April 6, 2023

“Popet,” A Short Story by Pierre Boodhoo

Where is the line drawn between fantasy and reality? Between what we see and what we imagine? Read on as Pierre Boodhoo, in his first story for The Fictional Café, takes us on this exploration. Popet “Ayesha, my popet, the eve is upon us. It is time to awaken.” Mother’s voice sparks the fire. The embodiment of Mother’s love spreads within her as limbs come alive. After a few blinks, the blurriness fades. The pale, sharp features of Mother’s face hide between strands of green and black hair as she comes into focus. Mother captivates her. “Mother!” Ayesha throws her arms around Mother’s waist. Herhand pats Ayesha’s head and she beams. Ayesha releases Mother and waits patiently. Mother straightens her clothes and dusts herself off. Ayesha imagines herself in a mature body resembling Mother. If…

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November 11, 2022

“Untold Podcast” created by Nathan James Norman

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

At the Untold Podcast, created by Nathan James Norman, they want to recapture the power of story and use the weirder genres to do it. Science fiction, fantasy, horror and supernatural stories serve as metaphors for our lives. The distant star systems, the shining knights, the abominable yetis, and the ghosts remind listeners of our own struggles, triumphs and losses. Every month they’ll bring you a new story and flash fiction presented in a unique and dynamic way! “Customer arriving!” announced the robot. The shopkeeper looked up eagerly. The door creaked open with a whistle. Rain blew inside as a small man fought with the door handle. “You have my merchandise?” he rasped. The shopkeeper snorted. He’s a day early. “Yeah, but it’s not ready yet.” Otherworldly gadgets and gizmos in clear displays filled most of the room. A…

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March 21, 2022

“Tobias and the Wildflower Utopia,” by Derrick R. Lafayette

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

“Can you help me?” “Are you positive of what you lost?” “Yes.” “You’ve lost your soul?” “Yes.” “Where?” “I’m not sure. I awoke one day hollow.” “Continue.” There was a pathway beyond the wildflower meadows. My brother told me the noises from there were the product of trickery. Auditory hallucinations sent from devils and pagan worshippers. On a night not entirely unforeseen, my mother took her final breath in bed. I held a dying candle at her side. The embers cast a dreadful shadow upon the wall as if her soul was a silhouette. Dysentery had robbed her of her humanity. The smell tormented the house for days after. I suppose that was her way of saying she wasn’t ready. It left a silence in my home, which was filled with the sound of my…

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October 30, 2020

“Bleeding of the Hedges” — An Audio Drama

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

“Bleeding of the Hedges Arc 2: The City of Brambles,” written by Carol Foley and Joshua J. Price, is a fantasy story of a world where normal humans and Fae are struggling to co-habitate in the same world. With many different supernatural creatures discovering their powers, the humans are nervous that they will take control. For some, it’s political, for others, being different is a death sentence. It has been 23 years since the daughter of the god Pan was sent to the modern world and raised by mortals. As a young adult, she has risen to fame as a pop star. Her presence is awakening more and more of her kind which has the mortal world in a state of panic. Sides are being chosen and a war between Fae and humans is rising….

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September 29, 2020

“A Blue Finch”— Short Fiction of Ana Vidosavljevic

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Editor’s Note: We are thrilled to present two pieces of flash fiction by one of our members, Ana Vidosavljevic, from Serbia: “A Blue Finch” and “A Yellow Marigold.” A Blue Finch I keep many secrets in the pit of my stomach. My trees and shrubs witnessed many fortunate and unfortunate events that occurred in the depth of my body. And I helped many wretched souls that got lost among my thick tree trunks. On the other hand, I couldn’t help some of them. They were in a hopeless pursuit or running from their own wrongdoings. And their own deserved destiny caught them. One lost soul especially got stuck in my memory. Her name was Hope. Hope was a little blonde girl, not taller than my blueberry shrubs. She came to me breathing heavily, and almost losing breath. She was…

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July 30, 2020

“The Ahava Order,” A Novel Excerpt from Robert Przybylski

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

The Ahava Order is the first book in Robery Przybylski’s series of the same name. This excerpt is reprinted with permission. Copyright (c) 2019 Robert Przybylski, published by Royal Hawaiian Press. *** The Ahava Order Winter life in Anad, a small village situated among forests, was running its usual course. Roe deer searched for food among plants in snow-covered fields, livestock heartily ate hay. For the Mage Azam and his wife, Eva the Enchantress, the day was going to turn out memorable. That morning, just as every morning, their son Zephyr was preparing food for the animals, while his father was getting ready to hunt for Amash—a horse-sized animal with everlasting white fur from the family of Great Wolves. Inhabiting numberous forests, the species hunts alone, pairs off and doesn’t form packs. Azam was about to choose a weapon when the village squire, Bolv, a squat man with a crop of curly hair on his head and a slightly red face—the effect of having consumed…

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October 12, 2019

“Confession of an Accidental Theocrat,” by Montgomery Tufts

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art, Writing

The door to Carol’s bedroom swung shut behind her with a bang. The late-afternoon light streaming in through her window highlighted every wrinkle and mote of dust that had accumulated on her pantsuit over the course of her walk home from work, but she wouldn’t be dealing with that now. She had come to a decision. It was one that she had been slowly working her way towards not just since she’d woken up that morning, or since the week had begun, but for one full calendar month — and it wasn’t a February either. It was one of the respectable months. “Okay, listen,” she said to the figure sitting on top of the table beside her bed. “I didn’t know all this would happen between us. But it did, and I love you, and…

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