family

Dad Sets New World Record as Loudest Man and His Daughter Helped Him Pick Out the Perfect Word
Joseph McGrail-Bateup used to be shy. That's not a metaphor. That's not him being falsely humble. He was genuinely, profoundly shy. The kind of kid who didn't raise his hand in class. Who avoided group presentations? Who probably ate lunch alone and hoped nobody would notice.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Fiction
to inherit the earth
She wept as she stood waving farewell to her son Jay Dee and his wife, the still and silent walls mutely observing the old woman’s grief as their car rounded the bend on the north side of the railroad trestle, the morning sun barely an hour above the eastern horizon facing her door. Gazing past the shadow beneath the bridge, past comings and goings crowded her thoughts, each burdened by the weight of time and memory, some moments inflated by the hope of joy while others could only be quietly endured.
By John Cox3 months ago in Fiction
The Things I Meant To Come Back To
My inbox was full. Not emotionally. Literally. Years of newsletters I’d never read. Shipping confirmations. Password resets. Coupons from stores I’d forgotten I’d ever shopped at. Google Photos had slowly turned into a massive, digital junk drawer. It was an attic of screenshots, receipts, duplicate pictures of my dogs, and memes I forgot were funny.
By Tifani Power 3 months ago in Fiction
The Luck of the Octo
True story – these events happened last month. My mother and I like going on “forays.” We’re Penna Dutch, and we live in an area where many different septs of the culture and faith live. Mennonites, Amish, Lutheran, Reformed, various derivatives thereof, Old Order, Plain and Gay (yes, that’s the actual term for those of us that wear “bright and gay” colors, like me), all living together in uneasy relative harmony. Because, as anyone knows, there’s nothing like the scrappy fighting a faaaaamily can get up to.
By Meredith Harmon3 months ago in Fiction
The Last Dragon of Evermist. AI-Generated.
For over a thousand years, the Kingdom of Evermist flourished under the protection of dragons. Their ancient magic blessed the forests, filled the rivers with crystal-clear water, and kept darkness beyond the mountains. Every child grew up hearing tales of dragons soaring across golden skies.
By The Eye3 months ago in Fiction
It rings like it’s supposed to
It rings. It shares the latest advertising text message, social media DM or a message from a loved one. It browses the internet. It connects me to the world and leaves me connected and plugged in 24 hours a day. It’s new. He bought me a new phone. It’s your boyfriend he should buy you nice things they will say; for someone hesitant to let him buy me a pack of gum a phone is a bit much. Paying for additional schooling would be far too much and too hard to process. Paying for a phone; still too much. I prefer his payments in attention but I digress.
By Cadma3 months ago in Fiction
Relax, Ex-Lax. Honorable Mention in You Had to Be There.
My dad, when he was a kid, was a prankster and full of mischief. He got into gobs of trouble, and no doubt he was the reason for most of the gray hairs on my great-grandmother’s head. He was raised by her, poor woman. His mother shirked her mothering responsibilities, leaving her two sons to be raised by her mother. Her one daughter was raised by her ex-husband’s new family after he remarried.
By Alexandra Grant3 months ago in Fiction
A Donkey and His Owner. AI-Generated.
In a small village surrounded by green hills and golden wheat fields lived a hardworking farmer named Hassan. He owned little more than a tiny house, a few farming tools, and an old gray donkey named Babar.
By MotivatedStories13 months ago in Fiction
The Three-Year Password
I smiled quite naturally in our marriage license photo. She said she hadn't slept well, looked a little puffy, so we retook it three times. On the third try, she was finally satisfied. In the photo, the corners of her mouth tilt up slightly, but her eyes skip right past the lens and land on the man standing behind me, the one holding her Burberry trench. He has long fingers, fingertips resting lightly on the collar of her coat.
By Jin3 months ago in Fiction
I Met My Online Girlfriend and She Turned Out to Be My Stepsister. Social Death, Instant.
The atmosphere at home lately has been heavier than a funeral home. Because my sister, Vera Moreno, has lost her mind and is dead set on joining a convent.
By Jin3 months ago in Fiction
Waiting For Forever
Looking out the window of the plane, Irving Ashcroft was excited to see that they were finally about to land back home. It had been weeks since he had seen or even heard from his girlfriend, Envy. The work trip he was returning from didn’t allow him to communicate outside of people directly associated with the project he was working on. The moment he got off the plane, he would be running through the airport to find Envy. She always showed up to pick him up.
By Crystal Nicole3 months ago in Fiction
Autumn Leaves
Dean Benedetto walked over to his favorite spot at 'Zito' Park, a green park bench seated under an old Spruce tree. He looked at the orange and brown leaves on the ground and sighed. He took a deep breath, let the air fill his lungs, and then exhaled.
By John Scipio3 months ago in Fiction