Abby Draper
Bio
I have a degree in Creative Writing but have not written for anything other than my marketing job in years. Vocal has inspired me to start creating again! I live with my husband and two pit bulls, as well as my hilarious step kids.
Stories (16/0)
Managing My Dogs' Anxiety is a Full-Time Job
It’s hard for people to understand how much care my anxious dogs need, especially when I also have anxiety and constantly worry about them. It sounds silly, but I could probably be a stay-at-home dog mom and be continually working.
By Abby Draper2 years ago in Petlife
The Block Doc
The “doctor’s” office looked like the lobby of an old train station. I sat in a large open room with tall glass ceilings. There were two circles of blue and brown plastic chairs (the ones with the three vertical slots in the back from middle school) alternating color in no particular order. The floor was covered in black and white tiles, also not in any particular pattern, that were cracked and chipped throughout the room. A welcome desk sat empty in the back of the room between two tall pillars that ran from floor to ceiling.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
A 100-Year Cookie Tradition
This post is part of the Vocal Cooks Collaborate series. Click Here for an index of all the recipe posts. The latest recipes are Judey Kalchik's 'Holy Fierce Salted Caramel Cheesecake, Batman!' and Jessica Conaway's 'Cookies Make Everything Better.'
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Feast
Tom & Margie Go to Wendy's
Margie She sat there staring at the food-encrusted table, and felt her old body against the discomfort of the rickety wooden chair. The decor was disgusting, really. It was a conglomeration of mundane teals and beige that just reminded her of hospitals. The brown-tinted window did nothing to hide the awful interior from the outside world.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
Roots
Most families like ours burrow into the ground and stay there forever. Sometimes the older ones will reach up into the sunlight but only if the ground allows it. Our family, on the other hand, is made to live both on the surface and underground. We can also move of our own fruition by the light of the moon.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
The Assignment
I have this assignment for my creative writing class to write a short story about chocolate cake, and not only do I hate chocolate cake, but I don’t eat dairy OR gluten, so I can’t even eat it anymore. I also can’t think of chocolate cake without thinking of the scene in Matilda where poor Bruce has to eat all of that cake that the cook made with her blood, sweat, and tears. And for some reason, that chocolate cake looks like the most delicious cake in the entire world to me — blood, sweat, tears, dairy, gluten, and all!
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
Joxi
The banquet hall seemed completely untouched by the dread and fear below. Distorted sunlight shone through the windows that stretched across the entire ceiling of the room. The wooden floors and bar appeared polished in the light. If it weren’t for the wreckage of tables, chairs, bottles of alcohol, and a smushed dead body or two along the entrance, the three of us could have almost forgotten where we were.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
Clematis Dean Loves Fireflies.
Clematis Dean waited for them all winter. She watched through her bedroom window, hoping to see just one flicker, but never did. She was always mad that the snow and cold killed all of her plant and bug friends for so many months. Fireflies were her favorite, though, and she could hardly wait to stand outside while they blinked around her like thousands of tired, tiny eyes.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
The Green Porch Light
My mother has a habit of half-assing everything in the most endearing way possible. From cleaning the counter in figure-8s — totally missing the dirtiest sections — to undercooking pancakes and making gooey centers my favorite way to eat them. She puts things away not where they go, but wherever is most convenient or where she thinks they belong.
By Abby Draper3 years ago in Fiction
