2025
Short Stories in Anthologies
Year Seven – A Black Hare Press Anthology (Black Hare Press) (December 2025)
Stories included in the anthology: Elimination Round and Red in New Hamlet.
Elimination Round was originally published on Black Hare Press’s Dark Moments platform in March 2025.
Red in New Hamlet was originally published on Black Hare Press’s Patreon in December 2025.
Links to buy Year Seven:
AFRI-Allegaartjie (Ns. Skrywershuis) (November 2025) (Afrikaans)
Stories included: Ontkoppel, Charlie
Read more about AFRI-Allegaartjie here.
Ontkoppel was first published in the digital magazine Naskrif (Volume 10, September 2023): https://nskrywershuis.co.za/3d…/naskrif-september-vol-9/ (pages 88 to 89). Ontkoppel is also available to read on my website.
Charlie was first published in the digital magazine Naskrif (Volume 17, April 2024): https://nskrywershuis.co.za/3d-flip-book/naskrif-april-2024/ (page 140). Charlie is also available to read on my website. The English translation of this story is titled “Operation Sunrise” and can be found here.
Alone: Where solitude festers and the void devours (Black Hare Press) (September 2025)
Story included in the anthology: Currents
“Every morning, at exactly three o’clock, icy currents slither through the gap underneath Mandy’s closet door. They crawl up her bed like glassy vines, patting down the duvet until they find her small body curled against the headboard.”
Find links to buy the anthology here.
Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond – 2025 Anthology (Dark Holme Publishing) (June 2025)
Story included in the anthology: The Mist’s Touch
“Something tapped the nape of his neck. Just once...”
The Mist’s Touch was originally published in Vol 9 of Dark Holme Publishing’s Dark Descent: Whispers from Beyond Magazine. The publisher included it in their 2025 flash fiction anthology.
Listen to a narration of the story on YouTube or TikTok.
Find links to buy the anthology here.
Short Stories in Magazines and Online Platforms
“Red in New Hamlet”
Published by Black Hare Press (December 2025)
Read it here on their Patreon (paywalled).
“What the Frogs Took”
Published by The Mythos Minute Podcast (September 2025).
The frogs do not forgive…
This 1-minute horror story was narrated by Jason Huls. Listen to it here.
“The Meat Sweats”
Published on Crystal Lake Publishing’s Patreon page (Shallow Waters Flash Fiction Contest – Theme: Eco-Horror) (August, 2025)
Dr. Claire Sanchez has spent years chasing the holy grail of sustainable beef production. Her answer? AlgeaForge—a bioengineered algae feed that promises to grow cattle faster, cleaner, and cheaper than ever before. Today, she’s presenting it to a panel of investors who could take her innovation global. But as the pitch unfolds, the pressure mounts—and not just from the conference call. There’s a heat she can’t escape. Noises she can’t ignore. Sensations she can’t explain.
It was published here (paywalled). You can find a free copy of the story here.
“The Devil Walketh About”
Published in Möbius Blvd. magazine (Number 22, August 2025).
A dream home. A beautiful cat. An evil legacy that spans generations.
The magazine is available on Kindle here.
“A Tempting Offer”
Published in Schlock! Webzine (Vol 19, Issue 6, July 2025)
Alice makes a terrifying trip to a dentist…
Buy the magazine here.
“Sacrificial Lamb”
Published on Spillwords.com (June 2025)
My 50-word story, “Sacrificial Lamb” can be read here on Spillwords.
“The Person Behind The Symptoms”
Published in digital magazine The World of Myth (Issue 138, June 2025)
In a quiet hospital ward where time drifts like dust in sunbeams, a visitor sits by a patient’s bedside—unregistered, uninvited, and unmistakably not human. As machines hum and memories fade, a silent vigil unfolds, blurring the line between programmed care and something far more complex.
Read it here on page 35.
“Hide-And-Seek”
Published by Dark Holme Publishing in the digital magazine Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond (Volume 11, April 2025)
My two-sentence horror drabble, “Hide-And-Seek”, was published in the 11th volume of Dark Descent.
“Tight Prose”
Published by the online platform Flash Phantoms (April, 2025)
One writer has had enough of his editor’s red pen markings.
Read it here.
“Elimination Round”
Published on Black Hare Press’s Dark Moments online platform (March 2025)
Reality TV isn’t for the faint at heart…
Read it here.
“Sugar and Spite”
Published on Crystal Lake Publishing’s Patreon page (Shallow Waters Flash Fiction Contest – Theme: Hearts) (March, 2025)
Lola has spent years being the quiet one in the office, enduring mockery, laughter, and snide remarks from her coworkers. But when a small, stolen moment shatters her last illusion of happiness, she decides it’s finally time to take matters into her own hands.
It was published here (paywalled). You can find a free copy of the story here.
