Adventure
Old Enough
I get up early cause I know Pearl will make biscuits, eggs, and crisp bacon and let me lick the warm salty lard with my fingers from the skillet once it cools off. I watch her go "mmmm, mmmm" and squeeze her lips into a smile. She starts the percolator for Paw-Paw, pours me a big glass of ice cold milk and stands over me saying, "drink it down." Pearl always makes hard things seem easy, not so good days feel okay and I wish she were my Momma. We don't look the same but if she asked me to be her child I'd be the luckiest girl alive. She pulls my fingers out of my mouth, " you get worms now, hear me?" I most definitely don't want worms so I am really trying to stop chewing my nails. Pearl's nails are always clean, trimmed, with a clear, shiny gloss. Her lips are full, ripe, like a fresh dark purple plum. She has fine teeth, big hazel eyes and wears tiny gold studs in each earlobe. I want earrings, but the thought of a needle being pushed though my ear doesn't sound like it's worth the trouble, at least right now. I would like some tap shoes though. Pearl laughs when I tell her about my dancing dreams. She says I have happy feet cause I am wiggling my toes all the time. When Paw-Paw goes out on the porch to smoke his pipe I always show him my latest moves. After breakfast, Pearl starts washing our sheets and says there is a dust bunny under my bed. I don't want to look. I scare myself enough just looking at hobos. Anyway, back to the railroad. Just can't help myself. I don't curse, smoke, steal or commit sins that I know of, but I can tell you right here and right now, hobos teach and preach more than any one body needs. I confess I became on friendly terms with a man named Hank. He'd wave and say, " Hey, May! Keep smilin' kiddo!" and he'd sometimes be laying in the shade right calm when I snuck up to see him. He always looked sad just before he caught sight of me. Soon as my big trap started jabbering he'd change like a chameleon. That is, he'd try to make life seem so fine. I new he was hungry. I started taking biscuits on the days I figured he'd be around and he was always obliged. Just like the song, Mr. Bojangles, I began to show off my dancing moves to cheer ole Hank up. How is it we just know someone isn't happy? He laughed and smiled; in my mind he had a harmonica or some groovy steps he'd show me, but he never did. When the rest of the jumpers, as he referred to his fellow train hopping hobos as, came around he'd shoo me off. He told me in a kind, yet tough way to go on home. Where Hank went I never knew; in my heart I liked to hold it was somewhere much better than the hard ass dirt he slept on, full of God only knows what, and lonesome nights with an empty belly and mosquitos. Back home, I'm hosed down. Pearl gives me a hard stare; I am guessing she is guessing where the heck I've been. I am full of cockleburs, red from the sun. She leaves Paw-Paw and me my favourite, whipped cream and orange jello. I always hug her when she heads back to the place she calls home; I will make sure that this summer I follow Pearl like a cat stalks, curious that is, not aiming to find trouble. Late, when Paw-Paw is loving his heap of second helpings from supper, I ease out from my bedroom and stand right in front of the late night news. Paw-Paw's old Grandpa eyes widen and I start dancing; I pretend to tap dance and point my toes toward the ceiling fan, clap my hands and fall onto the thick, Persian patterned carpet. Paw-Paw laughs with his belly bouncing. I guess for now, summer is getting off to a good start. I slink down the long hallway and slither into bed. I wonder where Hank is now; Memphis, Baton Rouge, New Orleans? By now, hobos, I mean, jumpers, could be anywhere. I say out loud as if I am praying, "Goodnight jumper Hank; goodnight Pearl". I wiggle my toes one more time, roll over toward the moon shining through my window and smile.
- AI-Generated
The Cornfield Curse
In the quiet town of Meadowbrook, the sprawling cornfields stretched as far as the eye could see. Generations of farmers had tended to these fields, reaping the golden harvest that sustained the town’s economy. However, beneath the surface, something sinister lurked within the tall, whispering stalks.
