Short Stories / Flash Fiction

  • I’m honored to share that my short story “Letting Go” has been published in Gemini Magazine and received an Honorable Mention in their 2025 Short Story Contest. This story came after the sudden loss of my father. In those raw months of grief, I found myself writing about Emma—a woman who couldn’t scatter her father’s

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  •  The Crimson Trade 

     The Crimson Lugger sliced through the night fog, its three masts stark against the Hunter’s moon. Jane gripped the helm, knuckles white, the vessel’s carvel design straining as they outran the Revenue officers.  “Human blood cargo secured, Captain,” hissed Towzer, his face hidden beneath a blood-spattered shepherd’s smock. His identity, like all runners, remained shrouded

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  • The Home, She Gave Us

    In the kitchen of their Craftsman home, Rachel and Michael sat at the breakfast nook where Rose had served them Sunday pancakes for thirty years. Rachel’s fingers followed the willow pattern on her mother-in-law’s china, while Michael’s hands shook slightly as he poured coffee into Rose’s favorite floral mug. “The realtor confirmed that we can

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  • Two Tables at Thanksgiving

    Amidst the harsh cold and distant family, Specialist James Smith connects with his loved ones over a Thanksgiving call, feeling the weight of absence yet cherishing shared memories. Despite the physical distance, love endures as laughter and longing bind him to both his military brothers and family waiting at home, making his unique Thanksgiving a…

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  • The Gift of Freedom

    By: JD Devine From sunup to sundown, he remained tethered to his desk, fingers pounding away at a keyboard, helping build someone else’s dream. His heart ached for something greater, something beyond the tedious routine that had become his existence. But freedom felt like a distant myth, a story told to children who hadn’t yet

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  • Through Yellow Lace

    By: JD Devine Through the gap in the yellow lace curtains, I watch Mr. Hayes arrange his miniature soldiers every Tuesday morning. Each tin warrior stands at attention, their bayonets gleaming like silver needles. He positions them on his combat map. The parlor is a museum suspended in time. Sepia photographs in tarnished brass frames

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  • Grandmother’s Enoteca

    By: JD Devine The early morning vaporetto rocked against its dock, creaking against the worn wooden pylons as the briny scent of the lagoon drifted through the air. Caterina emptied her pockets on the old marble counter of the Enoteca, her grandmother’s old wine bar. Keys clicked on the marble—the heavy brass one for the

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