The “cold open” is a storytelling technique which throws the reader directly into the action to build up a sense of danger, humour, or mystery. COLD OPEN STORIES was launched in June 2019 as a love-letter to short fiction and weird fiction that have the power to quickly throw us into new worlds and encourage us to reflect on our culture. You can read and listen to Cold Open Stories for free, and we encourage our audience to support our efforts by giving to sponsored charities.