FicStack Curation #16

Tonja K. Johnson, Kelly Xan, Gh'd Company, and 2 others

Feb 16, 2026

February has arrived and love is in the air – some of it is warm and cozy, and some is haunting and tragic! Many new fantastic stories have popped up over this weekend to celebrate the heart-filled holiday, so I wanted to provide a short goodie I found a bit ago that I hope you all enjoy, one that gives you a taste of the darker side of love.

“🩸Wicked Things” by A. C. Sanders, Ink & Poesy Publishing. “Music holds a piece of the soul. He would never play again.” A mysterious man making his way through a garden of beauty and tragedy. Within the first sentence, I was hooked, and I needed to know what was going on in this spooky, secret-ridden garden. But A. C. Sanders does not give anything away too soon. You as the reader must walk with this man into an ominous, menacing night. Every step is full of tension, giving you the tiniest slivers of insight, crumbs of knowledge! What’s in the case in his hand? Why is he wandering about at night? Is he sad? Is he mad? I was inches from my computer screen until the ending, which suckerpunched me and left me going “this isn’t a series?!”. A. C. Sanders does such a superb job setting up an eerie, magnetic atmosphere in a short story that packs a punch. Wonderfully gothic, perfectly macabre, this was such a delightful find for Valentine’s Day!

Yaba Armah, Gh’d Company

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day people. Here are a couple of things I absolutely loved last week. Friday the 13th (my favourite date), The Ficstack website filter tab (if you’ve tried it, you know…if you haven’t, you should), and last but certainly not the least, these two soul-soothing stories I happened to stumble upon. Let’s get into it.

“Starstruck” by Bob D. Smiley, Silver Cord Stories, is a heart-warming Hollywood romance and a master-class in storytelling. Two unlikely characters collide on Sunset Boulevard, their love takes off in none of the directions you would expect, and yet, it is the only right way. From victims, to strangers, to something a lot more special, “Starstruck” takes you on a journey that will have you recalling every single article you’ve read about the power of strong character arcs in good fiction. And Bob does it effortlessly. I felt like I was watching a movie. And although I did not want it to end, when those closing lines finally arrived, they absolutely blew me away.
“Ex” by Jenifer Jorgenson, Snark Floats. What would you do if you had magic, a dead body, and twenty-four hours? JeniferJorgenson’s “Ex” is a Day 13 response to the Flash Fiction February Challenge by Bradley Ramsey. In 1.3k words we meet Sara, her grandmother’s grimoire, and Chad, her deceased ex-boyfriend. What I enjoyed most about this story was Sara. Sara is a pissed off woman, unafraid of her anger, and very clear in what she feels she deserves. There are no long winded paragraphs waffling between the fine-print of morality. Sara has a vision and Sara sees it through. It doesn’t hurt that she is quick with her replies and charming as all hell. If you’re struggling through Monday’s Fog and need a go-getter to inspire you into cracking open that To-Do List, look no further than Sara. She gets the job done... with time to spare.

Qibra

Valentine’s Day Special: This week, I have three stories about choosing for yourself. One about democracy and uncomfortable truths. One about memory and what’s real. One about vanilla slices and why eating dessert alone might be the most subversive thing you can do. Two are heavy. One is delicious. You’ll need all three.

“One Person, One Vote, One Problem” by Ellis Elms. What if an AI assessed every voter’s competency and weighted their vote accordingly? That’s the premise. Take a test. Get a score. Smart voters get 5x weight. The dangerously uninformed get 0.1x. And just like that, democracy is finally fixed. Meet Amber. She has been politically engaged for twenty years. She reads the news (newsletter summaries). Listens to NPR (15-minute explainers). Votes in every election. She’s informed. She’s certainly better than her neighbor Gary who thinks tariffs are bills sent to China. Naturally, she expects a 2.0x score. She gets 0.5x—below average. The AI’s assessment is brutal: “You demonstrate characteristics of informed-feeling rather than informed-thinking.” The distance between her and Gary is only 0.4 points. Here is the part that is shocking and sad. It wasn’t the AI system. The system actually worked.The assessments were accurate. No, it was what happened next. When faced with uncomfortable truths about themselves, people voted to destroy the mirror because it wounded their pride. Can democracy survive when most voters are uninformed? If we had a solution that worked, would we accept it or burn it down? You’ll finish this wondering what your score would be. You might even realize you’re a little like Amber. And that discomfort is exactly what Ellis Elms intended.
“Memories of Naomi” by Nick J Taylor, Science Fiction Stories. Daevid wakes with a vivid image of Naomi, his ex-girlfriend who disappeared five years ago. He can’t stop thinking about her, so he books an appointment at Mind Works to have her erased from his memory. It’s supposed to be a simple procedure. One session, and she’ll be gone. Except when he wakes up in a park hours later with missing time, everything starts unravelling. His roommate Spike is holding a gun. The God Squad is involved. And Naomi might not be his ex-girlfriend at all. What fascinated me was the layered mystery: memory remapping as commercial service in a devastated future Earth, a religious fascist state controlling citizens through neural tech, and a protagonist who discovers his entire life might be an implant. By the end, we don’t know what’s real. Only what Daevid chooses to believe. He decides to believe she’s alive, that they’ll find each other. But we don’t know if that’s the truth or another layer of programming. Sometimes hope is choosing to believe despite not knowing what’s real.
“Dessert for Two” by Leanne Shawler, The Môrdreigiau Chronicles. This is a delicious Valentine’s special that will leave you craving for some vanilla slice. The story begins with a woman sitting alone at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. The waitress seats her near the kitchen and toilets. The single-person penalty box. She orders one thing. Vanilla slice. What follows is the most sensual food writing I’ve read in ages. She doesn’t just eat the dessert…she experiences it. A pastry chef watches through the kitchen window absolutely enamored (who can blame him?). When he sends a note inviting her out after his shift closes, she takes another slice to go. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I didn’t need any help in achieving my goal.” I loved this. It’s about pleasure, self-sufficiency, and choosing what YOU want instead of what Valentine’s Day tells you you should want. After two heavy stories about systems and lies, this felt like permission to just enjoy something delicious, alone, unapologetically and on your own terms. The most radical choice on Valentine’s Day might just be the perfect vanilla slice.This story is for anyone who’s ever sat alone at a restaurant and refused to feel ashamed about it.