“The Mist’s Touch”
Published by Dark Holme Publishing in the digital magazine Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond (Volume 9, February 2025)
As twilight descends on an isolated forest, Cal and Angela’s simple evening hike to the lake takes a sinister turn when darkness falls unexpectedly fast.
It was published here (paywall). You can listen to a narration of the story on YouTube or TikTok.
“Krisjan se Meisies” (Afrikaans)
Gepubliseer deur Litnet op hul webblad (Februarie 2025)
Wanneer Danie by sy vriend Krisjan se afgeleë huis buite Pretoria aankom vir ’n huisinwydingspartytjie, verwag hy ’n rustige aand. Soos die nag egter ontvou, verander wat begin het as ’n prikkelende ontmoeting in iets veel meer onheilspellend, wat Danie dwing om ’n desperate keuse te maak…
Lees Krisjan se Meisies hier.
“An Underground Operation”
Published in the digital magazine The World of Myth (Issue 133, January 2025)
An undercover operative infiltrates the Apex crime family in Staten Island, documenting their activities through a series of dated reports to his superior. As he investigates the mafia organization alongside another agent named Dalio, he discovers that this isn’t a typical New York crime family.
Read it here (on page 43)
“Mathematically Sound”
Published by Crystal Lake Publishing on their Patreon page (Shallow Waters Flash Fiction Contest – Theme: Liminal Horror) (January 2025)
Lost in the labyrinth of numbers, lost in time, lost in space. Somewhere in the white noise, a pattern is waiting to be solved.
It was published here (paywall). Find a free copy of the story here.
Self-Published Short Stories
“Die Tydgestikte Klerekas” (Afrikaans) (vir middelgraad-lesers, ouderdomme ongeveer 9-13)
Toe Henna en haar ma by haar vergeetagtige ouma intrek, voel die ou huis reeds vreemd. Maar wanneer Henna ’n paar pantoffels in die klerekas moet gaan soek, ontdek sy dat sommige deure verder oopgaan as wat ’n mens sou verwag…
“First Love Everlasting”
Robert is finally happy. Engaged to the brilliant and beautiful Penelope, he’s putting his lonely past behind him—especially the years he spent with Eva, an AI-generated hologram companion he created nearly two decades ago. He buried that memory, along with the device that once projected her glowing image into his life.
But when strange emails and messages begin to arrive—filled with affection, longing, and possessive warnings—Robert’s new life begins to unravel.
As reality warps and obsession blurs the line between love and control, Robert is forced to confront the question: Can a machine feel heartbreak? And how far will it go to get him back?
2024
Short Stories in Anthologies
Year Six – A Black Hare Press Anthology (Black Hare Press) (December 2024)
Story included in the anthology: Charlie
Some family secrets are better left locked away.
Charlie is a flash horror story that was originally published on Black Hare Press’s Patreon. It was later included in their Year Six anthology – a collection of all the Dark Drabble and Patreon stories that were published in 2024.
Links to buy Year Six:
Cabin: Where the shadows breathe and the forest hungers (Flash Frights Book 3) (Black Hare Press) (December 2024)
Story included in the anthology: As They Left It
An elderly man rents his old family cabin out on AirBNB. He could’ve sold it long ago, but he just can’t get it over his heart to let it go. Besides, the cabin holds too many memories.
“As They Left It” is a flash horror story that you can find on page 59 of Black Hare Press’s Cabin anthology.
Links to buy Cabin:
Amazon
Books2Read
Short Stories in Magazines and Online Platforms
“The Thin Line Between Order and Chaos”
Published by 50-Word Stories on their website (July 2024)
Read it here.
“Charlie” (Afrikaans)
Published in the digital magazine Naskrif (Volume 17, April 2024)
Paul het lank gewag vir hierdie oomblik—’n ontsnapping wat tot in die fynste besonderhede beplan is. Met Charlie, ’n geharde oorlogsveteraan in ’n rolstoel, wat die pad aanwys, is vryheid uiteindelik binne bereik. Maar soos die plan ontvou, begin die grense tussen werklikheid en illusie vervaag…
Lees “Charlie” hier: https://nskrywershuis.co.za/3d-flip-book/naskrif-april-2024/ (bladsy 140)
Die storie is ook beskikbaar op my webtuiste.
The English translation of this story is titled “Operation Sunrise” and can be found here.
2023
“Ontkoppel” (Afrikaans)
Published in the digital magazine Naskrif (Volume 10, September 2023)
Lisa se lewe is perfek gerieflik – ’n wêreld van virtuele vergaderings, digitale vriende en bestemmings wat sy besoek sonder om haar huis te verlaat. Maar wanneer drome van ’n kokerboomwoud haar begin agtervolg, besef sy iets kort in haar lewe…
Lees “Ontkoppel” hier: https://nskrywershuis.co.za/3d…/naskrif-september-vol-9/ (bladsye 88 tot 89)
Die storie is ook beskikbaar op my webtuiste.
Marinda Kotze 