Weird Strange

"Rome was a poem pressed into service as a city.” In that short line, Anatole Broyard, a 20th century American writer, compactly captures the timeless and enchanting beauty that resides within the Eternal City of Rome. This tourist destination is often one of the highest ranked on bucket lists, for how could one not want to experience its marvelous ruins, mirror-like rivers, and spectacular stretches of aqueducts, firsthand?

He meets a sexy woman at the bar who promises to show him the stars. She delivers, but his life will never be the same again. Around 3,300 words.

A trio of outlaws are released from an orbiting prison and sent back to their home planet. The catch? Find the president's missing son, and you’ll be pardoned by the Federation. Welcome to the desert planet of Lazarus, the hottest place in the universe inhabited by humans. It’s not only the heat that will kill you. Lazarus is also home to a spectrum of deadly creatures who have clawed out a living in the harsh desert, and they don’t take kindly to visitors. Not to mention the gangs of vicious bandits roving the land in search of anyone to kill and steal from. As descendants of tough ...

Paddy Keenan enjoyed a drink. Some might say he enjoyed it too much. And when, in 1970s Dublin, the Keenan family come into a duck, the combination of it and Paddy's imbibing can have but one conclusion. From award winning author, Robert E. Kearns comes, The Feathers Flew; a short story with an extraordinary ending. Painting the picture of suburban life in a vanished era, Kearns poetic style leads us to a shocking and disturbing conclusion. Once read, The Feathers Flew is sure to linger on in your worst nightmares. Now with an editorial review from Readers' Favorite.

A rich collection of diverse and fascinating stories by famous classic authors. 1.The Bus Conductor by E. F. Benson 2.The Murderer by Perceval Gibbon 3.The Death Mask by H. D. Everett 4.Caterpillars by E. F. Benson 5.His Brother’s Keeper by W. W. Jacobs 6.The Secret of the Black Bag by William Le Queux 7.A Joy Ride by A. J. Alan 8.The Perfect Murder by Stacy Aumonier 9.The Furnished Room by O. Henry 10.The Squaw by Bram Stoker 11.The Dust Cloud by E. F. Benson 12.The Idiot by Arnold Bennett

FELL WANTS REVENGE. WHAT'S INSIDE HIM JUST WANTS BLOOD. The kid dry-gulched Fell and left him for dead. Fell didn't die -but the medicine woman only saved him through an awful bargain. Fell lives, bound to a malignant spirit that thirsts for blood and consumes men's souls. Now Fell's on the kid's trail, but can he control what's inside him? Or will it destroy him too? "The Other" - plus two more Strange Tales of the West!

In every writer's drawer there are stories. Some good, some terrible, some destined to never see the light of day. Eventually the question becomes what to do with these orphaned stories? Are they doomed to forever remain in the drawer, or should they crawl out one day and hope to see the light? These are those stories that have been dusted off and put into a new format. Seven tales of speculative fiction collected and repackaged. Travel to distant lands and explore the depth of human emotions as you explore the worlds with these characters on their adventures. "The Isle of Eden" - a lone ...

They were sisters... when one calls on Satan for revenge the other is willing to assist. With a deadly combination of black magic and teenage hormones, the girls soon get what they asked for and more!

If we follow Christ, we're not supposed to be like everyone else. We’re supposed to be a little bit…well, weird. The whole point of Christianity is to become more like Jesus and less of who we are when left to our own devices and desires—to become less like the rest of the world, less normal.

Most of us have at some point in our lives felt like an outsider, sometimes considering ourselves "too weird" to fit in. Growing up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas, Olga Khazan always felt there was something different about her. This feeling has permeated her life, and as she embarked on a science writing career, she realized there were psychological connections between this feeling of being an outsider and both her struggles and successes later in life.

