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Showing posts with the label Life

The First Generation of Soldiers

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A group of farmers come together to save their community from a rogue group of hunters. Reading time: 5 minutes. The First Generation of Soldiers They were farmers, not soldiers. Their forefathers had given up hunting a long, long time ago. Now they lived in a community, not in caves; they ate self-grown food, not hunted animals. They had discovered trade routes and developed commerce with other communities. The new generation of farmers lived in harmony and believed in peace. It was an age of evolution. They used to be wild and savage; but, now they were benevolent and civilized. Instead of killing innocent animals, they farmed cattle and poultry. Some of them kept canines as guards and small cats as pets. They advanced their craftsmanship. They discovered art, music, and entertainment. Their days would go in hard work like working the fields, catering for the farms, building their shelters, and cooking food for everyone. Their evenings would submerge in the celebration of anot
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It's Still a Jungle Out There

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Unconventional methods of an eccentric defence coach. Reading time: 4 minutes. It’s Still a Jungle Out There Tina and Monica were returning home from work late at night. Usually, they’d take a cab, but that day, they couldn’t find one. It was a freezing night in January. No one would dare to come out to face such slow chilly winds. Tina and Monica were involuntarily cluttering their teeth while walking on the sidewalk. They tried to talk and make it bearable, but nothing. It was better if they walked faster and got to their shared apartment. They didn’t think they’d meet or see anybody on their way, but they did. A man appeared at the other end of the street. He was fully covered in woollen clothes. Monica grabbed Tina’s arm. “Relax,” Tina whispered to Monica. When the man got closer, he reached into his front pocket, took out a switchblade and flicked it open. Monica screamed inaudibly and almost stopped. Tina had to hold onto Monica’s arm and drag her. The man probably beg
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A Mythical Night

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A man meets an eccentric man on his way back home from the office, and he has what can only be called a mythical night. Reading time: 7 minutes. A Mythical Night There was something different about that night, something magical. John was on his way back home from work. He got off the bus and strolled towards his building. It was about half a mile from the bus stop. He was in his mind, probably humming a song when he bumped into this gentleman. “Oh, I’m sorry,” John apologised. “I didn’t see you there.” “It’s not your fault,” the gentleman clarified. “How could you have seen me? I’ve just arrived here.” “Okay, um—have a nice evening.” John started to leave, but the gentleman crossed his path. John got a little worried. “Excuse me, uh, Mr...?” “You can call me John.” "Oh, okay, nice to meet you, John," the gentleman shook John's hand. "My name is—well, I have many names, but you can call me Adam.” "Okay, can I help you, Adam?" “Yeah, I was just won
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The God of Lies

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A nine-year-old kid learns to lie and eventually becomes the true god of lies. Reading time: 7 minutes. The God of Lies “Dad, why did you lie to them?" the kid asked innocently. The father did not know what to say. It's pretty hard to make a nine-year-old kid understand why you called in sick at work when you are perfectly up and running. “You see, champ, daddy wants some rest today, so he could work double tomorrow. If you see it that way, it’s a good lie. And, you get to spend all day with me.” The kid did not ask another question; He was trying to grasp the concept of a good lie. Poor kid would spend his entire childhood figuring this out. He would not get it until the day he would lie, himself, for the first time. The kid came back from school. It was a couple of weeks later. His mother asked him, “Did you finish your lunch, sweety?” He opened his mouth to say ‘no’, but what came out was, "Yes, mom." That was the moment. He learned that if lying can keep h
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Masks

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A man, fed up with his life, walks out at night to end it but ends up in a secret place where his life changes forever. Reading time: 17 minutes. Masks Chapter One — Not Allowed to be Normal "S o, got any plans for tonight?" asked Charlie. "Nah, just the usual. Falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV," Stanley replied in a tired voice. "Come on," said Charlie, picking up a king and placing it on an empty slot. He was playing solitaire on his computer instead of working. "It's Friday night, and Halloween is coming. I think it's gonna be twice as crazy out there tonight." "This is Crime City, Charlie. Every night here is Halloween night, and crazy is kinda your thing. I'm good at normal," Stanley said without looking at Charlie, who was sitting on his right. He was instead focused on the report he had to submit before the end of the day. "Exactly, this is Crime City, and nobody is allowed to be normal here. This
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Top Stories from XTales.net

