A Sweet Friendship
“Wow, I never had a chocolate cake with so much flavoring like this”
The air was crisp, delightfully cold and dry on this fall season. Amelia was riding in a Greyhound, on her way to an old friend’s house whose name is Beth. Amelia and Beth held a complicated relationship for a few years, like one of those on and off after high school friendships that changes over time. Amelia was excited, it’s been over a year since her college graduation.
Since then, she worked full-time as a private investigator, with little breaks, this would be one of the first times she will enjoy one. Her final stop to Beth’s place was only ten minutes away. She quickly fixed her clothes and hair before she could greet her.
When it was time to get off, Beth was already in her car waiting. She immediately spotted Amelia, and ran out to embrace her.
“Oh my god! I’m so happy to finally see you!”
“I love your dress by the way!”
“Thank you, you hungry? I got some snacks inside”
“Yeah! That sounds cool”.
Both walked towards Beth’s condo, which was about two blocks away from the station. Amelia noticed the opulent decorations of her home. Beth held collections of tea sets, which were all aligned neatly inside a cherry wood console cabinet, a sofa that looks too fancy to sit in, and a beautiful chandelier that gleams specks of rainbows as light shines on it.
“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get the tea ready before we can catch up” as Beth excitedly starts to heat the tea kettle from her stove. Amelia sits on the sofa, looking around Beth’s condo admiring the appearance. She noticed a few odd things sitting on top of her kitchen counter: unopened medications and a bottle with an unusual name she couldn’t read due to the distance. However, she continued looking at the artwork hanged against her walls and observing the rest of the room.
“Oh my, Beth your home is aesthetically pleasing! Which isn’t surprising considering you always had good taste”.
“Oh stop, you’re too sweet”.
Beth walked carefully, holding a tray of two teacups and a whole chocolate cake in the middle. She slowly sat next to Amelia, then reached out to her hand to hold hers.
“So, Amelia tell me what’s been happening?”.
They spoke for about thirty minutes, about where they work now, people they’ve seen, basically some things after college.
“Hold on Amelia, I don’t want this cake to be untouched!” as Beth reaches for the knife to slice the chocolate cake in six pieces.
“Chocolate cake has always been one of my favorites, thank you for taking the time to bake one”.
“Oh I know”, Beth gave a smile, with her eyes tracing up and down at Amelia. They immediately went for the cake, it was perfectly moist and soft like a wet sponge.
“Wow, I never had a chocolate cake with so much flavoring like this” Amelia continues to eat the cake, which oddly had a bitter nutty taste to it.
“So Amelia, I wasn’t comfortable of bringing this up but do you remember James from college? One with pretty blue eyes?” Beth asked.
“Oh yes! Funny story I didn’t get to catch you up on, we are actually still together!” Amelia excitedly cried. James was actually a mutual friend of theirs, simultaneously Amelia and Beth held a crush on him during their sophomore year of college. A silent pause.
"What about him?" Amelia asked nervously.
"Well, I want to be frankly honest. I've never gotten over him. And for the longest time before meeting James, I always was jealous of you. I still am".
"Beth..I had no idea. I don't think there should be a reason to be. I am sorry if our relationship hurt your feelings. I know we had some issues back then, but I truly want to be your friend" Amelia said, teary eyed.
"Oh hun, you are definitely are a true friend" Beth said with one raised brow.
Amelia's fork slowly slipped away from her hands.
About the Creator
Christina Chantharavongsa
An aspiring photojournalist with a creative mind full of wild imaginations.
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Locked Memories
Henry lights up a cigarette in the outskirts of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, he sighs as he witnesses day by day that this place, he’s lived in for almost a decade is finally sinking. His wife, Lila who is suffering from severe depression has done nothing but the usual: wake up, eat, sleep, and repeat. They have been married for about twelve years, but no children. It’s been a dream that they get to live by the French Quarter where they can share their common enjoyments like jazz music and the constant vibrant nightlife that it’s known for. Henry was a long-time civil engineer for a small company located in New Jersey where he met Lila. She was just an admin when he started out, they bumped into each other in the break room then the rest turned to history.