Approximately 80 percent of Americans admit they haven’t read the Bible. If they did, they’d be pleasantly surprised by its impressive quantity of sex and poop jokes. David danced naked. Noah was basically a moonshining hillbilly. Ezekiel baked poop bread. Herod was eaten by worms. Jesus cursed a fig tree, just to prove he could. Mark went streaking. Hosea married a prostitute. Lot was date-raped by his own daughters. It turns out, there’s a lot of weird stuff in the Bible.

March is a month of surprises, and this edition of Incredibly Strange & Completely Random Holidays is filled with unique and unexpected ways to celebrate! From honoring our four-legged heroes on National K9 Veterans Day to embracing the quirks of Awkward Moments Day, this month proves that even the most random holidays have fascinating origins. Discover the mathematical magic of National Pi Day, have some fun speaking about yourself in the third person on Talk in Third Person Day, and explore even more offbeat traditions, fun facts, and delicious recipes inspired by the season. Whether ...

Step into the shadows—if you dare. Flowers at Midnight is a razor-sharp collection of flash fiction that packs a punch in 300 words or less. Each story is a fleeting glimpse into the uncanny, the eerie, and the unexplainable. From cursed objects and vengeful spirits to ancient rituals gone wrong and eldritch creatures hiding in plain sight, this collection blends the chilling atmosphere of horror with the dark beauty of fantasy. Perfect for fans of bite-sized terror, haunting imagery, and twist endings that linger long after the final sentence, these stories are designed to be devoured in...

“COME AND VISIT THE TIMELESS, OFF-THE-GRID BEAUTY OF REA NOOK!” Terrance is a handyman that has been handy so many times for so many people, he is desperate to step away from it all. One day he sees an enticing brochure for Rea Nook, a charming community tucked deep in the mountains. Terrance is lured away from his beat-up apartment and into a world where everything feels familiar and near perfect—yet nothing is quite what it seems. The citizens of Rea Nook are undeniably friendly and helpful—to a point. Without a doubt, they are hiding something important and, though they drop hint...

In this Black Mirror style series, each Witching Hour 60-minute read takes you on an edge-of-your-seat journey that can be read in a single sitting. In Outward, we follow the life of Robby Boulder, a teenage addict who is forced to attend a new-age, walk-in-the-woods-style rehab. After the death of his father the previous year, he found himself in the throes of addiction. Then, late one evening, he woke up to a figure in his room, shaking him awake. The man dragged him into his van with three other troubled teens, promising salvation for the price of one week in the woods. But, once Robby ...

a little girl named Fly hears her mom’s outrageous story about why she has such a silly name…

Step into the darkness with me, where things are not always as they seem. In As Night Falls, the shadows grow longer and the secrets become darker. In this collection of short stories, you will meet a variety of characters, each with their own story to tell. But be warned, these tales will leave you wondering what may happen next. In "The Bad Deal," a seemingly innocent transaction turns out to be anything but. "Diary of a Monster" will make you question who the real monsters are. And in "Sounds Like Trouble," a simple noise may lead to danger. But it's not all suspense and thrills. "Cash ...

Two friends embark on a walking tour of northern France, but they encounter a strange fellow traveller who they struggle to shake off on their journey.

Science Fiction Gender Bender EroticaJim Johnson goes from the boardroom to the bedroom in a flash. As a legal drug salesman in the year 2024, he is at the top of his game. On the way down, he sees an opportunity to increase the amount of time he has to make money before he retires. He signs up for Unit Z to test a new drug created by Doctor Quinton. Taking the new drug is supposed to transform him into a younger, female body. The problem is there's a side effect no one had ever considered! After Jim Johnson is switched into Jenni, she continues to legally sell drugs, especially the ...

Welcome to Umberia, a land where magick is as potent as one can maintain interest, where dogheaded sailors traverse the vast seas, and where the gods sent a great flood that nearly destroyed the world. Enter Jake, Tessa and Charlie, three friends from California, who have no idea how they got there or what the strange disk like scars that have suddenly appeared on their backs mean. It isn't long before certain interests pray on the three "smoothskins" from elsewhere and put the friends to the test on whether or not to help with the crusade to kill the gods, and who to trust meanwhile. Jake ...