Junkie
CW: Drug Use, Overdose. A twist on the microfiction heist challenge. DISCLAIMER: This title is ironic. It's meant to represent the ways in which society shoves addicts to the back of the room and dehumanizes them with language. I have never and would never refer to someone with addiction as a "Junkie". Please do not misconstrue my intent. If you are ready to get help for your addiction, call 1-800-662-4357. Recovery is possible.
She didn't dream of being this way as a little girl. Life threw obstacles her way, and sometimes she was able to avoid them, while other times, they smacked her straight in the face. It's hard to find somewhere to lay the blame. But she faces it, every day, and trust, this cruel world never made anything easy. So she lights the match. She heats the spoon. And she sails away to lands unknown, hoping, just for one second, to escape. Because in her dreams, she's a dragon slayer and a princess. She can touch the clouds and sing with the stars. She can be anybody besides who she is now.
That sweet brown liquid, warm yet uncaring. It doesn't judge. It didn't judge her 10th-grade teacher. It didn't judge the lawyer down the street. Nor the pro basketball player who came to speak during high school. It welcomes everybody in with open arms. And then it becomes suffocating. A chokehold. She knows it's bad. She knows she shouldn't touch it anymore, but it's the only thing that makes life worth living. It's too bad that it's so good at being lethal.
The Great American Heist claims yet another life.
About the Creator
Ashley Lima
BA and MA in English. Editor by profession, novelist, short story writer, and poet in my free time. I enjoy writing fantastical realism, horror, mystery, and nonfiction.
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Changes
For some reason, the hair on his face grows brown, even when the hair on the top of his head is dirty blonde. He doesn't dye it. She's even seen pictures of him as a strawberry child. It didn’t make much sense, but it made him special to her. She dreamt of the day she'd walk down the aisle, and he’d be standing there, watching with tears in his eyes. She looked forward to watching his hair become grey with time. Now, her bed is empty, and her friend said that she saw him out at the bar, cleanly shaven.
By Ashley Lima4 months ago in Fiction
The Solitary Isle: A Tale of the Last Girl on Earth
Part 1: The Whispering Shore In a world not so distant from our own, a catastrophic event had unfolded, leaving Earth barren and desolate. Cities once bustling with life now lay in ruins, and nature had begun to reclaim its dominion. In the midst of this apocalyptic aftermath, a young girl named Elara found herself alone on an isolated island. She was the last girl on Earth.
By StoryholicFindsa day ago in Fiction
Comments (46)
Hi Ashley, about these three possibilities for the Vocal Writing Awards, in the Flash-Fiction category,
Such a powerful story! I love how much you conveyed in such a short text… this is impressive and something I want to try 😇✨
WOW!! the world truly needs this
Powerful and original. Well done on your win!
Wow, that was powerful! Really loved the different angle you took on this challenge. Congrats on placing too!
Love this! Tragic but beautiful! 😪
I loved this from the start; I'm so pleased you got placed. Well done!
Wtg, Ashley. Congrats.
Oh congrats, Ashley on placing in the challenge - so well-deserved! Delighted for you!
Ooof. That last line rightly convicts our society, well done. Great piece!
Very powerful.
The disdain is rightfully strong at the end. I applaud your lateral thinking with this challenge and I hope this piece places! Fantastic writing, very compelling social commentary.
Wow! This is really deep and I'm glad you pinned it to your profile. I personally like to relate my writing to music I feel goes along with it basically, and here I think NF's music video "Happy" is a great fit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhumOLNSSJY
real shit sis. great american heist. clever take. 🖤
Very intense.
You gave me chills. A prize-winning piece. Stunning in its clarity.
This is beautiful as it is haunting. Society loves its labels, everything must fit neatly into the pre-constructed box. When it doesn't, Society does its best to destroy any and all signs of it. Thank you for this beautiful piece..
Nice story. New to Vocal here. Enjoying the read and writing up.
A truly thoughtful and haunting piece. Excellent writing And congratulations on your top story!
Timely topic terrifically told!!! Left a heart!!!💖💖💕
Masterfully written! Well done Ashley!!
This is definitely a “spin” done right. I read really well on its own merit, but connecting to the challenge made it all the more impactful. Great Job
A very unique approach to the challenge. And yes addiction doesn't judge... It can catch you no matter who you are...
This is so sad, but so important. A powerful piece and I love the way you took a different approach to the challenge and what a heist means to highlight this important issue. Congrats on getting Top Story for it, it is thoroughly deserved! Well done, Ashley. Also, I've just subscribed to you!
This is so beautiful