The Last Toll: A Bittersweet World War II Love Story from the Philippines

In a quiet town battered by war and time, Tony stood beneath the noon sun, sweat clinging to his brow. He was only eighteen, yet the world had already demanded more from him than a lifetime should. His mother, reeking of sewage and sacrifice, had raised him to obey, to survive. And he did — in the only ways he knew how.

Melinda was his opposite — silk to his rags, perfume to his mother’s stench. But when they were children, none of that mattered. They climbed trees, raced through rice fields, and dreamed of a life beyond their little town. When love bloomed, it was as natural as breathing — and just as impossible to stop.

But fate had other plans. Her father had chosen a suitor — a spoiled man with money and manners Tony could never match. So they planned to run away, to steal a life for themselves. Then the war came.

🦎 When Aliens Discovered Corporate Life: A Galactic Roast

In a world eight billion light-years away from Earth — where gas particles swell to the size of guavas and darkness exists only as an urban legend — a synthetic-leather structure stands firm against a planet that refuses to obey gravity. Fluid at its peak and solid at its base, it hums faintly, like a migraine given architectural form.

Beyond its walls, enormous floating mammals drift lazily through the radiant air while birdlike creatures shimmer between ultraviolet beams. It’s the kind of peaceful alien landscape that would make even gods sigh in relief — until the door slams open.

Far beyond Earth’s reach, a leather-like structure hums beneath glowing skies

Two humanoid figures stumble in, their once-pristine uniforms tattered, ties hanging limp like defeated flags. They collapse onto a sagging sofa before a massive wall-mounted screen — the only familiar relic of human civilization they’d brought home. Red goo trickles down the walls, pulsing in sync with the pair’s labored breathing.