a
Surface Tension

Surface Tension

by | Jul 2, 2026 | D, David Bates, Short Story

The water is wrong. Not just the temperature, though the cold gnaws at me, it’s the thickness, the weight of it. It’s like the neon from the signs overhead – pink, cyan, green – has bled into it, tainted it and made it viscous and dense. The...
The First Passing

The First Passing

by | Mar 11, 2025 | D, David Bates, Short Story

I stood triumphantly, my head held high and my chest swelling with pride. My first successful passing; I had nailed it. It went exactly as the manuals said; scythe sharp as bone and robes dark as the midnight sky. The newly deceased had trembled in fear, like they...