Pick of the day
Ambre Solaire
Posted by Angusfolklore on Tue, 20 Jan 2026
Solitary bottle on the back shelf of the bathroom cabinet,
sat there untouched for ten solid years.
Bought by some wistful, wishing parent who thought a holiday
was possible for the likes of us.
But we went nowhere, except occasional screaming daytrips
that were better off forgotten.
The bottle sat there and never went off, like a nuclear promise
(no use by dates in the 1970s).
Read moreStory of the week
The Less Miserables Land a Gap (1)
Posted by SoulFire77 on Thu, 15 Jan 2026
Nova's wheels caught on a crack she should have seen coming, and the board shot out from under her like it was tired of pretending. She hit the asphalt palms-first, the grit embedding itself in new skin before she could even register the impact. Third bail this morning. Fourth if you counted the one where she'd stepped off before even trying.Read morePoem of the week
Features
Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point
A big thank you to all our brilliant ABCTalers for your wonderful stories and poems this week.
My picks are as follows:
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Story and Poem of the Month
Our Story and Poem of the Month for December, very kindly chosen by Drew Gummerson:
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The Payout Game by ABCTales Writer Robert Craven, Available to Preorder Now!
A dead bookmaker. A rushed verdict.
Inspector Crowe isn’t buying it.
Xion Island Zero by Katherine Black - Out Now!
I'm very pleased to announce that Katherine Black (our very own Sooz Simpson) has just published Xion Island Zero, the sixth in her Inspector Nash series.
Here's a review by celticman and a link to buy:
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Want to join ABCTales?
We've had to suspend the automatic joining facility for a while so if you would like to join us please email
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Posting From Your Android Phone - Fixed!
Some of you have been having issues with posting your work using an android phone. Ewan and John our techie have been working really hard to fix this.
Read moreBee's Journey
Picks of the Month
Variable
Posted by VeraClark on Thu, 11 Dec 2025
When the hysterics home
in me: it is uncanny, a new
sort of normal. He says
he loves how my kitty eyes
turn lynx cat when I lose it.
He makes me feel perilous.
Five days after the ordeal
with the paramedics, he
gets me fruits for solstice.
I undress an orange and
the selkies in the pool of
his voice lull me to important
things like pea soup fog and