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Most recently published stories on Vocal.

A Thought That Arrived Like a Robber
I don't know why I cried, and I guess deep down I don't really want to know the reason. I'm not ready to search for it myself. As I'm about to run away to my solitude retreat, I started to feel the turbulence that comes from breaking the safe, peaceful routines I've kept for months. Even though I'm not saying goodbye to the people in my daily life just yet, I already feel myself missing those who truly live in my world.
By Falls Shu25 days ago in Journal
UAE Gas Field Set Ablaze as Iran Strikes Squeeze Energy Supplies. AI-Generated.
The Middle East has once again become the center of global attention as tensions escalate across the Persian Gulf. A major gas field in the United Arab Emirates was reportedly set ablaze following a strike attributed to Iran, raising concerns that the ongoing regional conflict is expanding into a broader campaign targeting energy supplies.
By Ali Khan25 days ago in The Swamp
The Channel 3 Broadcast Archive: Why I Stopped Buying Unmarked VHS Tapes
There is a specific smell to forgotten media. It’s a mixture of degrading plastic, basement mildew, and the metallic tang of static electricity. If you frequent estate sales in the rural Midwest, you know exactly the scent I’m talking about. Most people go looking for antique furniture or vintage jewelry. I go looking for magnetic tape.
By The Glitch Archive25 days ago in Horror
The Black Forest Hunter. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
A Horror Story in Ten Parts Part One: The Illusion - Evening crept through the trees of the forest like a frightened shadow, and the fog thickened like the breath of hidden creatures lurking behind the ancient oak trunks. Khalid stood at the edge of the woodland he had frequented for forty years, but today he felt something different. Something was watching him. Not from inside the forest, but from behind him. From the village.
By youssef mohammed25 days ago in History
Don’t “Blackmail” Us: Europe Rejects Trump’s Demand to Help Clean Up Hormuz Mess. AI-Generated.
Relations between the United States and Europe have once again been strained after former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized European allies for refusing to take a larger role in securing the vital shipping routes of the Strait of Hormuz. European officials responded sharply, rejecting what they described as political “blackmail” and insisting that Washington cannot expect automatic support for policies that Europe had little role in shaping.
By Ali Khan25 days ago in The Swamp
Iran Targets Commerce as Drone Hits Dubai Airport; Israel Says War Will Go On. AI-Generated.
The Middle East has entered another dangerous phase of instability as tensions between Iran and Israel increasingly spill beyond traditional military targets. A reported drone strike near Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates has raised alarm among governments and global markets, signaling that commerce and infrastructure may be the next front in an already volatile confrontation.
By Ali Khan25 days ago in The Swamp
Words
I try to choose my words carefully because I want you to understand me to know exactly what I mean. Yet so often you react
By Tina D. Lopez25 days ago in Poets
I Thought I Was Just Tired
I was forty-four years old and I thought I was just tired. I was in heart failure. They opened my chest. Triple bypass.
By Leslie L. Stevens Writer | Marfa, Texas25 days ago in Poets
Trump Criticizes Allies Who Rebuffed His Calls to Help Secure Strait of Hormuz. AI-Generated.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed criticism of traditional American allies who declined his earlier requests to help secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint that carries a significant portion of the world’s oil supply. His comments have revived a long-running debate over whether allies should share more responsibility for global security operations and how the United States should approach maritime protection in volatile regions.
By Ali Khan25 days ago in The Swamp
Your Child Won't Read if You Don't
It can’t be easy being a good parent. It requires patience, time management skills, emotional and physical endurance, and the capacity to love someone more than yourself.
By Kera Hollow25 days ago in Families
City of plague:A New Yorker’s pandemic chronicle Pt 16.
The sky that morning looked as if it had sunk into a deep gray abyss. Then, without warning, the rain began. At first the drops were scattered, but soon they grew heavier—big, bean-sized drops pounding the pavement with relentless persistence. The rain fell harder and harder until the entire city seemed swallowed by it. It had already been raining for an entire morning, stubborn and unyielding, as if the storm had made up its mind not to leave.
By Peter25 days ago in Fiction
FREE Stuff From Your Local Public Library
When was the last time you visited a public library? If it’s been a while, you’re probably missing out on tons of fun freebies beyond books. In a world where free stuff is nearly unheard of, the library is a gold mine of resources available to borrow or use with your library card.
By Criminal Matters25 days ago in Lifehack