Mystery

A Crown of Beauty
“Do you remember that verse I told you about?” “The one from Isaiah?” “Yes. The one about a crown of beauty instead of ashes.”
By Sound and Spirit29 days ago in Fiction
Breakfast
The room was like any I had seen on any episode of Law and Order or other police procedural. They invited me here, said it was voluntary, but I knew it was not. After a while, I lost all track of time. I dozed off and then woke with a start. I’d read somewhere that Thomas Edison slept for an hour or two at a time, around the clock. Not much different from my own bouts insomnia.
By Mindy Reed29 days ago in Fiction
The Hollow Hunt
Every year, the small town of Willowcreek hosted its beloved Easter egg hunt in the sprawling meadow near the woods. Families would gather, baskets in hand, to search for the brightly colored eggs hidden among the grass and trees. It was a cherished tradition, a wholesome event that brought the community together. But this year, something was different.
By V-Ink Stories29 days ago in Fiction
Resurrection Sunday
The bell of St. Catherina’s Chapel rang out over the town of Black Hollow, its mournful toll cutting through the crisp Easter morning. The sound sent shivers down the spines of the townsfolk, who hurried to the chapel with lowered heads and heavy hearts. Easter was no time for joy in Black Hollow. It was a time of reckoning.
By V-Ink Stories29 days ago in Fiction
To Earn A Fortune
Hello. Seeing how you must have found yourself here, it seems you may require some... additional support. Therefore, I have taken the time to include an unnecessary extra clue for you. I was forewarned that this may be too difficult for some of my weaker-minded guests, so despite my confidences, I have installed these fail-safes.
By Emma Weir29 days ago in Fiction
Sitter Needed!
Good evening! If you’re reading this, I assume you found the key we left under the flowerpot without issue. I must apologise for the circumstances. We wouldn’t usually leave before your arrival - we were pressed for time!
By Sian N. Clutton30 days ago in Fiction
Solving the Mystery . Runner-Up in Instructions Included Challenge.
For every mystery explained, the walls of reality shift as though pretending to be solid —Lance Petersen *** Welcome to a comprehensive look into the world of plotting, suspense and justice. Plus, a few tricks of the trade. The purpose of this guide is to help anyone, and everyone who is intrigued by the ever-present mystery.
By Lamar Wiggins30 days ago in Fiction
THE METAMORPHOSIS: 3I/ATLAS DIDN'T JUST SURVIVE THE SUN. IT WOKE UP.
We were told to expect a disintegration. We were told that 3I/ATLAS, the mysterious traveler from the deep void, would likely crack and fade as it faced the inferno of its closest approach to the Sun. That is what comets do. They are fragile things, made of dirty ice and loose gravel, and when you drag them through the solar fire, they usually break apart or exhaust themselves. But 3I/ATLAS is not playing by the rules of our solar system. New data released this morning from the SPHEREx mission has stunned the astrophysical community. Instead of fading, the object has undergone a terrifying transformation. It is no longer the object we saw just a few months ago. It has shed its skin, changed its chemistry, and throttled up its activity to levels that border on the mechanical. The "Water" Explosion The most shocking number in the report is the "water-gas emission." Before it hit the perihelion (its closest point to the Sun), the object was venting a steady stream of vapor. But now? The emission is twenty times brighter. Let that sink in. A natural comet usually loses steam as it flies away from the heat source. 3I/ATLAS has done the opposite. It survived the fire, and now, on the outbound leg, it is pumping out water at a staggering rate of 180 kilograms per second. To the uninitiated, this sounds like melting. But look at the symmetry. The data shows that the water, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) are originating from a "symmetric region centered on the nucleus." This isn't the chaotic outgassing of a heating rock; this is a consistent, high-pressure release. It mimics the signature of a cooling system flushing its heat exchangers after a critical thermal event. The Skin Peel Even more disturbing is what happened to the surface. Before the Sun, 3I/ATLAS looked like an icy body. The spectrum was dominated by water ice. Now? The ice is gone. It has completely disappeared from the spectral signature. It has been replaced by "scattered-light plus thermal-emission from organo-silicaceous dust grains." In plain English: The white camouflage has burned off, revealing a dark, organic, silicon-based hull beneath. The object has effectively changed its colors, shifting from a reflective icy visitor to a low-albedo, dark traveler. The "cyanide (CN) and organic features" are now showing up clearly, suggesting these chemicals were hidden inside the water phase, waiting to be released. The Impossible Brightness Here is where the scientists are scratching their heads. The gas plume around the object is now a hundred times brighter than the nucleus itself. For a natural comet, this creates a mathematical nightmare. To get that much gas and that much brightness, you need a massive amount of surface area reacting to the sunlight. You need dust. Lots of it. But 3I/ATLAS isn't releasing normal dust. The SPHEREx team found no evidence of the fine, powdery dust that usually makes up a comet's tail. Instead, the data implies that the object is surrounded by "large dust grains." And when they say large, they aren't talking about sand. They are talking about boulders.
By Wellova 30 days ago in Fiction
A Practical Manual for Accountability. Winner in Instructions Included Challenge.
This manual exists because something already went wrong. If you are reading this, it is likely because You caused harm and tried to minimize it.
By Cadmaabout a month ago in Fiction
Pyro's Spell, Friday, May 18th, 2007
“Here you are ladies, early as usual.” Anton informed his six gorgeous passengers. “Same time again tonight?” Anton had landed one hell of a gig this time. All he had to do was pick up six exotic dancers at the same place and time, then drive them 20 minutes down the road. Each girl gave him $20 to drop them off, and another $20 when he picked them back up.
By Anton Mathias Heft about a month ago in Fiction
Visions of Tomorrow
Genre: Young Adult / Thriller / Supernatural Premise: A girl discovers she can see the future, but every vision comes with a dangerous cost.
By Millicent Chisomabout a month ago in Fiction
Right place
“How about that Taylor character, Jenkins?” “Taylor? Well… he certainly had a motive.” “Yeah, victim grassed him up for that bank job.”
By Raymond G. Taylorabout a month ago in Fiction