamed faintly in the pale sunlight, a thin shard of metal. Curious, Ellie crouched down and plucked it from the ground. It was old—no doubt about that. The surface was rough with tarnish, and the handle was intricately designed, the kind of thing you might expect to find in an antique shop rather than...

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“Between Us: The Knife” by Vera N

The house felt heavy with memories as Emma worked her way through her father’s belongings. The air smelled faintly of wood and dust, the house’s age pressing down on her as she opened the old wooden box that sat on his dresser. Her father had kept so much of his life in things—tools, knives, old maps—but never in words. That was who he was, she thought, a man of objects, not of conversation.  Among the various items, one thing caught her eye—a pocket knife, resting in the box’s corner. The handle was worn and smooth, dark wood marked wi...

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“The Soulstone's Curse” by Vera N

In the kingdom of Eldoria, an ancient prophecy warned of a catastrophic event called the Eclipse of Souls, which occurs every thousand years when the moon aligns with a cursed star, opening a rift to the Shadow Realm. To prevent this disaster, a legendary artifact called the Soulstone must be found and used to seal the rift.  A group of unlikely heroes is chosen for this quest: - **Arianna**, an impulsive archer seeking redemption for a mistake that once endangered her village.- **Kael**, a scholarly mage haunted by a vision of the Ecli...

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“The Giant Bear” by Vera N

Emily had never expected her life to change because of a stuffed bear. She wasn’t the type to believe in miracles, nor was she one to be swayed by objects meant for children. At 28, she had spent the last six months in a haze after a difficult break-up, and the emptiness in her life was palpable. Work was a drag, her apartment felt more like a shell than a home, and the hobbies she used to love—writing, painting, even binge-watching late-night shows—had lost their spark. Every day bled into the next, and she didn’t know how to pull herself o...

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“The Bargain's End” by Vera N

Erin stood in front of the grand oak doors of the mansion, her heart pounding in her chest as if trying to escape. The ornate key to her new life was clasped tightly in her hand, its cold metal biting into her palm. She had imagined this moment a thousand times, but the weight of that key felt somehow heavier now, almost too heavy to bear. This was the key to everything she had ever dreamed of, the culmination of years of effort, ambition, and sacrifice. A rush of emotions flooded through her: joy, disbelief, triumph. Yet beneath it all, a s...

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“Past Return” by Vera N

Elliot sat in the dimly lit room, his head resting in his hands as he stared blankly at the floor. The ticking of the clock on the wall felt like a hammer against his skull, each second dragging him deeper into the void that had become his life. The memory of that night played in an endless loop in his mind—every word, every movement, every devastating choice replaying over and over. No matter how many times he relived it, nothing could change what he had done. It had been a small argument at first—like so many others. Elliot and his brother...

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“Return to the Abyss” by Vera N

The rain hammered against the windshield as Sara clutched the steering wheel, knuckles pale from the strain. The storm was unrelenting, much like the memories she had tried so hard to leave behind. Her breath was shallow, her mind racing through all the places she could go, though none of them offered safety. The small bag of essentials tossed into the passenger seat felt pitiful now, a symbol of her lack of foresight. She hadn’t slept in days, barely eaten, but there was no time for that now.She was running from her past, and she wasn’t sur...

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“A Message from the Past” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #268

As the first rays of dawn crept through the gaps in the curtains, Alex woke to the persistent buzz of his phone on the nightstand. He squinted at the early light filtering through the curtains, its pale fingers stretching across his room. Groggy but curious, he reached over and fumbled for his phone. The notification light blinked insistently. As he picked it up, he saw a text message notification that seemed oddly out of place. The sender's name read: “Alex - 15 Years Ago.” Alex blinked, rubbing his eyes, thinking it was a trick of his stil...

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“A Life Not Lived” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #268

Talia Meyers stood in her corner office, gazing out at the city skyline as if it were a masterpiece she had painted herself. She had risen to the top, one calculated move after another, each step designed to ensure no one would ever know how much of her life was a lie. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the buildings, but it was the paper in her hand that darkened her mood. *I know what you did. It's time to come clean, or I will.* The words felt like a punch to the gut. She re-read them, hoping they'd change on the second pass,...

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“Shadows on the Highway: A Night of Tragedy” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #267

The sky had deepened to a dusky blue, the last remnants of sunlight slipping behind the horizon. It was that fleeting hour between evening and night when headlights flickered on and painted long, ghostly streaks of light on the asphalt. The highway hummed with the steady rhythm of cars rushing past, each driver eager to reach their destination before darkness fully set in. Inside the SUV, the family settled into the familiar rhythms of a long drive, the interior lit by the soft glow of the dashboard and the occasional passing streetlight. Th...

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