Advertise on podcast: Stories By Beckham

A realistic short story about friendship, jealousy, honesty, and emotional boundaries. When a heated argument exposes long-standing tension between two best friends, Grace is forced to confront the cost of telling the truth—and the fear of losing someone she loves. This character-driven narrative explores modern relationships, insecurity, and the quiet aftermath of conflict.

This gripping short story follows Rudy, a young Marine traveling through a Mississippi bus terminal, as he confronts his personal rule about giving money to the homeless. After encounters with two strangers—one asking for cigarettes and another claiming to be a former Army veteran—Rudy wrestles with compassion, judgment, and the uncomfortable gray area between truth and deception. Blending raw realism, military perspective, and moral conflict, this tale explores what it really means to help others and how easily our beliefs can be tested in unexpected moments.

What begins as a simple errand turns into a humorous and touching moment of responsibility, respect, and the awkward confidence of youth. As Carry navigates price-checking, grocery etiquette, and his first attempt at paying at the register—complicated by a beautiful cashier and a strict mother—this slice-of-life tale blends comedy, nostalgia, and the universal experience of growing up.

“Does a book have to be laced with pages?” Anna thinks not. To her, stories live in the people around her. And as she observes the figures of people in a cafe, she starts to realize that everyone carries a story, even the one quietly waiting for her.

Karian thought college would be simple — stick to the plan, stay focused, and everything will fall into place. But one night in his dorm room proves that life (and distraction) always have other plans. Between old jazz music, a vivid daydream that takes him to the 1920s, and the endless pull of Instagram, Karian learns that even the best intentions can fall apart fast. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail — but what happens when you plan and still fail?

Free headphones. Dead music. A mother’s voice from the past — and a choice that will destroy a life. When Jaden finds a strange pair of earphones, the music isn’t the only thing that plays. A terrifying command echoes in his head: kill. How far would you go to hear a lost voice again?