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In a futuristic America, where neon cities reached towards the stars and the secrets of time travel were whispered in legends, lived a boy named Adam. High school was his battleground, where he navigated through the intricate mazes of complex equations, social hierarchies, and the challenges of adolescence. Yet, unbeknownst to his peers, Adam harbored a secret—a great destiny written in the very fabric of the universe.
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The sixth ocean on earth
our planet has five oceans the Pacific Atlantic Indian southern and Arctic not counting bil ocean but it seems there's
emmanuell israePublished 4 days ago in Chapters Crimson Chronicles
In the heart of a quaint little town nestled between rolling hills and whispering pines, there stood a modest bookstore named "Red Shelves." Its facade, painted a warm, inviting crimson, welcomed book lovers from far and wide. However, it wasn't just the color that made this bookstore special; it was the stories it held within its walls.
Lost in the Snow
Last night happened so fast I didn't know what I was doing. I took a drive to the mountains without realizing it had snowed the night before. I had enough money saved for a car. Instead I drove up the mountain top near the desert and found myself in a cabin the next day. I have to figure out how to fix this, I thought. Suddenly a knock at my door is exchanged and a beautiful brown-haired girl covered in white icicles is in front of me, again. "What are you doing here" I proclaimed. "I just had to make sure you were okay" she said. "I thought you were through with me" I said. "I wanted to be sure you were okay". "Come in?" I asked. She backed off. "I can't make you happy Bill, you have to do that yourself I just wanted to say goodbye" she explained with a teary eye. I didn't understand, I shouldnt't have left. In that moment, I looked down at the icy snow and gave it one last shot. "Your my peace when we fight I feel lost and when we don't I feel seen in the quietest of ways" "I love you, I need you" I said softly. " No, all you ever needed was to feel less alone. I can't be that for you anymore, I'm tired". Without hesitation, she storms off to her car and leaves me in the dry snow as it buckles underneath her car. She's gone.
Cerina GalvanPublished 4 days ago in ChaptersAlexa-Andria
Heat poured off her skin in waves. The summoning screams still ringing in her ears as her vision expanded. Her quarry stood over the children, breathing the fear off them. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the sight of him feeding. His long bony fingers stroked one of the girl’s hair back, tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes were tight shut, and she shuttered at the touch, a small whine rising in the air. Andria let her hoody drop off her shoulders and to the ground.
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Chapter 1: The Haunting Call The small town of Ravenwood was nestled deep within the mist-shrouded mountains, its streets lined with ancient buildings steeped in history and secrets. Among them stood an old, dilapidated mansion known as Blackthorn Manor, its imposing presence casting a shadow over the town like a specter of the past.
- AI-Generated
The Magic of Divisoria
Lola, a firecracker wrapped in a vibrant sari, stood on the edge of her grandmother's cluttered apartment. Below, the cacophony of Chinatown unfolded - a sprawling market in Manila where the air crackled with the energy of a thousand haggling voices. Lola Ester, all of four-foot-ten and a lifetime of grit, surveyed the scene with a practiced eye.
A Peaceful MindPublished 6 days ago in Chapters A day out at Southward Car Museum!
I have always loved classic cars from as far back as I can remember. This I put down to my father's love of them, and of being taken to many car museums in the UK. The thrill of knowing that I would be going as a child was like being offered an ice cream or a bar of chocolate, and as we know most children have a sweet tooth! My mother was not a big fan so often just the two of us went, and of course, it gave me quality time with my dad as he worked long hours. Those memories have lived on long after he died in 1983!
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In "The Hen Escaped the Coop," there are three types of hens. The first type is confined in an iron cage, well-fed and lays eggs without ever brooding them, living a thoughtless existence. The second type lives a content life with roosters and chicks but is always afraid that someone will disrupt this life. The remaining type broods eggs, nurturing the hope of birthing chicks and ultimately fulfills this desire. Among the many hens, only Mam La holds this aspiration. Mam La is the protagonist of this story.
Bellamy NguyenPublished 10 days ago in Chapters