Edgar Allan Poe writing

TALE

Think of a short word for a fictional story that Poe might have called his own.

Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his dark, mysterious stories, which he often called "tales" instead of just "stories." The clue hints at his writing style by using his name, and "tale" is a simple, direct term for a short piece of fiction—exactly what Poe wrote. There’s no hidden wordplay here; it’s a straightforward reference to his works like The Tell-Tale Heart or The Fall of the House of Usher. The answer fits because "tale" is a concise, common word for his kind of literature.