family
Bold, Brilliant, Yellow.
The battered suitcase sat on the living room floor. It wasn’t overflowing, not yet anyway. It wasn’t latched either, and his eyes were drawn to a sleeve peeking out. It was yellow, the color of the first flower he’d ever bought her, a marigold for a summer corsage.
By Spencer Reaves5 years ago in Fiction
Jadd's Pear Tree
Just outside Eṣfahān, Iran - 2004 to 2006 grandfather جـد Jadd Khina Mirzaie sat back against the 40-foot tree, her eyes closed, humming her favourite song. Droplets of sweat provoked by the midday sun were eagerly absorbed by her black hijab. This was the blueprint for most of Khina’s life. She waited all year until the towering tree began to bear the fruit it was intended to.
By Emily Koopman5 years ago in Fiction
Dear John
It was April 13th, 2015. It was John Philips's birthday but he didn’t feel much like celebrating. Three years had gone by since his wife had passed away and now his daughter, Eve, is in a fight for her life. She needs surgery, a bone marrow transplant and he was the perfect match. Of course there wasn’t any hesitation. Looking after your children, taking care of your own flesh and blood is a parental responsibility and losing Eve, after losing her mother, would have thrown John into a whirlwind of depression and self-destruction. He knew it because that is what happened three years ago.
By Kevin Miller 5 years ago in Fiction
Do Not Open Until
"It's an antique," Grover said adamantly. "No," Eleanor piped in. "It's definitely money. Lots of it!" They never agreed on anything. Except that Aunt Janine's wishes were worth honoring. I don't know if it was because of all the ghost stories we loved to tell under the covers with a flashlight to our chins, or if it was because Aunt Janine was a stout and formidable woman with sharp red fingernails that could pierce your soul, but that box remained untouched. I was too little to remember hearing my dad share explanation at the time, but my older siblings loved to take me into my parent's closet and tell me the story.
By Bonnie Joy Sludikoff5 years ago in Fiction
Within the Sands of Time
As the blade came down upon the bull’s squat form, its short plastic life came to a swift end. First the head, then the legs were separated from the body, which was quickly discarded, lost to the bins of time. When the parts were sorted, another victim took its place. This time it was a topless gentleman who made his way to the chopping block, the synthetic substance that made up his form glinting in the morning sun. The top and bottom were removed in much the same fashion as with the bull before him, however, for this individual it was the torso and arms that remained, while the other parts made peace with the gods.
By Bree Beadman5 years ago in Fiction
My Brother Janus is a Murderer
26 My brother Janus is a murderer. That's what the police tell me when they open the door. The one on the right has blonde hair peeking out of his cap, and a slight beer belly that protrudes out from his wrinkled jacket. He's staring straight forward, obviously bored with the whole event.
By Nikita Oryall 5 years ago in Fiction
The that changes
Who knew that one little box could change an entire family, though we never found out what secrets the box held, we did discover other well hidden secrets within the family. Some secrets had been bottled up waiting to bubble to the surface. Some of the secrets were just waiting for the light of that package to shine on it. Other secrets had been dead and buried for years only to be re-animated by that little brown box.
By Destiny Hughes5 years ago in Fiction
Home at Last
Kate stared into the large, rectangular bathroom mirror as she swept her medium-length, silky, dark-brown waves of hair up into a loose bun. Her large, gray eyes and thin, rosy lips pulled a look of displeasure as she saw the five freckles on her nose. Her skin was very pale, so the freckles seemed even more prominent. In actuality, to anyone else, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it vexed her. She knew she was no extreme beauty, but she had always thought that her nose was pretty nice looking. Now even that is spoiled by those horrid freckles.
By Stella Y Wei5 years ago in Fiction
