fresh flash
fiction &
modern fables
“Sometimes I want to walk right out the airlock and sometimes I want to push someone else out of it.”
Flash Fiction
NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM“I used to think the twin moons were so romantic. Phobos and Deimos are now just chunks of rock.”
Flash Fiction
CHASMATA
“We were all good girls before we touched the moon rock.”
Flash Fiction
WE ALL SHINE ONFor your reading pleasure, let's get out of this place!
Discover new, not-so-distant science fiction about outstanding women and outer space. In No One Can Hear You Scream, a romantic relationship ends on route to the ISS, with uncomfortable repercussions for a trio of astronauts. In Chasmata, a scientist on a Martian colony journals her discontent with the mundanities of domestic life. And in We All Shine On, the students in a home economics class transform after exposure to lunar matter.
Explore more good reads in our library of stories fantastic and domestic or listen to The Story Coterie podcast.Stories Fantastic
Discover modern fables of beauties, beasties and unearthly wonders.
Read more...I never wanted to become an astronaut. When I put my gloved hand on his and he pulled away, I should have known something was wrong. It was at launch, with the rockets roaring at 170 decibels, when I thought he’d said I love you. We were vibrating violently. The g-forces were crushing my chest. I...Read more...Excerpts from the journals of Dr. Rita X. Mather Mariner Colony 003 Revolution 28 (687 Earth Days/1.88 Julian Year) Log No. 1097 Today should be a special day. We’ve officially lived here for one complete orbit around the sun — the first colonists to do so. I imagine there are...Read more...We were all good girls before we touched the moon rock. Until then, we were sewing patch pockets on our midi skirts. Phyllis Brown still wore her tiny pre-engagement ring. We made curfew and seldom smoked. It was the year after a man had walked on the moon, and our school was already changing...More PostsStories Domestic
Discover fresh short fiction about everyday heartbreak and other crimes.
Read more...The man with the remarkable mustache had been waiting in the dark for a long time. But not as long as the others. When viewed in a properly-lit room, the mustache was indeed impressive: silver and lustrous as an arctic fox tail, curling in perfect symmetry at the edges. It was one of a collection...Read more...Once, she was compassionate, loving and kind. Once we found a speckled mouse in the bulk foods section of the Co-op. Tuesday scooped it in the palm of her hand and deposited it safely in the green median of the parking lot. By the time we’d finished shopping, it had only made it about two feet...Read more...Fidelia, he thought as he paid his dime. Fidelia, he thought for seven miles as the Southern Pacific jostled its way. Fidelia, he thought as the streetcar deposited him and a horde of reveling youth at the oceanside park. The swimmers ran with mad folly toward the Baths. Below the labyrinthine...
- The Story Coterie Podcast
A new audio home for modern fables and fresh flash fiction is waiting for you.
Learn more and listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, PocketCasts or RadioPublic.
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Listen to one of our favorite episodes.
About Us
a columbary of lovely and amazing tales
What is StoryCote?
At StoryCote, half of our tales are fantastic. These fables span the adventures of selkies, saints, lycanthropes and even superheroes. The other fables are domestic, spanning the adventures of mere humans, but still from a fabulist’s perspective. All are told in the lyric, lovely and aching way only we know how to tell them.
Discover restless characters, from fairies to farm wives to socialites, all searching for better lives. Unlock the secret to each escape: in the back room of a near-future perfumery, by an imposter at a posh country club, on a cruise ship boarded by hungry pirates, and in many more heart-breaking tales. From the domestic to the fantastic, each tender fable is complete in 2,500 words or less.
StoryCote was founded by writer Candace Leigh Coulombe to share the incredible value of flash fiction and fables in an ever-hectic daily life. Join us for fresh fiction each week through the StoryCote website, podcast and social media. Enjoy the satisfaction of a complete story experience during a quick coffee break. Sneak a secret story during your workday.
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All contents copyright © 2006 - 2026 Candace L. Coulombe. All rights reserved. For reprints and permissions, contact StoryCote.