On the Fringes of Reality

Where the ordinary world reveals its true nature

Navigation

About

On the Fringes of Reality is a collection of contemporary horror stories that explore the unsettling spaces where our ordinary world reveals its true nature. Each tale examines the familiar through a darker lens, finding terror in technology, relationships, and the everyday moments that suddenly turn strange.

  • Micro Monday: Dead to the World

    The scalpel traced the Y-incision across the cadaver’s chest. James concentrated on keeping his hand steady, aware of Dr. Winters watching from across the dissection lab. His appendectomy scar itched…

  • Last Words

    Maya’s phone held twenty-three recordings of people dying. Her latest was a homeless woman outside Tesco who’d clutched her hand and said “sorry” to someone who wasn’t there, her final…

  • Perfect You

    The Elevator Anthology – Part V The queue stretched three blocks. I’d been in 2035 for six hours and still didn’t understand what they were waiting for. A shop. Perfect…

  • Sunday Short: Shadows in the Abbey

    The parchment fell from between two stones like a whispered confession. Brother Osric had been checking the eastern wall—the autumn rains had loosened the mortar again—when the yellowed sheet tumbled…

  • The Naughty List

    The Latchkey – Part VI Santa had read approximately 847,000 letters that evening when he found the one that made him stop. The handwriting was spidery, uneven, as though written…

  • The Archivist’s Maze

    The letter from the Society arrived on a Tuesday, as such things invariably did. Mr. Edward Pembridge, junior fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, was to proceed with all haste…

  • Sunday Short: Please Stand Clear of the Doors

    The Elevator Anthology – Part IV The voice had changed. Martin noticed it on a Tuesday morning, waiting for the lift to descend from the ninth floor. The usual automated…

  • Classic Shorts: The Last Leaf by O. Henry

    The Art of Misdirection O. Henry’s The Last Leaf is a masterclass in narrative sleight of hand. Published in 1907, this deceptively simple tale demonstrates how a skilled writer can…

  • Sunday Short: The Quarry

    Ralph Dawson heard his name. Clear and certain, cutting through the hammering of his heart and Freddie’s ragged breathing beside him. Not a shout or a threat. Just his name.…

  • Flash Friday: Safe Keeping

    You remember that day, don’t you? The one where everything changed. We were in that coffee shop on the corner, the one with the crooked awning and the barista who…

  • [working title]

    The Latchkey – Part V [Editor’s note: This incomplete draft was discovered in Andy Brooke’s WordPress dashboard on 14th November 2024. He hasn’t responded to emails or phone calls since…

  • Classic Short: The Rats in the Walls by H.P. Lovecraft

    H.P. Lovecraft’s The Rats in the Walls is a masterclass in structural horror. It’s also deeply, irredeemably racist. Both things are true, and pretending otherwise helps no one. The question…

  • Flash Friday: The Brass Key

    The Latchkey – Part IV I have served in the Hendersons’ household for seven years, and in that time I have learnt to read the rhythms of the house as…

  • Micro Monday: Where Are You?

    What’s my middle name? WHAT’S MY MIDDLE NAME?

  • Halloween Short: The Costume Closet

    Danny Marsh had spent three weeks on his zombie costume. Three weeks of YouTube tutorials watched on a cracked phone screen, of measuring corn syrup into teacups while his mum…

  • Classic Shorts: The Voice in the Night – William Hope Hodgson’s Forgotten Masterpiece

    William Hope Hodgson occupies an odd position in the pantheon of early 20th century horror writers. Whilst his contemporaries (Lovecraft, MR James, Algernon Blackwood) remain widely read, Hodgson’s work has…

  • Micro Monday: Feeding Time

    “Third helping today,” Maureen said brightly, ladling more gravy onto Tyler’s plate. “Growing lad, aren’t you?” “Always room for seconds with this one,” Pat agreed, beaming. “Or thirds. Or fourths.”…

  • Sunday Short: Emergency Stop

    The Elevator Anthology – Part III The power cut hit just as Nadia pressed the button for the seventh floor. The lift jolted, lights flickering, then settled into a dim…

  • Flash Friday: The Glade

    Seth guided the drone over the treeline, thumbs working the controller. Up here, three hundred feet above the woods behind his new house, nobody could touch him. Nobody could shove…

  • Micro-Monday: Welcome Home

    The Latchkey – Part III You’ve been sitting in the same position for three hours now. That’s fine. Comfortable chair, good book, nothing urgent to do. Except you can’t remember…

  • Flash Friday: Traced

    The pattern appeared at 2:47am. Callum had been inside the Met’s facial recognition network for three hours, sifting through camera feeds across Zone 2, when he spotted it: the same…

  • The Gothic Hour: The Watchmaker’s Confession

    I have written this account in the solitary hours after midnight, when the house lies silent and my hands cease their trembling long enough to hold the pen. I write…

  • Micro Monday: Blood Pressure

    Vinny checked the paperwork twice. O-negative, taken this morning, properly stored. He held the bag up to the fluorescent light, examining the colour. Rich. Healthy. The donor had excellent iron…

  • Sunday Short: Going Up

    The Elevator Anthology – Part II The lift doors opened with a cheerful chime, and Zara stepped inside, smoothing down her interview suit one last time. Ground floor. She pressed…

  • 5 Heinlein Stories That Predicted How Technology Would Change Us

    Robert A Heinlein imagined future gadgets, sure, but he grasped something more fundamental: technology changes who we are as much as what we do. Writing decades before smartphones and social…