The Diving Bell's Echo
I woke at four without the alarm, which was a small mercy because the alarm on a Saturday was the sound of my own regret.
NonHuman stories
NonHuman stories. NonHuman stories, from quick reads to long series. Reads run 19 to 25 minutes. Writers to know: Harbor Engine, Street of Jasper and The Harbor Table. Readers usually start with “The Diving Bell's Echo” and “The Jam Vendor”. 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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NonHuman stories, ranked by readers
01 02 The Jam Vendor
Debra figured the market would be dead on a Thursday, so she left her van in the gravel lot behind the grange hall and gave herself twenty…
03 Ink and Brine
Emily stared at the wrist tattoo while the ink gun hummed on the counter next to her.
04 Stale Croissants and Sharp Claws
The croissants collapsed.
05 The Last Spin
The laundromat smelled like old dryer sheets and dust, and Marion stood in front of the change machine for the third time, patting her…
06 The Regular's Return
Liza woke up on the floor.
07 The Wrong Carriage
I'll say this up front: I'm Lyle, forty-four years old, and I drive the number 7 bus out of Brighton depot four days a week.
08 The Lifeguard's Last Con
Jenny sat on the floor of her apartment, surrounded by boxes she had not finished packing.
09 Trucking with the Sky Thing
Thirty-one years I been driving freight.
10 The Key to Room 12
The elevator in Shirley's building had a mirror in it, and I made the mistake of looking into it on the ride up.
11 The Morning After the End
Evangeline woke up to an arm across her ribs and a ceiling she didn't recognize.
12 The Guard's Debt
Theresa Mullen, thirty-four years old and tired down to her bones, locked the last door on the south hall and stood there for a second…
13 Greenhouse Glow
The car didn't want to start.
14 A Second Chance at Us
Kali was chopping onions when the doorbell rang, which meant the doorbell rang at the exact moment she had onion juice on her fingers and…
15 The Aftermath of Form
Kathy was twenty-three, and she was learning that freedom mostly felt like a headache.
16 Map of Unspoken Things
The county sent me out to the records office in March, right when the roads were still half mud and the furnace in the old building was…
17 Chime and Claim
Erika had a rule about herself, and the rule was this: she was never surprised.
18 Blueprints and Moonlight
Sammi Winston was thirty-three years old and had planned forty-one weddings, and she would tell anyone who stood still long enough that…
19 Boo the Monster for Hire
The tent smelled like pine oil and someone else's vanilla candle, and Delia had long since stopped noticing either.
20 Wings of Gratitude
The announcement came over the speakers at four forty on a Tuesday, and Rana Allbright heard maybe half of it.
NonHuman, by tag
Matter-of-fact nonhumanPlayful and teasing nonhumanBreathless and eager nonhumanOil and massage nonhumanService provider and client nonhumanTender and slow nonhumanRivals nonhumanRaw and blunt nonhumanDark and intense nonhumanChastity nonhumanSize difference nonhumanOnline match meeting in person nonhumanWriters known for it
Harbor Engine, Street of Jasper, The Harbor Table, Meridian Ticket