By Christina Chantharavongsa3 years ago in Fiction
FIVE CHILLING GHOST STORIES IN ANTARCTICA
Antarctica is the most isolated continent on Earth known for its extreme weather conditions and vast expanse of frozen tundra but the eyes as some people call it as in as desolate as you might think and in fact there are many freaky paranormal tales that come from here everything from unexplained phenomena ghost stories and haunted locations there are five chilling ghost and strange phenomena stories from Antarctica foreign the ghost of Shackleton distinguished and knighted by the British royal crown Ernest Shackleton LED three English expeditions to the southernmost part of the world between 1901 and 1917. and while each one of these took place over the course of several years now one of these voyages made it through to its respective destination after the crew encountered various problematic events of what it's worth these failures just further cemented sir shackleton's Legacy is one of the most highly respected figures During the period known as the heroic age of Antarctic exploration the main reason why is because despite all the perils and life-threatening situations that he and his crew faced not one of his men died on duty under his command one of these more unbelievable occurrences where everyone survived happened during the 1914 to 1917 Imperial transatlantic Expedition avoid the ship named endurance 1914 endurance got stuck in a patch of ice in the Weddell sea where the vessel was gradually being crushed forcing Sailors to abandon it Shackled In and his 27 men filled three small lifeboats and what Provisions they could manage to carry like a testament to the ship's name the sailors endure the extreme cold blizzard conditions and the frostbite the team had to deal with the grueling labor of sometimes carrying their lifeboats by hand over ice patches there were no radios or planes to call any emergency services to help them and so they went through this for more than a year eventually Shackleton and his men reached Elephant Island a small strip of icy land sitting between Antarctica and South America he then left most of the guys there while he and a handful of crew members took one Lifeboat seeking help they waded through the darkest of winter nights and crossed 800 miles of Raging Sea to reach South Georgia a remote whaling station upon arrival they formed a rescue party and went back to fetch the remaining group at Elephant Island fast forward a century later an English Explorer Edmund Hillary picked up the trail that Shackleton it went through a big admirer of his Hillary made a name for himself as being one of the first two people to make it to the summit of Mount Everest back in 1953. three years after that the British Explorer formed a team from New Zealand to explore the South Pole but on their way Hillary made a stop at shackleton's Hut at Cape roids in the Ross sea his heart was used by shacklin and his crew during their expedition in Antarctica aboard the nimrod according to Sir Edmund he saw the ghost of the legendary Explorer greeting him as he entered the accommodations he said I distinctly saw Shackled him walking towards me and welcoming me it was a fleeting moment that something that was burned in Hillary's memory perhaps it was Sir shackleton's gesture of welcoming a fellow Adventurer coming into his Hut or maybe sir Hillary had simply Disturbed the dweller's spirit resting in this long forgotten Shack a Shackleton did pass away in the area at the age of 47 while attempting his fourth Antarctic exploration number four Scott's Hut discouragement can be a dangerous thing especially when you're in a potentially life-threatening situation famed polar Explorer Robert Falcon Scott felt pretty much assured that he'd make another run at going to wear no human on earth had ever been but due to unforeseen events him and his crew and a very arduous Journey God's Adventure began with the discovery Expedition that occurred between 1901 and 1904. this time the British royal Navy officer set a new record by reaching the farthest part that humans had ever gone into in the South Pole the Antarctic plateau still though this achievement wasn't enough for him as he had yet to conquer the southernmost part of the continent itself which is why half a decade later he together with almost 30 other Brave Sailors and embarked on the 1910 and 1913 Terra Nova Expedition along the way they erected what is now known as Scott's HUD on the North Shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island this would serve as a base camp the voyagers in November of 1911 Scott instructed 25 of his men to take shelter in the pre-fabricated hut the commander as well as four of his hand-selected men in a caravan of horses and sleds then sat out on the 800 mile Journey to the very bottom of the world took them weeks before finally reaching their destination in January of 1912. over much there this may they found out that another team led by Norwegian Explorer rolled a Monson had already erected their flag there signifying that they