LaRissa Dawn
Stories (11/0)
Reclaim Life
Déja Jones was motionless for what felt like forever. She thought this had to be a joke, but it looked, smelled, and felt all too real. She hesitantly reached into the box and pulled out what she thought to be a body part. The Jones family gathered to celebrate their grandparents' anniversary a week and a half ago. Her grandfather, Eugene Jones, recently turned 88, and her grandmother, Marie Jones, was 85. This was their fifth year celebrating while living on the elderly-assisted property, Reclaim Living With Care. Reclaim has become a well-known business with hundreds of locations all over the U.S. Thousands of retired, elderly individuals reside on their properties and are catered to in every way. It is a utopia for ages 75 and older who don't have a family or don't want to lose their independence. The love birds were still agile, active in their community, and doing remarkably well independently. Even so, Déja was not entirely shocked to receive the phone call from her mother three days later, "your grandfather has passed," her mother said. "It was in his sleep." She continued. What a peaceful way to go, she thought.
By LaRissa Dawn about a year ago in Fiction
Monster Release
My family has always had deeply rooted secrets that seem to escape them yearly during the holidays. My family gets together a few days before Thanksgiving every year to have breakfast and put up my grandparent's Christmas tree. Because of "grandma's law," everyone is required to attend, with no exceptions. I missed one year because I didn't have the means or transportation, and she threatened to cancel Christmas and withhold everyone's gifts until February. My grandma is dramatic, manipulative, and demanding but makes the best desserts and genuinely loves you enough to nag you about wearing a coat in the winter and taking home a plate. My grandparents, my mother, my two younger brothers with their own families, and I were in attendance. Then there was my aunt Fradie's family, chosen by God, their words not mine, a family of four, usually her husband James, and two boys were there, but on this day, James was absent. It is always about an hour or a half into the festivities that things get interesting. It starts exciting and loving, with tones of games, laughs, and food, but eventually, the nightmares emerge. I don't stress that lightly; I mean monsters; it is almost like they create or receive these secrets or burdens, and the holidays force them to lay it all out on the table. Just to list a few past holiday burdens or secrets, There was when my brother pitched a fit, caused a scene, went on a rampage, and fell in the pool, all because he lost at spoons. An acid trip? It was never confirmed.
By LaRissa Dawn about a year ago in Families
Jelly
My fish ran away. I'm sure Jelly had an excellent reason to do so. Probably made a list of pros and cons, to stay or not to stay? And like everyone else, Jelly finally figured it out. Something I can't do on my own, with my own life, figure it out. I was drenched, standing in a puddle I had created, holding a fishless fish bowl in front of a shark tank. Ten million gallons of water, two white sharks, six sting rays, four sea turtles, and a large school of different fish, and, for once in my life, I understood they weren't the only ones aimlessly swimming in circles. I thought, what are they looking for, and do they know they are in a bowl? When a muffled voice came over the intercom, "The aquarium will be closing in one hour. The aquarium will be closing in one hour."
By LaRissa Dawn about a year ago in Fiction
Silah
A worn-down waste collection cart hastens across the field of snow. Multē's hands fumbled over the gears. He didn't know what was worse, the smell, the cold, his stress, or not learning how to navigate. His eyes were watering, his sweat burned, and he could feel both his hearts beating out of sync. He struck the command board several times, finally bringing on the headlights. He glanced back to where he secured the pod and took a deep breath. Returning his focus to the task at hand, he was suddenly surprised by several giant eyes burrowed in the snow- "Jitus!" he shouts-mountain giants. Multē accelerated, quickly maneuvering to evade their hurling snow asteroids along his path, "Just get across the field," he whispered. The giant's relentless hurls flipped Multē, leaving the cart scattered in the snow. With no place of coverage, his path was no longer discrete; Multē was injured, and the pod was damaged. Sirens howled into the night, and both his hearts became two separate storms within his chest, the blood beings finally realized what he had stolen from them, and it wouldn't be long before their military would be close behind and without mercy. Multē made an effort to shift into a snow beast the size of a bear with a lion's mane and moose's antlers and retreated into the forest Misitu.