The Companion

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A seven-year-old boy finds a doppelganger of him while playing in his backyard, and he does the worst he could've done; he brings him home. Reading time: 19 minutes. The Companion Chapter One — The Changed Plan I had been watching him for a few days now. He was seven. Only child. I had learnt his routine. Six hours in the school, rest in the house, secure and out of reach. The only time he would come out was just a little before sunset to play in his backyard. I watched him play all by himself, alone. I pitied him. He had no one to play with, but that was ideal for me. This was the perfect time to strike. So I made a plan. The next evening, when he was playing in the backyard, throwing around a big ball, I approached him from the bushes. He heard me and got alerted. He was looking in the bushes, and then without any prompt, he threw the ball at me. I caught it. He knew that whoever was in the bushes wasn't an animal. He knew that whoever was in there had hands. He took a f
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Killer vs Killer - XTales (Thriller, Serial Killers, 10-20 mins., Creepypasta)

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A serial killer breaks into a house. Then begins the chase of cat and mouse, the game of predator and prey. Reading time: 12 minutes. Now Also available on Wattpad and Pratilipi . Chapter One - The Chances There was something eerie about that evening. The wind was witnessing the gloom that covered the city. The street lights were trying to light up every dark corner. They were afraid if they failed, something sinister might develop. A stray dog was lurking in the street, looking for something to eat. It stopped to smell a piece of garbage beside the pedestrian path. It was trying to decide if it was edible just when its eyes lit, and its head jerked up in response to the sudden movement. I turned on the light in the living room and looked outside the window at the stray dog, who stared at me for a second and then went along to do whatever it was doing. I looked across the street and the hazy sky. It was so calm that one would not have suspected a thing before stepping out of the
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Masks

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A man, fed up with his life, walks out at night to end it but ends up in a secret place where his life changes forever. Reading time: 17 minutes. Masks Chapter One — Not Allowed to be Normal "S o, got any plans for tonight?" asked Charlie. "Nah, just the usual. Falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV," Stanley replied in a tired voice. "Come on," said Charlie, picking up a king and placing it on an empty slot. He was playing solitaire on his computer instead of working. "It's Friday night, and Halloween is coming. I think it's gonna be twice as crazy out there tonight." "This is Crime City, Charlie. Every night here is Halloween night, and crazy is kinda your thing. I'm good at normal," Stanley said without looking at Charlie, who was sitting on his right. He was instead focused on the report he had to submit before the end of the day. "Exactly, this is Crime City, and nobody is allowed to be normal here. This
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The Bloodsuckers

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The recent disappearances have garnered the attention of a college senior who suspects the involvement of vampires. Reading time: 15 minutes. The Bloodsuckers Chapter One — Halloween A van came to a stop on the bridge in the middle of the night. Two hooded figures dropped out. One of them stood guard while the other circled to the back and dragged out something long and heavy wrapped in heavy-duty plastic. The one who stood guard gave a hand. They picked it up and put it on the railing. The first one then got back into the van and started it just on time to cover the loud crashing of the dead body on the water. Before anyone could notice anything, the van had disappeared. October had arrived. The wind had a hint of the approaching winter. The days had started to fall short. People had not yet begun to react to this change, but the sun went down as early as five o'clock, and it was almost at the horizon that day when Ahmed, Vikram and Nina were sitting in a restaurant, killing t
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Cottage Number 13

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Two young YouTubers go on a life-changing adventure to a haunted cottage in a forest where they get trapped until a mysterious saviour arrives. Reading time: 17 minutes. Chapter One — Poking Around Dead Things "H ello guys, welcome back to our channel Mid-Night Mysteries," said Tammy, pointing the camera at himself. "As you can see, we have finally arrived at cottage number 13. Phew! Honestly, guys, it wasn't easy; the travel alone was exhausting. Back there, you can see Ash unpacking our bags. We are gonna take a good nap before we set up our equipment, but before that, let me show you guys around." He stood up and started pointing his Handycam all around the cottage. It was an old cottage. The dust had covered everything, including the floor and the wooden furniture. The lanterns on the walls were evidence that nobody had rented this cottage for quite a long time. Ash was now lighting up those lanterns while Tammy walked out. "Let me take you outside.
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The Hunt

