October 16, 1793 Paris, France Outwardly, I am calm and composed even as the rickety wooden cart jolts me over the cobblestones. I avert my gaze from the gleaming blade in the distance,
I hear myself breathing. My inhaling comes slow and steady, as does my exhaling. Each breath is perfectly paced, never coming too early or too late. I can tell just by watching my
Honorable mention of the English Forum short fiction division. For the past few days, the parchment at my desk lay empty. I’d only managed one word in the top left corner: Ayaks.
Friday, December 5, 1941 7:52 a.m. “Yasu?” The man snorted. “I never heard that name before, and I’ve heard some strange ones living in a big city.” Yasu pressed his
The mischievous Russian Blue hunched on the shelf, taunting me with her purrs and deceitfully sunny personality. She shook my wand in her jaws, her saliva flying everywhere. "Zinta! You drop that right
Aaron cracked open his eyes, the slate ceiling greeting him. Plain. Empty. A gray stream of light from the mostly shuttered window coated the room in a dull glow. Exhaustion washed back over
Mrs. Charles ran through her home, ducking as a fourth round of bullets peppered the wall just above her head. She shrieked, yelling for her husband. The twins clutched her skirt as they
Ow! My nose bumped against a barrier. I couldn’t make out my surroundings because of the darkness. With my sense of sight rendered useless, I decided that depending on my sense of
Winter “I’ve got an extra sauce. I think it says “Pollyanna” on it. Do you want it?” Jude looked up from his chicken nuggets. He still couldn’t believe he was eating
Mabel leaned toward the sunlight streaming through the wide window, squinting at the ball in her hand. “G 32,” she called out. Around the plastic card table, a man and a woman bent
I stared at my paper, the problems blurring before my eyes. I blinked, but the confusing numbers and carried digits made my head spin. I glanced up at the timer and gripped my
“What about this one?” A woman carefully picked up a ballerina figurine from the shelf in front of her. She held it out toward her daughter, who let out a slight gasp. “She’
The architect had clearly lacked any knowledge as to how to build a house. As all sensible people know, the primary bathroom must be connected and adjacent to the primary bedroom. However, someone
Donnie was never a fan of being interviewed. And having it conducted in virtual reality didn’t do much to change that. As he adjusted his VR headset, the interviewer asked him another
Chapter I I lay sprawled in the snow, buried beneath my heavy black robes. Around me, the Apennine peaks of Italy shot up into the sky, their tips painted in the morning’s
On a cold and wet September evening, the Rhodes house bustled with activity. Bags were being packed, and cushions were searched for phones, bobby pins, and loose change. Aiden shared a sly look
Five days ago, the city had cut down my sister’s tree, and I’d known immediately that it would be the final straw—the tipping point in my sister’s grief. There
The tale of the butterfly and the wasp is not a famous story, but I know it well. Farrah was a blonde beauty with ocean-blue eyes always filled with the brightness of laughter
“We’re staying for the whole week?” Felicity exclaimed. “But Mom, if we stay for that long, then Hayden and I will only have one day left for break.” “Felicity,” her mom chided,
Swirling gray clouds and distant thunder echoed the mood Lillian witnessed around her. The chance of rain was increasing, making her wish she had grabbed her umbrella. Her worn trench coat and tall