Magical Realism Fiction Short Stories

“In villages where women bore most of the weight of a constricted life, witches flew by night on broomsticks,” said Italo Calvino of the way imagination bridges the gap between everyday existence and an idealized alternative. The 15 stories of Animal Wife are each about girls and women who cross this threshold seeking liberation from family responsibilities, from societal expectations, from their own minds.

Iris Harper has lived in Pendleford for decades. The local witch is mistrusted by the townsfolk, but that doesn't stop some coming to her begging for potions, spells and quick-fixes. As time has marched on suddenly Iris is aware that her days are beginning to fade. Her sumptuous garden is turning against her, the sweet scent of rot potent and now a young girl has come begging for a solution at her door. Yet, the problem she brings causes Iris to remember a man from long ago - the man she loved, the man she could never trust.

Semi-autobiographical in nature, these 14 stories span the period from the author's childhood to the present. We are introduced, in a series of beautifully imagined and crafted cameos, to the author's family, friends, and various other people who left a lasting impression on him. In other stories we revisit Bond's beloved Garhwal hills and the small towns and villages that he has returned to time and again in his fiction.

An ailing farmer in rural Iran unearths an extraordinary find: two parsnips, grown together and looking for all the world like entwined lovers. For now, the sublime treasure is his secret. Wrapping it in a silk handkerchief, he nestles it away in a dresser drawer. Day after day, he gazes at their unmistakable rapture, reminded of the long-gone youthful passions he once shared with his wife. So, too, he mourns the inevitable - the eventual decay of the parsnips in love. When he decides to share his discovery with the world, his life and the lives of those around him connect and change.

Scant years after the Civil War, a mysterious family confronts the legacy that has pursued them across centuries, out of slavery, and finally to the idyllic peace of the town of Rosetree. The shattering consequences of this confrontation echo backwards and forwards in time, even to the present day.

A family gift of reading the spirits in flames has taken everything from her, but can it give her everything she needs? In The Stars Will Guide Us Back, 13 short stories encapsulating the elements of speculative fiction and magical realism travel the themes of mental health, loss, mortality, self-confidence, and finding hope through difficult circumstances. Explore the immersive worlds within, along with a range of peculiar, distinct, and queer characters.

Un placido lago di montagna ha un abitante misterioso, un essere solitario che conduce la sua esistenza in una caverna sottomarina. Da sotto la superficie dell'acqua, senza mai farsi vedere, osserva il mondo esterno, ne invidia i colori sgargianti, e guarda con curiosità e paura a quegli esseri così diversi da lui che animano le rive del lago. Può sentire le vibrazioni dei loro sentimenti, ma ha troppa paura per mostrarsi. Quando arriva sul pontile una ragazza speciale, dai capelli rossi e lo sguardo triste, tutto cambia. Le sue vibrazioni sono diverse da quelle di tutti gli altri.

The original Ferris wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Roughly 280 million people visit theme parks every year and take approximately 1.7 billion rides. And there are slightly fewer than 10 Ferris wheel-related deaths each year. So the odds are generally in your favor. But Cody Jackson wasn't aware of any of this.

Seven compelling stories of obsession, loss, redemption and hope are brought together in this unsettling and original anthology. From ethereal speculation to rekindling forgotten love, these beautifully crafted tales explore human nature in all its diversity. Sometimes disturbing, sometimes inspirational, they all have a metaphorical richness that will take you into an uncanny world that straddles the line between the real and the imagined.

To some this is may seem like a symbolic story of the karmic stagnation of the Human Collective, which is saved by the wisdom and guidance of an over soul, by using the primordial elements of pure creation and the loving union of the Divine Female and Male Principles. Actually, this is just another story of astral space sex, twin flames, tuxedo tee shirts, and one more apocalypse diverted by multidimensional intergalactic sperm.

Scion Thantosa is the heir of ancient protectors called Infinites. He'll choose his path in a fight that has endangered human and Amalgams races: Rippers, Iclings, Spiritans, Robomancers, and Technopires to name a few. He is armed with a mean swing from shiny new Cyborg arms, destructive magic granted by ever-glowing Dragonstones, ill-timed smack talk, and an awesome green hairdo given by the two hottest elves this side of the North Pole.

It was a beautiful morning. Despite the ancient oracle's strange warning, Lydia set sail. She was experienced. She had done this plenty of times before. The oracle offered her a lucky talisman. Lydia took it. Now, it seems both their luck has run out. She is stuck on an island with a charm whose magic is spent. Will it ever return, or is she doomed to spend the rest of her life marooned in the middle of nowhere?

Colum McCann, a writer of fierce originality and haunting lyricism, turns to the troubles in Northern Ireland and reveals the reverberations of political tragedy in the most intimate lives of men and women, parents and children.

Shattered is one of four short stories in this compilation. Between them, they explore paranormal and ghostly activities, a paddlesteamer wreck and its implications, near drowning and a mystery stranger. The stories explore relationships and reactions between the characters and are infused with atmospheric sound effects.

This magical realist short tale was inspired by the Latin American myth of El Sombrerón, the nighttime guardian of peace and justice. El Sombrerón arrives in a sleepy town to find that a young girl has stolen a golden necklace. El Sombrerón must convince the girl to return the necklace so she can avoid El Sombrerón’s justice…and before the sun rises.

If you're a Twilight Zone lover or a fantasy freak, this short story about a woman's journey of self-discovery will keep you hooked right up to the end.

Like a genie’s lamp, whenever someone rubs against the coin, their deepest wish comes true. The other effect is that rubbing on the coin also brings them what they need the most. This coin only works once for each person but has changed hands many times.

Sixteen speculative fiction adventures, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to magical realism. No horror. Each single page story is about a two minute listen. The titles are based on anagrams of "social distancing" and were used as writing prompts - none of the stories are specifically about the coronavirus (COVID-19) or the pandemic. Some titles remained connected to the final version of the story. Others, not so much.

Two Tales of Horror and the Paranormal is a two-story bundle. In it you'll see that things aren't always as they seem - that there's a lot more to some humdrum, everyday lives than the people living them ever dared to imagine. And the implications are, well, sometimes frightening...

Janet Williams is practically invisible. If only she had the pluck to speak up at work, flirt with the handsome barista she sees every day, and realize how special she is. When a magical wig offers Janet a chance to shake things up, will she dare to try a bold new style? The voice in her head - flashy and fierce, with an unbridled southern drawl - tells her to go for it. And once she does, there’s no turning back.