By LaRissa Dawn 2 years ago in Fiction
S'mores
Toasted marshmallows were dated as early as 2000 B.C, enjoyed by the Ancient Egyptians and reserved for gods and royalty. Later partnered with and evolved into the graham cracker sandwich. The campfire dessert. The gooey toasted treat, better known as the s’mores, has been around since the 20s when it first appeared in Tramping and Trailing, A book created by the Girl Scouts. The s’mores have been a summer night staple for centuries and, as of 1965, the symbol of love.
By LaRissa Dawn 2 years ago in Families
The Valley Of Dragons
“There weren't always dragons in the valley, and they weren't always called dragons. They didn't choose the name the blood beings gave to them. They were Seraphic-godlike, astounding, intellectual, humane, and beautiful. Decades have come and gone since anyone has come in contact with a dragon and lived to tell the tale until today—June 6th, 5024; I'm B.D, your sincere journalist unveiling our local news. Behind me are three deceased dragon beings. How could this be? Why? And who's to blame-cut!” Beatrice Davitch, a law enforcement nuisance, and her trusty ostrich height cameraman, Navi, could smell a story a mile away. Navi needed to “stop whining and hold the camera straight!” He's the type to avoid conflicts, but his fingers had swelled like sausages in his gloves, and his eyes began to freeze shut. They were 20 feet from the deceased, the police cars, and the emergency vehicles, barely able to make out the yellow tape, politely bickering in the middle of nowhere; A car passed them, pulling up to the furthest part of the scene.
By LaRissa Dawn 2 years ago in Fiction
30Daysof Me
In 2017, I met someone special and fell into the idea of love. I had said many times before that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with one person, laughing at everything and talking about nothing. The kind of bond where you spend hours losing track of time enjoying one another's company laughing so hard you cry, and if an outsider were to pry into the conversation you'd swiftly reply with "oh nothing". We talked about travel, marriage, and children, and by October 2018 I gave birth to my best work, Aya, and felt like a complete failure. Two months prior I was getting ready to celebrate my baby shower when I was pulled to the side, "I can't do this, I cant wear multiple hats" is how it was explained to me, and a part of me knew that. I saw it coming a mile away when the hand holding stopped, intentionally sleeping separately began, and when I asked could we spend more time together was met with an "Ew, no". I tried to avoid the collision and somehow ended right in front of it. I had failed Aya and the idea of a perfect family, this was my fault, so I thought. For the next year and a half, I tried everything I could to prove I was good enough and in return, I was told how much of a poor mother I was, how selfish I was, etcetera all while under my roof. I mentioned relationship counseling and receive a swift no! At that moment I concluded it didn't matter what I did and I needed to let go and be the best co-parent and mother I could be...but how? Well, I didn't like me or even love me. I was walking into my 30s a tired single mom and everyone around me was happily married and expanding. I had a very sleepless night thinking, how can I change how I see me and celebrate me...30DaysTil30. For the next 30 days, I celebrated me leading up to my 30th birthday recorded it, and put it online. So many people thought I was crazy, insane really, and at first, I felt so stupid and embarrassed. How dare I celebrate me! By day 3, It was national bubble bath day, I almost quit right there when I hear my three-year-old, "mommy bath" she was holding the bubble bath I purchased, I get her into the bath and of course a jacuzzi tub is like a pool to her, shes laid out kicking water then stood up "mommy bubbles" my daughter enjoys bubble baths and the moment they hit the water she lets out a huge squeal, "mommy come here" demanding for me to climb into the beautiful chaos! I did! I got in and I watched her enjoy the whole thing without a single care in the world and I realize I not only need to do this for myself, creating a habit of putting myself first, treating myself to some self-love but I HAVE TO. Aya is my best work, her existence alone makes me important, to just tell her "love yourself" and not teach her or show her how would be terrible. She, as a woman will have her own battles with the world but not within herself, that whole month changed my perspective on me and how I treat me, think of me, love me, take care of, cherish me. I'll never go back to believing less than about me. I no longer wake up as the wrong person.
By LaRissa Dawn 2 years ago in Families