![](https://res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/c_fill,f_jpg,fl_progressive,h_302,q_auto,w_1512/6583164b854f3e001db1bce7.jpg)
Lindsey Altom
Bio
For me, writing runs in the blood. I've written songs, poems and short stories ever since I was a little girl. I mostly like to write about my life experiences mixed with a little fiction or just things that come off the top of my head!
Stories (73/0)
A Swampscott Summer Solstice
In a town just north of Salem, Massachusetts there is a beautiful seaside town called Swampscott, Massachusetts with only about 14,000 people living there. It rests along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and almost everyone there makes their living off fishing, selling, or cooking fish. However, there was a time long ago when this town belonged only to the Native tribes that founded it. The tribe's names were Naumkeag, Pennacook, and Pawtucket. Most people living in Swampscott in 2024 have long since forgotten where their heritage comes from and who was on that land first. However, there is a small group of women who have not forgotten. There are certain times throughout the year they will gather together on the shores of King's Beach to perform their ancestor's rituals. On the day of the Summer Solstice, four women gather as the sun sets and reach a secluded part of the beach. They gather some dry oak branches and build a bonfire. These women are in their late 40's to early 50's and they have heard the tales of their Native American heritage from their grandparents and parents who heard it from theirs and so on and so on. They have been taught to respect their heritage and keep its rituals and so, that is why they have gathered here. Their names are Enola, Dolli, Wanyecha, and Dakota. They have gathered here on several occasions before tonight. They have done this since they were little girls. However, tonight would be much different than ever before, and as Dolli stokes the fire, Wanyecha goes to gather more dry oak to keep the fire going for a few hours. Enola has gotten out her sage and has started to cleanse the area and Dakota or Kota for short has started dancing around the fire. Enola just smiles at her and says, "Kota, will you ever grow up?" Kota, always the tomboy and the wild child answers back, "Now, what would be the fun in that?" Enola rolls her eyes and continues sageing. Dolli smiles and joins her best friend, her sister with her dance. After a short time, Wanyecha comes back, places the wood next to the fire, and sits down. At that, Kota and Dolli stop dancing and sit down as well for they know it is time to start the ritual. Enola in her motherly voice clears her throat and says, "Ladies, we begin." The sisters all join hands and start to chant. After a few minutes, when all seems still and all you can hear is the ocean lapping against the shore and the women chanting Enola speaks out and says, "Ancestors, the world is so different now but we intend to honor you and keep your memory alive. Thank you and the gods above for another Summer Solstice." Next, Enola takes the clay mixture and lines her face with it to prepare for the Summer Solstice dance. Next in the circle to speak is Wanyecha who has seemed rather deep in thought all night. As she begins to speak, the fire seems to glow brighter. She says, "God of Fire we hope this offering brings you power and pleases you. I am angered by what I see today and how this town has forgotten where it came from, I urge you to remind them." The sisters suddenly all feel tense and uneasy but no one breaks the circle and no one lets go of the other hand. Wanyecha takes the clay mixture, marks her face, and continues to hold her sister's hands. Dolli speaks up next, "Fire god and Mother Nature who gives us our seasons and this Summer Solstice hear our cry! We thank you, we worship you and we wish all could see your power!" The light from the fire is now shining immensely bright and seems to glow all around them as if it is lighting up the entire beach. No one else is around and as Dolli takes her turn with the clay mixture she wonders what will happen next. But, she has no time to think as she returns hands with her sisters Dakota speaks up taking her turn last. "This city has forgotten its past and wants to cover it up, forget it, or pretend it didn't exist. But we know and we remember. We will always remember. Help us great Spirit, help them remember." As Kota placed her hands in the bowl and started to place her face paint on her the fire whose glow had seemed to spread to all corners of the beach suddenly seemed to suck itself back inward and went back to a regular bonfire. Suddenly, Wanyecha produces a cloth sack and tosses it into the fire. The fire whooshes upward and outward into the woods and toward the town behind them. The sisters all look at Wanyecha and say simultaneously, "What was in that sack?!" She doesn't have a chance to answer however because suddenly there are voices all around them but none of them in English. The sisters all look at each other wide-eyed for they know this language but have not heard it for many, many years. It is the language of their ancestors, Wampanoag. They listen as they sway and suddenly it is Kota who speaks first as she says, "They say, they shall pay with blood." The sisters look once again at Wanyecha. It is Enola who speaks first this time. "Wanyecha, what was in that sack?" She responds, "Just some old bones, some of my blood and dust from my ancestors." Enola looks at her gravely as she says, "Well, I hope you're prepared for what you have just woken up." Suddenly, the winds pick up and blow out the fire, the voices increase and cries are heard from the town. Enola says, "Oh, we've done it now. Get in your cars. Let's go!"
By Lindsey Altom21 days ago in Fiction
As I Cry Out...
All I ever wanted was to please you, impress you. I was never enough. My child, you've always been enough for me. My sisters were always the daughters you wanted, not me. I am your bastard child. I was conceived in the dark of night with a man you now love to hate.
By Lindsey Altomabout a month ago in Poets
Bipolar?