Tina Crossgrove, Existential Dread and Other Hobbies

This week is all about some of my favorite things: creepy dolls, undying love, and a tragic Greek myth. To make the experience even more immersive, I’ve once again paired my selections with a song and a drink to help set the mood.

“Flash Fiction Friday–Porceline Wrap” by John Watson, John Watson–Horror Author. In horror, the creepy doll trope subverts childhood innocence by transforming an otherwise innocuous toy into something menacing. John Watson’s take on this trope adds a layer of dread by asking, what if no one believed you when you told them the doll talks? Pair this story with “Waltz of the Marionettes” by Brandon Fietcher and mix yourself up a Nightmare (best served in a chilled coupe glass).
“Of Silver and Thorns” by Stefan Pasek, Stefan’s Stories.Two lovers bind their names in mud and silver, making a pact that will last a lifetime and beyond. The story excels in its richly gothic imagery and moody atmosphere, creating a vivid, immersive tone that powerfully reinforces its theme of obsessive, eternal love. For this one, go with an Old Fashioned–a classically effortless cocktail–and the Cure’s “Lovesong.”
“eurydice, backwards (poem)” by Morgan, These Violent Delights. In the original tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, the story centers on Orpheus’s desire to retrieve his lost love. Eurydice exists only in the context of Orpheus’s love and, ultimately, is undone by the very thing that is meant to save her. Morgan reimagines the myth of Eurydice as a story of revival, where a lover’s devotion brings the speaker from emotional death into full, witnessed life. I recommend “Love You ‘Till the End” by the Pogues with the dual bitter-sweet of the Boulevardier (a bourbon or rye based cousin of the Negroni).

Tonja K. Johnson

We are already halfway through Black History Month, a memorial honoring the contributions and stories of Black Americans in the United States. In celebration of the resilient heritage of my ancestors, I searched for stories that spoke to history, folklore and tradition. These last few years the book world has regressed in the form of book bans, smaller author advances, and flat out refusing to acknowledge Black authors through literary awards and placement on bestseller lists, Black stories are being suppressed and overlooked now more than ever, but we refuse to let our voices be buried. I hope you are celebrating Black History Month by supporting the incredible work of Black authors who are molding the literary landscape into new and exciting shapes.

Lucky Roll Pt. 1 by Tyla Harrington, In a small Southern town, young Esther marries the steady but emotionally distant Reverend Albert Grant, believing the older women in her life that safety, respectability, and provision are the keys to happiness. As the reverend’s well-kept “First Lady,” she is adorned with fine clothes and given a comfortable home, yet her days feel muted and her desires confined like the canary her husband gifts her. When she begins helping with deliveries from Grant’s shop, Esther briefly tastes independence—reconnecting with her mother—only to realize that what she longs for cannot be named so easily. Lucky roll explores themes of tradition in Black American culture while juxtaposing grief and desire through Esther mourning the happiness she will never have in her marriage while simultaneously finding desire in dangerous avenues outside the marital home. This story has the bold appreciation of Black history found in Sinners and the reclamation of women’s stories as told in The Color Purple. Every February I am searching for something that tethers me back to those that came before me, and Harrington’s masterful storytelling sits comfortably alongside the literary ancestors like Zora Neale Hurston. With her effortless voice and the immediate way in which she molds a world that is brimming with music and life, this is a story for anyone who is looking for something that feels both fresh and familiar. Lucky Roll is part of an ongoing series with several parts already published.