literature
Families and literature go hand in hand; fictional families to entertain, reflect and inspire.
The Eyes of Aunt Simone
Sun was peeking through the blinds as Maya Rikson opened her eyes. It was devilishly hot. Sheets stuck to her body, she knew it was time to get up. Another night filled with terrors and dreams of bizarre nightmares had worn her out. Was this how it was going to be from now on she wondered. Waking up soaked in her own perspiration questioning the reasons Aunt Simone chose her. Unemployed, just shy of 40, she couldn’t help but second guess her decision to walk away from a job and a man she loved. How could anyone choose her in this scenario?
By Helen Tootsi3 years ago in Families
The Journal
Merriam slowly climbed the stairs to her small studio apartment. Her apartment was once storage for the entire building, but she talked the manager into letting her renovate the small space into a living area because it had access to the rooftop. Being the only child of a single dad construction foreman, Merriam had grown up on construction sites and could do all the necessary work herself. The building owners saw an opportunity to get another apartment from the wasted space and gave her a much-reduced rent for as long as she was a resident. It was her haven from the world and she really needed that right now.
By Teresa Lampros3 years ago in Families
An Open Hand
The tenement door had worn at least a dozen coats of paint in its protracted lifetime, half of which were visible where the years had slowly flaked it away. The hallway, stiflingly hot and thick with the scent of cigarette smoke, was pocked with primer where the landlord had attempted to cover graffiti. Somewhere down the hall, a baby cried—its tone blending with a police siren so well that Conner Marquand struggled to tell where one began and the other ended.
By J. Patrick Lemarr3 years ago in Families
Autumn Leaves
Alone in the world, Jada never realized how much of an anchor her grandfather had been. Now that he was gone… She wrapped her arms around her bent legs and lowered her forehead. Her dark corkscrew hair flattened against her knees. She sobbed, slowly soaking her jeans with mucus and tears. She convulsed as she cried. Her stomach tightened breathless. Her brown caramel eyes swelled maraschino red. Her head throbbed. What was she supposed to do now?
By michael gatlin3 years ago in Families
Black Rose
Since the age of 15, Lexi Montgomery's life has been mapped out for her by a young man much older than herself. Although 19, Isaac Stone swore she will be his wife. Both come from prestigious families. It was almost as if they were destined to be together or so she thought.
By Cassie Smilez3 years ago in Families
Alexander
His lips were moving but Alex couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Alex saw that he was handing him a small black book. There were words being said but, all at once Alex couldn't hear beyond the beeping of the EKG machine and the noise of the nursing staff busy at work. Alex's vision was clouding as the heat and moisture swelled beneath his eyelids. "Don't cry." Alex told himself. "You have to be a man now. You have to take care of your family." Alex saw his father's eyes shift to his mother and brighten. They dimmed. He died.
By Devon Soriano3 years ago in Families
Giving Is Caring
“Move out of my way you fuckin’ mut!” Jason Mars screamed, followed by a shove to my back, causing every paper I had to fly out of my arms. As I stood up and turned around, I saw Jason’s closed fist coming straight to my face, but before he could connect, BAM! A science book smacked Jason right in the back of the head. “ Leave him alone Jason! Go pick on someone who aint afraid of you!” I heard a high pitched voice yell from down the hall. I was shocked when I realized where the voice came from. It was Regina Fontain, the most beautiful girl in school; well according to myself and the rest of the guys. She didn’t stay to fight, or even converse with me, but still I was in awe. Should I have been embarrassed of being rescued by a girl? If so I wasn’t; I had bigger things to worry about. I almost forgot to mention, I'm Jeffery Mosely. Sometimes it seems like the other students shit on me just for being smart Or because my Momma is white. I've made the honor roll every semester since high school started. My Father passed when I was a freshman, leaving my mother with myself and six of my siblings. I just want to give Ma the world someday. With that being said, I roll with the punches, come to school everyday and work my ass off.
By Natoshe'Ona Henderson3 years ago in Families
Time Reveals All
I don’t know if I ever really knew my grandmother. Maybe I’m not special and no one every really knows their grandparents or even their own parents for that matter. I think there was a small piece of me that always wished I was more like her. She saw no value in the common niceties and false bravado that many people feel they have to show the people around them. My grandmother was a slight woman even frail some might say, and she had a soft voice that even as a child I knew deep down in her throat there was boiling heat just waiting for its moment to spring across her tongue.
By Katie Moore3 years ago in Families
The Legacy of a Connection
L.B.B. Those are his initials. My best friend. My grandpa. Lawrence Brandon Baker on his birth certificate, “Bop Bop” to me. When I was a young child just learning how to speak, I could never quite utter the words, “Grandpa Baker,” it always came out as “Bop Bop.” My family apparently thought this was uproarious and from then on, he was known as, “Bop Bop.” Unfortunately, my dad tragically passed away when I was only two years old. He was a firefighter and was trapped in a devastating house fire. My mom was a traumatized wreck after the sudden passing of my dad. She was angry, forlorn, discombobulated, and incapable of raising a child on her own. Bop Bop graciously volunteered to help take care of me whenever my bereft mother needed it. He was still mourning the unexpected loss of my father, his son, yet he stepped in to help my mother pick up the pieces.
By Katie McKenzie3 years ago in Families