fresh flash
fiction &
modern fables
“We were all good girls before we touched the moon rock.”
Flash Fiction
WE ALL SHINE ON“Once there was a maiden, as resolute as she was lovely, who lived in a snow-bound village near the edge of the world. ”
Flash Fiction
THE SHE-WOLF“Once there was an oyster as dark and heavy as a coffin...”
Micro Fiction
LIGHT, TIDES AND TIME
For your reading pleasure, three tales about women and the moon.
Discover new science fiction, fables and fairy tales inspired by selenophilia. In We All Shine On, the students in a home economics class transform after exposure to lunar matter. In The She-Wolf, an unusual maiden and charming outsider embark on a strange escape by sled. And, in Light, Tides and Time, the moon herself has a rival.
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...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...Read more...Once there was a maiden, as resolute as she was lovely, who lived in a snow-bound village near the edge of the world. She knew myth from truth. No suitor could sway her if he did not have an honest tongue. So when the stranger came, a dark and handsome figure against the snow, she did not stir....Read more...Once there was an oyster as dark and heavy as a coffin. Seven fishermen hauled it up in the strongest of their nets and pried it open together. The pearl inside was even more luminous than the fairest maiden. It had no equal. It was, in fact, of such size and bright luster that it rivaled the...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...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...Read more...There were ten colored pencils for the off-season and twelve for the holidays. Dolores had worked at Bodie’s only florist for more than ten years, and she could count on one hand the number of times she’d needed to actually type an original expression for the enclosure card. Like a short-order...
- 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.