Past Life
View DetailsThe Winners!
Finding a Name. First Place in Past Life Challenge.
As an illustrator, my job was methodical. Witnesses would give their mental reconstructions to the authorities, who would then relay to me the intricacies, the outlines, the prominence of the space between the eyebrows. Then, I’d infer the specifics. What type of head should it be: broad and brachycephalic? Stretched and dolichocephalic? Or somewhere in the middle? And how does one measure the depth of the palpebral ligament? You wouldn’t think there’d be an intimacy to the upper eyelid, but it predetermines the stroke of the lashes, which suggests the wakefulness of the eyes, the feature that a distraught brother or a bewildered neighbor may be most likely to recognize.
By Catherine Dorian3 years ago in History
My Uncivil War. Second Place in Past Life Challenge.
June 19, 1865, Galveston, Texas Coarse rope abraded my neck like a saw through rotten timber. Flies batted against the burlap hood that obscured my sight from the gathering crowd surrounding the gallows. I thought a butcher shop must be nearby from the stench of decayed and rotting flesh until I realized it was my own. For three days, during the trial, I had been beaten senseless with my fate a foregone conclusion. I regretted nothing and awaited the tug-of-war between gravity and the rope. This was my only hope of mercy from this inhumane world.
By J. S. Wade3 years ago in History
First Arrival. Runner-Up in Past Life Challenge.
In a past life, before invisible lines had yet to confine our nomadic spirit, I roamed freely. Driven by an unknown force , an elusive call that urged me forward, I pressed on, aimless, even as the cold wind devoured me.
By William Saint Val3 years ago in History
When I Was a Conquistador. Runner-Up in Past Life Challenge.
It was a new technique: combining hypnosis with a massive dose of Ketamine. Lana had been researching the controversial practice and was willing to give it a try. She was ready to do anything to overcome her nightmares – bloody, violent escapades involving sword fights. In every dream, Lana fought her opponents fearlessly until a sword impaled her from behind. She had developed a pathological fear of knives. Over the years, she had so many kitchen accidents, it became a family joke to say, “keep the knives away from Lana!”
By Joyce O’Day3 years ago in History
Hearths. Runner-Up in Past Life Challenge.
I have had a massive shift in my theology and philosophy, parting from a very conservative background. My degree is in Missions, but much like Van Gogh, I found that what I really want to do is art. Or in my case, blow glass. At the same time, I do still hold to the most fundamental tenets of the Christian faith, thus the life of Christ is still dear to me. I immediately thought of this era for my "past life" because it was a beautiful time for both glass and my faith. This setting, era and occupation would be the apex of my deepest passions.
By Meagan Dion3 years ago in History
Spearmaker. Runner-Up in Past Life Challenge.
The summer sunrise lances through the small gaps in the thatching of our hut, and I rise with a start - I have missed the hunt. The sharp pain in my left knee forces me to sit back down, breathing through my teeth, holding back the pain as I remember. I have not missed the hunt, I will never miss another one.
By Frank Havemann3 years ago in History
Sonnet 157. Runner-Up in Past Life Challenge.
Terribly bored. Terribly confused. Wondrously streaking my goose-feather quill across my page, forming letters that take no form. May words be my saving grace now, as once they had been? As once, when this, our life, found tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything? Any words I should now squeeze from nature, as blood to a stone, leave behind them a poison trail of disease and death. They would seek holes in my paper, plaguing what sour thoughts could come from this direst of worlds.
By Tyler Oliver3 years ago in History
