Fact: You can get hypothermia in temperatures at or above 50°F if you’re exposed to wet or wind. The rain is not your friend when you’re miles from the nearest access road. ~ The edge of my rain cover sagged like a boxer on the ropes. Water sluiced off the side and ran directly into the front of

The zippers squeaked as I finished packing my suitcase for Minnesota, ready for my best friend’s wedding. It was the middle of a Thursday, and the excitement of the upcoming event and missing all my Friday classes was palpable. Flying is an activity I love, to the extent that I often pray that God would give me specific reasons

There’s nothing wrong with ambition. We all have hopes and dreams we seek to accomplish one day. Maybe it’s the college of your dreams or graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Maybe it’s working for that amazing company or becoming the CEO. Maybe it’s a big house, a farm, or a penthouse apartment in the city.

My insides match the chaos of the gale-force winds and sideways rain. The soggy leaves on the ground accurately depict what my mind feels like internally. At the beginning of the semester, I had ten different ping-pong games going on in my head. Now, one ball rolls off a table and bounces till it loses momentum, and the soft plink,

Sacrilege Eden, c. 4004 BC “This is delicious! Maybe Elohim really was keeping the best from us.” Adam stared at the large spherical fruit his wife was cradling in her hands. “It does look good,” he thought. “Here, you have to try it!” Adam accepted the fruit but turned it around in his hands. “Ew. I’m definitely not going

“Toasters are for bread,” I said, Yet something like a leaf was glued on mine. I was not wroth to find it was A moth my father had let in. The myth of mimicry proved true: Both mute, soft wings a dead November brown, The abdomen curled ’round in stem-like fashion. His problem was my toaster’s not a tree—

It still haunts me to this day, Those awful words: “Go into the forest if you dare.” The phrase lingered in the meadows And lurked among the wildflowers, A light-hearted joke delivered in vain laughter— That’s all it ever was—until I was in exile . . . The foxes I once called my friends Would prance and cackle around the shadowy

Sweat soaked his skin, But still he fled through the trees. Panting, Nathan stopped to catch his breath–– He knew he wouldn’t outrun the guilt within. Defying the evening’s gentle breeze, Nathan continued on in grief, Reliving the night’s events in disbelief: Shots rang, children screamed, The congregation divided to be slaughtered. Nathan, pushed from the pulpit,

I go to the woods to talk to God, Where the pillars of tree bend kindly, And the branches are whispering sweet Secrets between themselves. Somewhere There is the song of a waterfall, rolling Out her linens over and over to dry (Which they never do, of course). I go to the woods and speak to the rabbit, The little

Mind’s moving at a million miles an hour minimum Knees are knocking in a numb nervousness Deafening discussion is diffusing in her dad’s diner Fellow football players fumble while flirting with her (Why do I think in alliteration when I’m nervous?) C’mon, what’s the risk? I just need to make her laugh I’m a

No one knows That my laughter holds A silent scream, And my smile hides An aching heart. No one sees Beyond the facial mask: The bright eyes, The rows of white teeth, The nodding “good.” No one sees That I'm an empty shell, thin and cracked, That can shatter At a touch, in a moment, and crumble Into a heap

For my life and health I have no anxiety; My God cares for me. By worrying, could I add a foot to my height? My God cares for me. Am I not loved more Than the lilies and sparrows? My God cares for me. Will He not provide Everything that I need? My God cares for me. Food, clothing, shelter

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 golden pigment. The wind sang quietly, and white dust slipped off the leaves of the trees. I stirred, and a cough erupted from my cracked lips. I

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 question.  “So I noticed that you ended your previous employment in June 2041; that’s almost a year of being unemployed now,” she said. “Would you mind

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 had the bright idea to put it down the hall to make room for an extra-large closet, a bonus laundry room, and a built-in sauna that didn’

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 with Derek as they stood by the door. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes hurried into the living room with their bags while giving the brothers a list of