had been beaten in the race to go where no one had before extremely disheartened essentially making this painful Trek for nothing Scott and his crew had no choice but to turn around and head back salted by the feeling of failure coupled with utter exhaustion sickness and freezing weather the British polar team never made it home before they could reach the safety of the Hut the entire group perished on the ice realizing the failure of their return the rest of the crew packed up what they could carry and headed home not that Scott and his Polar party desperately tried to reach was finally abandoned for 40 years I remained there then undisturbed until the U.S Expedition located and dug it back out of the snow to impart to the cold temperatures the whole place was preserved in a remarkable state so much so that even the tomato ketchup remained edible considering the large amount of time that it was left in isolation this place reportedly emanates a disturbing vibe currently it's open to the public many visitors that go say they feel uneasy in the hut most courageous enough to spend a night in the venue reported feeling a sense of Haunting or dread manifested by Phantom footsteps and voices meanwhile others claim seeing unexplained lights and hearing mysterious noises no one knows the exact cause of these paranormal phenomena but it's very possible but the Hut is haunted by those who passed away fighting with every breath to avoid another failure and reach Scott's Hut number three River of blood in Antarctica they're said to be a river that flows not with water but with blood and the stark contrast of scarlet colored liquid running against the pristine sheet of white eyes glaciers makes the site even more terrifying named Blood Falls this once mysterious polar feature can be found at the snout of Taylor Glacier which lies near the McMurdo Station in East Antarctica foreign T is simply the tail end of a glacier it was first discovered by geologist Griffith Taylor during his expedition of the continent in 1911. while they must have been horrified at first Taylor's inquisitive mind prompted him to investigate what his men initially thought of as a murder scene he believed at first that what it could be was a large population of red algae living in the water that gave off the Striking red Hue but ultimately he was wrong Taylor left the area and shared what he found to others which resulted in people either not believing him or becoming very curious about blood Falls soon enough more scientists and explorers visited to see for themselves and despite decades passing no one could seem to figure out the mystery behind why it was like this because it was so remote it wasn't an easy thing to study but finally in 2009 a breakthrough happened using high tech ice penetrating radar they were able to trace the flow to an underground Lake buried 1300 feet below Taylor glacier the findings suggests that about 5 million years ago the ocean flooded East Antarctica creating a salty Inland Lake three million years later glaciers formed on top which basically trapped the huge Basin of pristine Marine salt water inside another couple of Millennia followed and that isolated water became even saltier and through pressure and natural movement the water then began seeping out of the ice when the high saline iron-rich water made contact with oxygen-filled air the liquid turned red out of oxidation further studies discovered that the underwater lake is home to a community of microbes that can withstand extreme conditions like a lack of both light and oxygen instead these organisms uniquely utilize iron and sulfate to survive the mere existence of these entities We Now call extremophiles has brought about the idea that perhaps life can Thrive throughout the Universe under conditions we didn't think were possible for these entities instead of making food by photosynthesis Blood Falls organisms do so by chemosynthetic means unlike the former that relies on sunlight the latter process involves converting sulfur and iron compounds into energy [Music] number two plane crash hauntings in spite of the Hostile and Barren environment people from all around the world are still enticed to visit Antarctica and Marvel at its desolation the 1970s there was a spike in tourism activity in the region where people would book day trip flights from New Zealand and then enjoy a leisurely aerial view of the icy continent offering such kind Services was Air New Zealand which has been operating scheduled sightseeing flights since 1977. on November 28 1979 Air New Zealand flight 901 left Auckland Airport carrying with it 237 passengers and 20 crew members the fly was supposed to return to Auckland that evening however it unfortunately never made it back reports indicated that it was actually the first time that the pilots made such a flight on this route but considering their extensive flight experience they were given the green light and there shouldn't have been an issue they were supposed to fly over McMurdo sound which is an American Scientific base and the largest