New Tales Told – Original Short Stories

Every crime begins as a solution. At least to someone. This is a story about a solution. A rented room. A promise. And a man who believes he is doing what’s necessary.

This story is not about the America we live in.It’s about an America that could exist—slowly, legally, and quietly—if people stop asking questions.Civic Duty follows a retired teacher whose life is reduced to data points, compliance scores, and administrative decisions.A speculative warning about what happens when systems replace judgment and loyalty becomes measurable.

Here is a quiet story about love that arrives too late, and lingers in unexpected ways.About two people who find each other where they never expected to meet.And what it means to hold on, even when you know you can’t.Please check out our other short story universes are shortstoryverses.com

The Right Call is a work of fiction, loosely inspired by a real turning point in my own life.The events, characters, station, and circumstances have been changed. What remains is the emotional truth of a moment many people recognize: standing at a crossroads between what looks sensible and what feels right.This story isn’t about radio.It’s about listening—to others, and to yourself—when the script stops working.

No one remembers the first human thought.But it remembers us.We tell ourselves that memory lives in bones, in blood, in history books and hard drives. But memory is older than all of that. Memory is the original technology. And once it learned how to survive us, it never stopped evolving.The Eternal Code is a story about inheritance that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with continuity. About the quiet arrogance of believing we are the end of the line. About a signal so deeply embedded in humanity that we mistake it for destiny.Looking for more? Short Storyverses is our home for stories that don’t rush you. Original fiction and carefully chosen classics—told with patience, silence, and respect for the listener. Some are unsettling. Some are intimate. A few stay with you longer than you expect.No algorithms. No noise.Just stories worth leaning into.At shortstoryverses.comor visit the Short Storyverses Channel on Apple Podcasts.

Before there were screens, there was a fire, a voice, and a story. Narrator and author, Don McDonald invites listeners back to humanity’s oldest tradition—listening. New Tales Told features original fiction inspired by the timeless tales that made us human—stories written for adults, but you won’t need to cover the kids’ ears. Gather by the fire—or more likely, on your walk or in your car—and rediscover the power of a story well told. You never outgrow good stories. New Tales Told is part of the "Short Storyverses" podcast network. If you love stories, check out our other shows: Season's Readings for holiday tales, Litreading for classic fiction, Readastorus for stories the whole family can enjoy, and FRIGHTLY! for when you want to lose a little sleep. Find them all at shortstoryverses.com.