family

When Winter is Over
“When winter is over, I’ll take you there,” she said, pointing at the frozen pond about half a kilometer from the cafe we were in. “We go fishing.”
By M.G. Maderazo5 years ago in Fiction
The Green Match
The swipe of a green match. The hiss of its green flame. The same light illuminating the space before me. “Finally.” I whispered. After going through almost half the box, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to strike any and I’d have to go back to the farm and get another box of matches.
By Abigail Dorothy5 years ago in Fiction
The Myth of Love
Love is the primary topic of movies, songs, books, and most major family dinners during the holidays; but is it something that we should yearn for?
By Mae McCreery5 years ago in Fiction
The Fruits of Freedom
“Your father loved you, Alice. He truly did. Don’t you understand that?” My mother exclaimed, rather suddenly and with a hint of frustration. I never understood why she continued to try to mend the wreckage of his life that he left behind for us to clean up. Hadn’t she had enough? Shouldn’t she be celebrating? Her face reflected a twinge of madness within, her eyes wide like an owl watching the horrors of the forest at night. Her hair was almost as frayed at the ends as her spirit was, leaving me with an uneasy feeling of pity within my stomach. I promised myself that I wouldn’t empathize with her or argue over this. Not today. However, for my younger sister Adele’s sake, I pushed back.
By Jilly Amann5 years ago in Fiction
Sky Call
I hadn’t heard my mother’s voice in twenty years. When the flight attendants anxiously told us to call our loved ones, I don’t know why I immediately found her name in my contacts. Elizabeth Shire. It was sitting there taunting me as my plane jerked downwards. My stomach lifted as we made a sharp decline before quickly leveling out again. I felt light as we dawdled in the sky. The masks dropped from the ceiling like marionettes, and I pulled mine over my hair and took slow breaths into it. It smelt like rubber and cleaning chemicals. The red lavatory light flickered green as a young man with a Cubs jersey rushed to the closest open seat. I took a sharp breath.
By Jessica Klein5 years ago in Fiction
The Rug
The zipper on Imogen’s suitcase was sticking again, and the frustration was not entirely unwelcome. The thick August air wrapped around her Georgian apartment was making the white wine go down fast, and after a few more unsuccessful tugs on the slider, she kicked the bed in defeat and sat down on the rug, sweat dripping from her forehead.
By Hillary S5 years ago in Fiction
Fruit of the Tree
It had seemed for a long time to Delilah Brown that the pear tree hanging over her grandma’s porch was waiting for emancipation. “Emancipation” was a five syllable word she learned in school, one of her favorite things to do was count the syllables in words, it made her feel accomplished.
By Lindsey Rose5 years ago in Fiction
Too Soft
Home is at the end of an old road no one goes down anymore, tucked away and sleeping. My mother’s birdhouses hang from the pine trees like corpses. Ye be warned. I trudge down the gravel driveway, the dead pine needles poking at my ankles as the warblers sing overhead. It’s morning and hot already.
By Lauren Parks5 years ago in Fiction
Strength Amongst the Sunflowers
Busy work. That's what they call it right, when someone spends hours upon hours doing monotonous work. The type of thing that becomes so routine that your mind ceases to wander, and just seems to run on autopilot until someone or something interrupts the flow of things. Busy work, meditation, "creative hobby" are all synonymous in this sense. She's not really sure what the goal is, nor is she sure that spending all of her time in the garden has an end in sight. What she does know is this.. Spending her time in the garden, that was the only way that she could feel close to Mimi anymore.
By Dalton Boggs5 years ago in Fiction
The Old Man
“I hope he's not standing there again today," Jack thought as he turned the corner. Jack and Tina had only been here for five weeks, getting accustomed to their new jobs and the new apartment. They’d met when they were both in their final year of university and, after a whirlwind romance, moved into a small apartment downtown after graduation. After living in their first apartment for a few months and realizing that they couldn't afford to stay downtown any longer, they packed up and moved to the city's east end. They moved here for two reasons. The rent was much more affordable in this part of the city, and they could be closer to Jack's parents as his father was not well and spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital close to the new apartment.
By Gerald Holmes5 years ago in Fiction
Big Sister Leaving Town
The bright lights have always called to me. I mean really, them over this? There isn’t any question. Here its all lager, pool, watching stupid boys fight over meaningless things and then wanting to cop a feel after hours. Yeah, that versus the theatres, restaurants and real nightlife. Go figure.
By Simon Morrell5 years ago in Fiction
Northern Penguins
The girl was sitting on the bed reading a book she had brought with her. It was Road Dahl’s The Witches. She was almost finished with the book and she only had a few left. On the first days of the trip, she had read seven of her thirteen books and she would not be able to get more of them until they returned to Juneau.
By Giovanni Murtha5 years ago in Fiction