The Corkscrew Bid
Every wedding I've ever been to, I end up feeling like the furniture.
First Time stories
First Time stories. First Time stories, from quick reads to long series. Reads run 19 to 24 minutes. Writers to know: North Craft, Roan Diary and Midnight Gallery. Readers usually start with “The Corkscrew Bid” and “Horsehair and Mustard”. Ranked by how many readers finish them. Some are free to read in full; the rest open with a free preview.
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First Time stories, ranked by readers
01 02 Horsehair and Mustard
Okay so, the Mustard Festival in Urnäsch.
03 Ballast and Bread
Gail had been in Caherdaniel for fourteen months by then, and most of that time she had spent telling herself that starting over at…
04 The Hop Ties
The fairgrounds came into view right around the bend where Highway 12 dips past the water tower, and I felt my shoulders drop about two…
05 The Sandwich Board
I got the grease gun up under the axle of chute four and squeezed until the fitting took what it wanted.
06 The Stylist and the Salon Owner
My name is Cherie Denton, I'm twenty-four years old, and two years ago I married a woman.
07 The Corkscrew Lesson
I turned forty-three on a Tuesday, which is nobody's favorite birthday, let's be honest.
08 What I Kept Hidden
My name is Leanne, I'm thirty-four years old, and I own the only auction house in Fort Baines.
09 The Bake-Off After Hours
Tulani sat in her apartment on the Sunday evening and listened to the quiet.
10 The Crawlspace Pact
Nicky Middleton had her arm in the stock tank up to the shoulder, breaking ice out of it with a hammer, when her phone buzzed against her…
11 The Debt Was a Story
*This story came from a thought about debts and unexpected forms of payment.
12 Dares After Dark
I'm fifty-two years old, and until a year ago the most reckless thing I did on a Friday night was leave the dishes until Saturday.
13 The Last Choir Practice
I joined the choir six months ago.
14 The Ham Radio
I lost my wallet somewhere between the car park and the chippy, which is the sort of thing you do when you're fifty-two and your sister…
15 The Tuesday Arrangement
Three months ago I was a man with a five-year plan.
16 The Glasses Between Us
Belinda Gonzales was fifty-two years old and she held views about tip jars.
17 Line Work
I woke up alone in my own bed at seven in the morning, staring at the ceiling like it had answers, and the first thing I thought was: that…
18 The Worst First Date Ever
My name is Brent Jacobson, I'm 52 years old, and I've been a traveling salesman for twenty-eight years.
19 Voir Dire Redux
*This story came from watching how a shared experience, like jury duty, can turn two strangers into allies before they ever touch.
20 The Thirty-Ninth
The office at Bell's Automotive smelled like coffee and brake dust, which is not a combination I'd recommend to anybody.