Tomas Eklund

My therapist asked once why I came here every Tuesday. "It's a ritual," I said. She asked what I was waiting for. I never answered. But standing the…

I walked to the corner café. Closed. Gate pulled. A handwritten sign: "Private Event. Back Thursday." But who books an entire square on a Tuesday? I…

I couldn't stand there waiting. I started walking the square, looking from different angles. Maybe it landed somewhere else. Maybe I was wrong about w…

The old guy stood up. "It always came at 11:00. For nine years. On the day your sister..." He trailed off. "How do you know about my sister?" "Ever…

'Is that her?' She points at her phone. Older photo. Woman in red, 1995 stamp on it. Thirty years old. 'She's taken your bus every winter since then. …

She died last winter. The last winter. She took the bus one last time. She must have.' I remember. Not her face. Not her name. But I remember a woman …

I see her. In the mirror. Behind the bus. Running. Still in the red coat. Soaked. How is she running if I already passed her blocks ago? I look again.…

I pull into the depot early. Shouldn't do that. Mr. Kessler's in the office. I ask: 'Has anyone called? Woman. Red coat. Missed the 9:40 on Elm?' He s…

'She took your route on the same night every winter,' Mrs. Chen says. 'For thirty years. Never missed. And nobody ever asked who she was or why. You d…

The light changes. I drive. In the mirror, she's still walking away. Her coat disappears first. Then her. The sleet swallows everything. I try not to …

Two blocks later she gets off. But before she does: 'Thank you for coming back for me.' I didn't. I came back and then left. She smiles like I did som…

I walked to the dock. The water was still rising. People in boats. People swimming. People gone. Sefu came up behind me. Sefu: 'We have to decide. Go …

Sefu was already moving to the basement door. Me: 'Wait. We don't know—' He slid the key in. The lock clicked. The door opened. The smell hit us. Plan…

Sefu's expression changed. Sefu: 'You never called him. Not once.' Me: 'You didn't either.' Sefu: 'I tried. You blocked that out.' Me: 'He left. That …

Me: 'I'm sorry I wasn't here.' Sefu: 'I know.' We stood in silence. The boathouse creaked. Sefu: 'He built something down there. Something important.'…

I drive to Maple Street where the keeper's house sits. It's dark. Empty for decades. But when I get out of my car—I see light coming through the basem…

'is grandpa still alive?' Mom goes quiet. 'he died in 1998. But before he did, he made me promise: if anyone asks about the lighthouse keeper, tell th…

I call the harbor master. 'Hi, is the old lighthouse safe?' Long silence. 'We don't discuss the lighthouse, miss. Best you avoid that area.' She hangs…

I follow the wires down the cliff side. They disappear into a cave I didn't know existed. And inside the cave entrance: rope. Fresh rope. Tied to the …

The Morse code spells out: S-T-A-Y. Then again: S-T-A-Y. And I'm standing on the dock at midnight realizing something is actively using that light to …

'what were the footsteps like?' 'Old. Heavy. Like someone ancient. And when we yelled, they stopped. Like they were *listening*. Then—I swear—we heard…

The unknown star was in the next county. Some empty field area on the map. My hands shook. I grabbed the map and drove toward it without thinking.

Kay opened the door and saw my face. 'What happened?' I unfolded the map. Her eyes went wide. 'These are ALL your places,' she whispered. 'How does sh…

I went to the corner where my bike flipped instead. The sidewalk was cracked, same as always. But there was a name spray-painted on the wall—a name I …

I carved my finger into the wood trying to feel the date carved there. It was fresh—maybe a week old. Someone had refreshed it. For me? The thought ma…

Priya tugged my sleeve. "Forget the arrow. Let's just open the vault." We turned back to the steel door and worked the latch. It swung open onto a roo…

We crept into the open vault. A man crouched over a pile of gold, stuffing it into sacks. He spun around, blinded by our lights. "This is mine!" he sn…

We burst out behind the waterfall, soaked and gasping. The boots stopped at the cave mouth. A park ranger stepped into the light, furious. "This mine'…

We ignored the warning and pushed into the vault anyway. The treasure sat right there on a stone table, just out of reach across the trick floor. Marc…

Marco reached for the floating backpack. The second he touched it, the floor dropped away—a flooded shaft. He went under. I grabbed his jacket and Pri…