fresh flash
fiction &
modern fables
“Indubitably, the curse was intended to teach him a lesson about patience or humility or some other such virtue.”
Flash Fiction
THE LADY AND THE LEMON TREE“It is never less magical, never grows tiresome, never could compare to any dance far back home.”
Flash Fiction
SILVER KINGDOMS
“We were quiet for a moment, the troll and me. How pretty she must have been before she let herself go."
Flash Fiction
THE GREEN-EYED MONSTERFor your reading pleasure, three modern fairy tales.
Curl up with simply magical short fiction. In The Lady and the Lemon Tree, a damsel in distress encounters an enchanted bird who claims that lemon seeds hold the secret to happiness. In Silver Kingdoms, twelve secretive seniors at a Southern retirement home disappear each night, only to reappear the next morning with holes in their slippers. And, in The Green-Eyed Monster, three riddles must be answered before crossing the bridge to an ex-boyfriend.
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...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...I could see them all from the other side of the bridge. Kids were racing paper milk cartons, couples were canoodling in canoes, and even the ducks were fat and happy thanks to the generosity of picnickers. It was a summer day, and folks don’t take that for granted here. The north beach of the...More PostsStories Domestic
Discover fresh short fiction about everyday heartbreak and other crimes.
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,...Read more...I know you better than the milkman does. Sure, he can tell by your bottle count whether you’ve had a baby or lost one, whether you’re trying to lose weight or pamper a pet. He may see you in your skivvies as you reach through the door. He may know if you’re broke. But on my route, I see the...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...More Posts
- The Story Coterie Podcast
A new audio home for modern fables and fresh flash fiction is here. Learn more at and listen in now on Spotify,
Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Overcast, PocketCasts or RadioPublic.
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Listen to our latest episode.
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 - 2024 Candace L. Coulombe. All rights reserved. For reprints and permissions, contact StoryCote.