From Substack's Junto
Fiction & Essays
Stories from nowhere real.
As he fell, he waited for
As he fell, he waited for the calm of last moments. You know it. You probably read about it in a book once or heard it sung about in a…
She didn't like it but she'd been recalled to life for a reason.
She didn't like it but she'd been recalled to life for a reason . Slowly, each moment breathing new life into her system, she reawakened…
First came the smell of the flowers
First came the smell of the flowers. Tulips, or orchids, he wasn't sure. His eyes closed, head arched back, the smell of the cool, spring…
She suddenly realised she might be alone for the rest of her life
She suddenly realised she might be alone for the rest of her life . Well, matter of fact, it hadn't been all that sudden, had it? She…
She knelt on the carpet in her new living-room, a big cardboard box in front of her, unwrapping ornaments
Set the timer to 10 minutes for this one She knelt on the carpet in her new living-room, a big cardboard box in front of her, unwrapping…
The fire was getting closer.
The fire was getting closer. Whips of red hot flames shot out from the blaze like a King Cobra's bite. The bottom carpeted the forest…
The pink glove lay on the ground, almost covered
The pink glove lay on the ground, almost covered. Flurries of snowfall fell slowly, almost reluctantly, for fear of damaging the fabric.…
She felt for the lock in the dark
She felt for the lock in the dark. How long she had been in here she didn't know. Maybe a day, maybe two. The Room wasn't supposed to…
Was it a knock that had woken her?
Was it a knock that had woken her? She had been lapping in and out of consciousness for hours now, like the tide rushing in to shore. In it…
The house wasn't the same to her anymore.
The house wasn't the same to her anymore. Don't misunderstand. It was the same structurally, of course. The same wallpaper that wilted in…
Outside the cabin, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, the old woman's fire was nearly out
Outside the cabin, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, the old woman's fire was nearly out. She stared, longingly, at the…
He had waited twenty years to return it
He had waited twenty years to return it - he rather enjoyed the idea that there would be a reason he would get to see her again. It was a…
He had waited twenty years to return it
He had waited twenty years to return it — he rather enjoyed the idea that there would be a reason he would get to see her again. It…
She had made a poor job of hiding the damage
She had made a poor job of hiding the damage. She looked around frantically, head jerking from left to right, surveying the damage she had…
They had been together for twenty-five years
They had been together for twenty-five years but it felt like only an autumn afternoon. He remembered the first time they had met; it was a…
The footsteps were moving away.
The footsteps were moving away. After 10 minutes of uncertainty, not knowing whether his captor was approaching his cell or passing by,…
Only the very oldest people remembered a time when humans could see in colour
Only the very oldest people remembered a time when humans could see in colour. It had been about 80 years since the big flash. Only the…
The sound of laughter drifted up from the street below, making him feel very alone in this new town.
The sound of laughter drifted up from the street below, making him feel very alone in this new town. He had arrived several weeks prior and…
The whole family had been cursed since
The whole family had been cursed since Alex entered that odd cave last November. They had been on their annual family road trip. They had…
There was something not quite right about the window.
There was something not quite right about the window. Emile couldn't recall when he had noticed it at first. Perhaps it was last Thursday?…
My First Post - An Outline for the Blog
This is the world's most dangerous substack - an idea founded out of my impending boredom. I'm at a pivotal moment in my life. I'm a week…
She'd only given in because she was lonely.
She'd only given in because she was lonely. She had never wanted to open her own bookstore. It had been a point of contention their entire…