research station in Antarctica at that time it was reported to be low visibility in the area and a cockpit voice recording revealed that the crew believed they were flying over mcmurdo's sound when in reality they're actually flying directly toward mount arribus it was too late for everyone when they realize that they were in fact headed into a head-on collision with the tallest mountain in Antarctica in a matter of seconds flight 901 smashed directly into it at a speed of 300 miles per hour instantly killing all 257 people on board not one individual survived following the tragic incident and Recovery teams were ordered to temporarily store the corpses at McMurdo Station where they stayed for quite some time fast forward many years and as tourism has continued to thrive visitors began to experience the profound ghostly presence of what they believed to be the crash victims Witnesses claim to hearing voices and even encountering apparitions of the spirits of the individuals that were once housed at McMurdo Station some people have said that they've spotted short Trails of unexplained footprints in the snow around the area as well station workers there also have shared in the strange phenomena one of them recalled hearing footsteps on the Upper Floor when they knew there was no one else in the facility at the time struggling with fear and panic the man didn't think twice of abandoning a station and running away for safety after all it's not like some teens or other people can just wander in this is an isolated base in the middle of an even more isolated continent number one the Frozen crew in 1822 an English Schooner named the Jenny left Port from the Isle of right in England the route intended for it to pass through the Drake Passage which is the body of water between the southern tip of South America's Cape Horn Chile Argentina and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica the Drake Passage is known for having some of the most treacherous Waters in the entire world with unpredictable weather patterns somewhere along the way the ship got caught up in a storm and ultimately the entirety of it froze everyone on board didn't stand a chance and the Jenny and everyone on board were never seen again but then almost 20 years later in 1840 a whaling ship named Hope passed through the same passageway as the Jenny during this time Drake's Passage was riddled with huge icebergs which made it difficult for the whaler to navigate while working their way out in The Frigid conditions the Shipmates suddenly noticed a battered looking ship emerging from a gap between two large icebergs amidst the fog Sailors could clearly see seven men standing on the main deck the name across the boat Hall was the Jenny curiosity prompted the crew to board the battered schooner they called out incessantly but none of the men answered and shock and fear eventually overtook them when they realized that the men standing in attention were actually dead and frozen solid in place it was as if a magical spell was cast onto them stupefying and freezing them where they stood hopes Commander Captain Brighton got wind of the clamoring and ventured below the deck of the Jenny there he saw the boat's Captain sitting at his desk looking like he was riding the ship's log man has prompted him to First Call out to his counterpart but when he didn't get a reply Brighton proceeded to approach him realize that the man too was frozen solid just like his crew he probed the ship's log and learned that the last port Jenny visited was kalu Peru 20 years ago going through the final entry he saw that it read May 4th 1923 no food for 71 days I am the only one left alive right investigated further and they are discovered yet another terrifying site lying on the bed cradling a dog was who they assumed to be the captain's wife frozen solid as well it's a mystery how these poor individuals fell into this horrifying circumstance Theory suggests that a sudden intense storm may have blown through the ship freezing everyone on board although others believe that something paranormal happened such that the Jenny was sucked into another dimension only to reappear 20 years later in an area they weren't prepared to be in as such they all ended up succumbing to the cold no one knew exactly what happened thereafter to the Jenny although stories suggest that the Ghost Ship still haunts the Waters of the Antarctic to this very day......
By Mark Chinkwita4 days ago in Horror
3:00 AM Challenge Winners
B. A. Durham’s False Memories blends dream and reality in a seamless mix. As his father, afflicted by Alzheimer’s, fades away, the narrator is haunted by a dream that may be a memory, returning to him insistently. The piece is full of wonderful detail (the father touching his lip where once there was a mustache, “but now he is clean-shaven—he has been for years” — and moving in revealing the complexities of a family’s life. A worthy winner which shows the power of dreams to influence us.
By Vocal Curation Team3 days ago in Resources
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