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A farmer and his family were preparing to go to sleep when they were attacked by someone or something. Reading time: 13 minutes. The Hunt 1 The bright full moon shone on the village. It was a not-so-cold night of February. I had just finished my dinner and was singing my kids a lullaby. Their mother, my wife, sat on the opposite end of the bed, running her hands across my kids' foreheads, smiling. "...and all the tune that he could play, Was 'over the hills and far away." My cattle rested in the shed with my dog there to protect them. They felt safe together. There was little to no wind swaying across my fields of maize surrounding my farm. It was a quiet night, so my kids fell asleep rather quickly. I slowly faded down my voice to mere whispering and eventually stopped singing. “...over the hills and a great way off, The wind shall blow my top-knot off.” My kids were fast asleep. I ran my hand through their hair too, kissed on their foreheads, trying not to wak
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Keepers of the Knowledge

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A strange tale of an alien, a time travelling woman and a man with a library of hidden knowledge, the tale of their adventure through a desert when they are chased by a mysterious phantom. Reading time: 15 minutes 25 seconds. Previously - An Evoking from the Stars – An alien lands in ancient Egypt and walks across the middle east following a signal, looking for someone. & The Creator and the Creation – Bela decides to fix the time machine that she found in her basement to go meet her father who went missing before she was born. Chapter One T he dry and hot desert was unwelcoming. The scorching heat was like hell-fire. The sun may as well have sucked the life out of any inhabitants right way instead of drying them up bit by bit. The hot winds were no comfort either. Every gust was like a slap to the face. Every shrug was a decree of death to the ears. The hot sand covered the land that one could see from their feet to the horizon. There was not a single tree in sight, a petty littl
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Don't Let Her See My Face - XTales (Sci-Fi, Dreams & Illusions, 20-40 mins, Creepypasta)

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A woman is trapped in a dark and unknown place, haunted by her thoughts and memories. Then a stranger arrives to rescue her. Reading time: 28 minutes. Now, also available on Wattpad and Pratilipi. Chapter One - Lost 'Why is it so dark here?' she thought. 'Why is it so—,' she looked around, '—quiet and deserted?' She was walking down a street that looked familiar. It was a grey night. 'Where is this light coming from?' she wondered. Everything glowed so faintly that it was difficult to locate the light source. It looked like that time of the evening when there would be no sun in the sky, but everything still glows with the light reflecting off of the red sky except—the sky was dark too, pitch black; no stars either. She had no idea where she was or—who she was. She walked further on the street and reached the intersection. There were no streets or traffic lights, or any living being for that matter. It looked like the whole city was deserted. The sk
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Why I Prefer the Dark - XTales (Horror, Ghosts & Spirits, 40 mins. or more, Creepypasta)

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A boy recalls his story of getting mind-reading abilities and his relationship with the darkness. Reading time: 59 minutes. Now also available on Wattpad and Pratilipi . Chapter One - The Mind Reader It was dark. Peaceful and comfortable. I liked it there, but it hadn't always been the same. As a kid, I was too scared of the dark, never slept with lights off because I was afraid that an arm with sharp, long fingers would stretch out from any of those ghastly shadows or those dense, tenebrous corners and drag me into their endless world of fear and trauma. I was always concerned about not drinking anything before I went to bed so I would not have to wake up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. And yet, it did not do any good. On many of those silent nights, I woke up thirsty, but the kitchen was much closer than the bathroom from my bedroom, so it went a little too good until I turned ten. That year when the summer holidays were just about to start, my mother and m
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An Evoking from the Stars - XTales (Aliens, Love, 10-20 mins., Creepypasta)

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An alien lands on Earth and walks across the planet, looking for his lost love until he finds her. Reading time: 12 minutes. Now, also available on Wattpad and Pratilipi. SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING! Chapter One Walking Walking—that's one of the few things I remembered. I had been walking ever since I had landed on this planet. I didn't know how long I had been walking or how far I had come. I just remembered walking. I remembered the first time my feet touched the ground. The dry and hot sand burned my soles. I remembered when my lungs filled with this foreign air and the sun shone on my head. It was so familiar with my planet that it almost felt like I was back home. The first thing different from our planet that I noticed was the day-night cycle. The day lasted only for a few hours. I got scared at first, thinking I'd have to hunt for food for a long time, but only a few hours later, the sun rose again. My first task was to find the inhabitants of this planet, so I walke
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