Well, here we are...I'll be thirty-seven in about a month, and as I sit here thinking of my life and my recent diagnosis I realize my whole life has been leading up to this point. A handful of pills, perhaps more to come, a lifetime of therapy in my future which I had succumbed to already, tracking my moods, learning my triggers, and watching my sleeping and eating patterns to be sure that I take care of myself properly. Some days I have to force myself to get out of bed because I simply want to melt into the bed and disappear. However, when you're a mother you don't get that option. I also know that I must force myself to get up, keep moving, make plans, and set goals or I will fall into that inevitable dark hole again. The dark hole I have clawed my way out of countless times, the hole that seems so comforting in ways but I also have the sense to know that it would end me. I know that as easy as it sounds to give in and give up; that darkness is not my friend and it will tear me apart limb by limb and piece by piece if I allow it to. My mental health is something I have struggled with since adolescence. You could blame it on childhood trauma, family history, or just a bad draw of the cards but it is something I live with every day. I've always felt that my brain was out to get me; perhaps, even trying to kill me. It has always felt like my brain is in a hurricane and the rest of my body is this crazy weatherman thinking she can somehow tame the storm like Jesus and that's what I've been trying to do my entire life, tame the storm. I beg, I cry, I pled, I pray, I hit my knees in desperation and sometimes yes, there is a relief but it is usually temporary. The storm always comes back. There are glimpses in my life where I am happy. There are things and people in my life that make me happy. There are things I'm passionate about such as writing for example and spreading awareness. Sometimes I get excited almost giddy about life and I make all these plans that I think will improve my life or make me happy. I try to cling to these plans when the darkness comes back. I cling to them as if they are my only lifeline. My only rope as I hang off the cliff of life. One day, I'll buy an RV and a Jeep, live in the mountains, or maybe travel all over the U.S.. I think a hot tub will make me happier so I might buy that, I think getting back with my ex will make me happy so I pursue him even though that is not a good idea, I think I need something and why should I deny myself of this happiness so I buy it or pursue it. I'll be fine for a little while, months even and then I get restless. I can't explain it other than to say that it's like an itch deep inside and suddenly I'm not fully happy and content with life and I need something to change. I need a change of scenery, an adventure, something...anything. The thing is though that nothing I do ever lasts to satisfy that itch. So yes, my moods are up and down and to be honest, I never know what I'm going to feel when I wake up. It's a surprise every day even for me. Why does having mental illness have such a stigma? I can't help this; can't control it. I didn't ask for it. I certainly don't want this storm in my mind but I'm learning more and more about myself every year. This year, just a couple of days ago, a psychiatrist told me that she thought I may have bipolar disorder type II. She told me to research it and form my own opinion and the more testimonials I look up the more the piece seems to fit into this complicated puzzle that is my brain. So, there it is. I have bipolar type II. Maybe now I can get some answers to how my brain truly functions and why it does what it does. That's truly all I've ever wanted... answers.
By Lindsey Altomabout a month ago in Psyche
Greeter Falls in Altamont, TN
So, thanks to my wonderful father I have been on many hiking adventures but this one was one of my favorites, and why you may ask? Well, I got to mark something off my bucket list here at Greeter Falls in Altamont, TN that I had been dying to do since I was a little girl and watched the Family Featured Film Behind the Waterfall. That's right, I swam behind a waterfall and it was one of the most magical, adrenaline-fueled, exhilarating experiences I had in my life up to that point. You see, it was May when we went on this trip and although it was warm enough to wear shorts and short-sleeved shirts the water was still pretty chilly from the Winter. I didn't care though because I had one thing on my mind as soon as I found out that I could swim behind this waterfall I knew my dream was coming true.
By Lindsey Altom2 months ago in Wander
Two Pink Lines. Top Story - April 2024.
I had never really felt like a child. I'd always had to raise myself. My mother was just a teenager when she'd had me and consequently, we had spent my whole childhood arguing and fighting like a couple of sisters as opposed to mother and daughter. My father was older than my mother but still had some maturing to do himself. He focused his entire life on me, his little girl but never realized the pressure that put on me. I always felt I had to raise him even as he was trying to raise me. We raised each other. Then, I met him. He cares, he shows me a love like I've never known. For once, it's about me and I don't have to focus on other people's needs and what someone needs from me. Someone always wants something from you. That is what my parents have taught me. Love is selfish but it isn't with him. He is perfect, beautiful, funny, and can take me to places I've only dreamed about. Places outside my mind and my own pathetic life and I know that I will always love him. When we first met, I wanted him to have my children, but now? Right now, with us both still in high school? This is all happening so soon. I slipped into the restroom at work. It had been 6 weeks since my last menstrual and this was not normal. I couldn't wait any longer. I put the top on the test and waited. These 60 seconds felt like forever. What would we do? We were both seniors so we didn't have long to go before school was over but this was not the plan. The plan was for him to join the Army and me the National Guard and for me to get my associate's degree and then we marry, then have kids.
By Lindsey Altom3 months ago in Fiction
Subscribe to my stories
Show your support and receive all my stories in your feed.
Send me a tip
Show your support with a small one-off tip.