fresh flash
fiction &
modern fables
“I couldn’t help myself. When I kissed a collection of dark stars, the black outline of a crescent moon appeared on her shoulder.”
Flash Fiction
WRITTEN ON THE SKIN“ There’s already so much pain in the world, she can’t stand hurting another living thing. Except for me.”
Flash Fiction
HEARTS OF PALM“Sexy things only English majors would do to each other, with footnotes on how positions may vary according to AP or Chicago style.”
Flash Fiction
TEMPORARY INSANITY
For your reading pleasure, three that are green with envy.
Hey, jealousy. Discover short stories that summon heart-wrenching sensations. In Written on the Skin, an exceptional tattooed lady draws a true admirer. In Hearts of Palm, after a vegan couple breaks up, the café where they work sees unplanned menu changes. And, in Temporary Insanity, an office romance becomes uncomfortably complicated. And,
Explore more good reads in our libraries of stories fantastic and domestic or listen along at The Story Coterie podcast.Stories Fantastic
Discover modern fables of beauties, beasties and unearthly wonders.
Read more...We had a lot in common, Lola and me. We joined the 10-in-1 the same year, when we were both still kids, but the management seemed to neither notice nor mind. We each got paid $150 a week, better than almost anybody else in the company. At least four times what she’d make working in a clerical...Read more...It was February and the melt was months away. There was a certain quiet, a lonely beauty of which my telling cannot do justice. Imagine the word tree or swing the only thing on the page. Surrounded by white, the few things left showing become objects of art. Snow ribbed the overturned vessels...Read more...I don't cotton much to superstition. The world is so complex as it is, so full of marvels, I can't see adding any other conditions to what nature's already given. Most others here, though, seem to make things as complicated as possible. So many imaginary rules about what one must always and never...More PostsStories Domestic
Discover fresh short fiction about everyday heartbreak and other crimes.
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...Bisbee’s bottom itched hot with carpet burns, and her shoulder was scratched pink, courtesy of the keyboard tray. She was happily rife with bruises and bites and, in fact, dressed more conservatively now than before the misadventures began, lest she spike the curiosity of Human Resources. But her...Read more...I live economically. It’s why I often choose to holiday in Cortina d’Ampezzo. There, it’s enough for me to be seen entering Hotel Cristallo from the heli-pad. I don’t need a helicopter of my own — just the reputation that I do. The one extravagance I allow myself is my man Golding: bodyguard,...
- The Story Coterie Podcast
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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 - 2025 Candace L. Coulombe. All rights reserved. For reprints and permissions, contact StoryCote.