fresh flash
fiction &
modern fables
“Indubitably, the curse was intended to teach a lesson about patience or humility or some other such virtue.”
Flash Fiction
THE LADY AND THE LEMON TREE“Nightly they have been descending,
a synchronized dance from separate rooms. Each as age and ailment allow.”
Flash Fiction
SILVER KINGDOMS
“In stolen moments, she read about fairies, selkies and djinns, of magical resolutions for unfortunate girls.”
Short Story
TEMPORARY CHARMS
Charming tales for your reading pleasure.
This summer, discover a modern twist on fairy tales of handome princes and happily ever afters. In The Lady and the Lemon Tree, a damsel encounters an enchanted bird who claims lemon seeds hold the secret to happiness. In Silver Kingdoms, secretive seniors disappear each night, only to reappear the next morning with holes in their slippers. And in Temporary Charms, a young woman dances with a prince, thanks to the intercession of her fairy godmother, but all of the charms are repossessed at midnight.
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...Once upon a time, before you were born, in a kingdom too far to reach by foot or boat or pony, there lived a maiden who was quite unhappy. Like other ladies of other kingdoms in stories you’ve read, her mother died when she was young and her father had remarried. Her stepmother was, as expected,...Read more...Among the many residents of the Green Gardens Living Center, there are twelve silver-haired ladies, each one older and more apple-faced than the next. Their rooms are all in a row. They do not go in for water aerobics or bus outings to the casino. They keep among themselves, playing bridge or...Read more...Everything is temporary. Through the layers of silk organza, she could feel the warmth of his hand on the small of her back. He was as handsome as she’d imagined, and his hands were even stronger and more capable. There was something golden about him under the skin. Her wish had been a simple...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...I take 24 in the corner. But I won’t tell you what I keep in it yet. You really don’t need to bring anything here. In the atrium, there is always hot tea and yerba maté, fresh fruit and a crisp stack of magazines. The girls provide a warm robe and slippers and a little brass key that matches a...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.
Get a sneak peek.
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.