The holder of realism mocked the gatekeeper of fantasy. They had a bet: which characters would break when tossed into different realities? They were gods, prideful and foolish. Zayden and Lora were the unlucky pawns in this twisted game. When a character is dropped into this world, you’d think it a good thing. But this is realism, and the truth is far more bitter.

A man accustomed to the cruelty ...

Santa Claus reminded me of the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. He could always find me, wherever I went—almost like he was waiting for me.

At every five-year interval at Christmas, I would get a doll. It was fun at first, till it wasn’t.

It was always the same doll: black hair, black empty unblinking eyes that stared at me, and a red hooded dress. It reminded me of litle red riding hood.

It c...

There was no going back.There wasn’t another way.

The dead branches swayed their welcome. The old swing beside the mansion creaked woth each swing.

A couple of steps lead me further away from all that i knew.

A prompt decision taken to heart.

My soul burned with fear and excitement for the unknown.

The crows circling me seems to cheer for my foolishness.

For who would be calm in such unfort...

A hand tapped on my shoulder, and I raised one side of my headphones. The heavy noise of whirring machinery cutting into dense metal assaulted my ears with a grating nerve. “They need you up at Sector Five.” My colleague, who had been working with me and other teams to disassemble the mysterious ship that crash-landed hours ago, patted my shoulder. With a heavy sigh, I checked that I was still str...